The One Where Radiant Gets Mad (Commander / EDH MTG Deck)

The One Where Radiant Gets Mad

Commander / EDH Aggro Angels Control Lifegain Mono-White Multiplayer

Chompythebeast

Creature (29)

Enchantment (5)

Land (38)

Sorcery (8)

Commander (1)

Artifact (17)

Instant (2)

Maybeboard

Creature (61)

Artifact (26)

Sorcery (20)

Planeswalker (1)

1x Serra the Benevolent

Enchantment (25)

Land (13)

Instant (8)

*~ The Chompy Masterpiece Collection - Vol. IV: Magus Albus ~*

The One Where Radiant Gets Mad

Angels: we are pretty / but sometimes we have strange ways / "I am the Mad One!" ~Radiant (young ladies, I rock ya)

Since it was formed in 2010, Radiant, Archangel has always been the general in this deck, even though there really weren't enough good Mono-White Angels to fill an EDH deck back then. These days, however, it seems like with every new set, they print another rare or mythic mono-white Angel - and their abilities are getting more and more powerful. We've had Radiant for quite some time now, and Reya Dawnbringer for a little less - now, they're printing cards like Linvala, Keeper of Silence, Archangel of Thune and Avacyn, Angel of Hope! Thus, the Angel tribe took over. And as the Angels' static abilities began taking on heavy control themes, so did the rest of the deck.

To that effect, the deck also runs a lot of "propaganda" ("The angels love you! Embrace the light! I'll be there for you (cuz you're there for me too)!"). Archon of Justice, Blazing Archon, Windborn Muse, Yosei, the Morning Star, Ghostly Prison, Mystifying Maze, Maze of Ith, and Kor Haven all encourage your opponents to swing at someone else, and since they don't bother your opponents until they swing at you (or you swing at them), players will often simply defer to easier prey that don't cost mana to attack.

Returning to more conspicuous control: Black Mages may have Decree of Pain, but White Mages still have the most flexible array of board wipes. Austere Command and Akroma's Vengeance hit non-creature permanents, as does Steel Hellkite. Catastrophe is usually a creature wipe, but if you have Avacyn or enough artifact mana or Land Tax or a Faith's Reward in hand, it can become a groaner of a game-ender. Final Judgement deals with indestructible creatures. Rout can be cast as an instant! (Seriously, type that into Gatherer... there's like Puppet's Verdict, Fight to the Death and Turnabout, but no true instant wipe! (Update: They printed Fated Retribution, which is good... but I like the option on Rout better.) And Sunblast Angel can potentially be Plague Wind on a stick if played at the right time.

To counter losses incurred by wipes, the deck runs a robust reanimator package. Black may have White beat in terms of its access to this mechanic, but Light Magic is still a strong silver medalist in Necromancy. Miraculous Recovery, Faith's Reward, Emeria, The Sky Ruin, Twilight Shepherd, Adarkar Valkyrie, and the aforementioned Reya are all pretty powerful. Glory, Deathless Angel, Akroma's Memorial, and some of the equipments all help prevent the loss of your angels in the first place.

Equipments: Yes, with access to Stonehewer Giant, I could hardly help but include an equipment sub-theme. The Giant is one of only two non-flyers permitted in the deck (the other being another tutor-on-a-stick, Weathered Wayfarer). I did however cut Grafted Exoskeleton since it was finding its way into all of my decks, and because I thought that infect was sorta counter to the Angel theme. (Of course, now knowing exactly what happened to Radiant in the last years of her life, the theming might not be so off after all...) So that's one potential win condition I'm resisting. But don't be fooled - Fireshrieker, Whispersilk Cloak, Strata Scythe can turn into kills when equipped at instant-speed at the beginning of an attack. Yes, Strata Scythe is one of the best of the lot - in a large multiplayer game, it can rather easily launch Radiant into the lethal 21+ power range all by itself!

True Conviction, Reverse the Sands, and Storm Herd are also potential game-enders. Reverse the Sands is a particularly ridiculous card that nobody ever sees coming; it's the kind of card that can make you win, even when you have absolutely no business doing so.

