Life gain deck with Archangel?
Deck Help forum
Posted on July 15, 2013, 9:33 a.m. by CerberusPuppy
I pulled an Archangel of Thune in the pre-release and I just ordered three more. I wanted to get the set before they rose in price any more than they already have.
In the pre-release I saw how strong this card could be. I ended one game at 59 life and I had actually forgotten some of what I should have gained. I got it up to power 7 or higher more than once. For 5 mana, it's phenomenal.
So I want to build a deck around it. The first thing I have to decide is whether to go mono white or black/white. Black offers much better removal in Doom Blade some card draw like Sign in Blood and access to things like Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts which could be powerful in a life gain deck. If I had enough swamps I could use Crypt Ghast for a little mana ramp, but I doubt I'd have that many or room in the deck. If anything black would probably be just a splash.
Mono white would have no shortage of creatures. I'd like to use Serra Angel a couple Angelic Skirmisher and maybe even Dawnstrike Paladin if that doesn't slow the deck down too much. On the lower end of the mana curve, there's Angelic Wall for a cheap blocker, Banisher Priest for semi-removal, Fiendslayer Paladin for first strike and lifelink, Imposing Sovereign to slow down creatures (especially with haste) and give me more opportunities to attack, Soulmender for the ideal one drop, or Suntail Hawk for another (and a cheap chump blocker).
Mono white (or splashing black with some b/w creatures) would also offer Brave the Elements , one of my favorite cards from Zendikar. For one white mana, I can counter a removal spell, stop Mizzum Mortars from killing all my creatures before I pump them up, or make all of my creatures unblockable to a good portion (maybe all) of my opponent's creatures.
I also pulled a Silence and Elixir of Immortality which could be good sideboard cards, Ajani, Caller of the Pride (seems an ideal choice for a planeswalker) and Angelic Accord which might make it into the deck, as it can reliably produce a token every turn.
I don't want to bother with any cards that are rotating out. Given that, how exactly should I go about building this deck? I'm asking here because I'm not very good at deck building in general. I usually have to net-deck to win.
My only original deck that did well was an anti-Necropotence deck, and that was a long time ago. I haven't been playing consistently that long though- I tend to leave the game for years at a time and then come back when they do something like bring back slivers. :)
Anyway, I'd appreciate any help you guys can provide. Thanks.
CerberusPuppy says... #3
Well, Bonfire at least I can stop with Brave the Elements and it's rotating out anyway. I figure with a couple creatures in my hand and maybe some card draw I can recover from a board wipe. I might even main deck an Elixir of Immortality to give myself a chance to draw everything again. Either that or I'm sure black has ways to return creatures from the graveyard. Immortal Servitude wouldn't be practical for the Archangel, but maybe weenies.
I know most angels are on the expensive side, but I was hoping my life gain, combined with cheap blockers like Angelic Wall would buy me time to get to the late game where I can cast them. It is a good point though that the Archangel has more of an impact with more creatures on the board.
I can see extort being good, but it does require mana and spells to cast. I should have mana to spare if I'm running weenies, but I might not always have something I can cast later in the game. Can I pay more than one mana for extort? Maybe if I have it on multiple cards in play? Running a search for extort on Gatherer I do see some good options. I think I would still need the Soulmender though for a one drop and a reliable way to gain life when I need to. So what happens if I extort upon casting the Archangel? I wouldn't get +1/+1 counters for that would I? I suppose with the way the Archangel works, I'm better off with lots of small gains as opposed to a few big ones.
I think one problem I'm having is that what seems intuitive to me doesn't always make sense to more experienced deck builders. I know I don't have enough of a grasp on the meta now, let alone after the rotation. It's possible Theros could slow things down, but there will always be fast aggro decks. I should know, because that's normally what I like to play.
Thanks a lot for your help.
July 15, 2013 10:44 a.m.
I was kind of intrigued by the idea of G/W and splash black for removal. Kalonian Hydra + Archangel of Thune just seems majorly playable if you can stall the game long enough to drop them both. Definitely a kidrange deck but if you can get consistent life gain it would be able to stop most aggor until you can bomb
July 15, 2013 11:37 a.m.
I'd say G/W is your best option as well, you can ramp, Voracious Wurm and Kalonian Hydra give you more options for Life gain and counter increase, and Trostani, Selesnya's Voice turns any creature into lifegain. The angels are iffy, they might work, but there are better options at that high a cost, and with the Archangel, you should be able to quickly pump your creatures to high levels without needing major blockers.
FYI, you can pay the extort cost for each creature with extort you control in play. Extorting on the Archangel wouldn't help, since it isn't on the battlefield, but once it does, you technically gain life in a separate event for each extort trigger, so with a 3 extorts paid, you get to put 3 counters on all your creatures from a single spell.
July 15, 2013 11:52 a.m.
CerberusPuppy says... #7
G/W is what I played at the pre-release. I even had a Voracious Wurm. So I know there might be something there. It looks like G/W might be better for a few bigger gains, while B/W might have more smaller gains. Black would then pump the Archangel more often, but green would increase the counters directly. Experiment One could be good. Green offers ramp, which would help a lot, but so would black's removal. I do like Putrefy though. I'm not sure I want to go after both of the big chase mythic rares from the set. B/W might actually be cheaper.
Thanks again.
July 15, 2013 12:24 p.m.
LittleBlueHero says... #8
Don't forget Centaur Healer if you go G/W. I think he would be a good mainboard option game one and easy to move to the side for more specific things after sideboarding.
July 15, 2013 1:07 p.m.
CerberusPuppy says... #9
One thing I have to consider is that a good mill deck with plenty of counterspells would probably beat me every time. Is there really much I can do about that? I suppose Silence could make them use up one, so that might be a good sideboard card. Solemn Offering on the Millstone could also force them to use up a counter. Until September at least though, they can bring their counterspells back. I suppose that's another reason to use the Scavenging Ooze - to stop all the recursion running around now. Elixir of Immortality could save me all on its own, IF I can get it past the counters.
Another thing that could cause me trouble is Skullcrack . There's not much I can do about it, other than try to gain enough