Life Gain: There is a fairly large supply of life gain going on in here, an ability which I normally consider pretty noobish (especially in a format of general damage and poison counters), but one which has continued to grow as I've continued to have success with it. Now there are so many cards gaining me life (don't forget that effects like those on Reverse the Sands and Resolute Archangel count as life gain, if in fact they raise your life total!) that I feel I can run Well of Lost Dreams. Seraph Sanctuary, Sun Droplet, Loxodon Warhammer, Battlegrace Angel, and True Conviction are all especially potent with the Well in play, and there are a few other angels in the deck packing Lifelink as well.

That reminds me - while we're mentioning sub-themes, I might as well point out another sorta sub-sub-theme going on here: Exalted. Battlegrace Angel, Cathedral of War, and particularly Sublime Archangel will reward you for attacking with Radiant alone... I thought this tied in sorta nicely to the equipment theme, since you're investing so much into one creature.

As for cards I'm considering adding: I've got a nice Japanese Umezawa's Jitte just waiting to be put in, if I can find a cut for it. I'm not sure though, what do you think - is it good enough to hang EDH? It would certainly go well with the Well of Lost Dreams... but wouldn't I rather just have a Loxodon Warhammer? I'm not sure. Sometimes I'm also tempted to cut Emeria Angel for Angelic Skirmisher, especially now that Well of Lost Dreams is in the Deck. The biggest reason I haven't is due to the mana cost: I have a lot of spells at 6, and not very many in the 4 slot. Hmm.

And speaking of cards I'd like to add, are you familiar with that old gem, Moat? I'd love to run it if I could get my hands on one. Look it up if you're not familiar with it and how expensive it is (spoiler: it's something like $200, I don't even know anymore). (Updated Spoiler 10/14: More like $400.)

Oh, and here's a combo that will make you a hero: Blinding Angel + True Conviction / Fireshrieker. Yes, it stacks! I know, right!?

One last note: if you draw Luminarch Ascension within the first two turns of the game, what you should probably do is play it, and devote 100% of your mana to the production of angel tokens for the rest of the game until you win (or it's destroyed). Almost nothing is worth casting over 1W for a 4/4 flyer. Sol Ring is a rare exception. Seriously. People will either kill that enchantment quick, or they will lose. When I find the Ascension in my opening hand, or when I draw it before playing my third land, my strategy changes, and it becomes a "Luminarch game" - everyone's favorite thing! (Not really, your opponents won't be thrilled.)

Old Maybes: Ancient Tomb, Archon of Redemption, Blessed Wind, Blind Obedience, Brave the Sands, Defy Death, Elspeth, Knight-Errant, Fated Retribution, Gift of Immortality, Grim Monolith, Herald of War, Hushwing Gryff, Indomitable Archangel, Mana Vault, Moat, Plea for Guidance, Quietus Spike, Silent Sentinel (An "F" or Foil mark indicates that a card is slated "For Removal" if it's in the Mainboard, or "For Insertion" if in the Maybeboard.)

Vol. I: Intet Dreams of Yesterday’s Day After Tomorrow (2008)Vol. II: The Great Chain (2009)Vol. III: Sliver Overlord Is Watching You (2010)Vol. IV: The One Where Radiant Gets Mad (2010)Vol. V: The Salvation Army (2011)Vol. VI: Zero-Point Omnath (2012)Vol. VII: Wu Daze, Blue Knights (2013)Vol. VIII: Mach Daddy Karn (2014)Vol. IX: Τὰ Πυρὰ τοῦ ὈλύμπουThe Fires of Olympus (2014)

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Date added	11 years
Last updated	3 years
Exclude colors	UBRG
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	12 - 0 Mythic Rares 54 - 0 Rares 15 - 0 Uncommons 1 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	4.84
Tokens	Angel 4/4 W, Bird 1/1 W, Pegasus 1/1 W
Folders	EDH
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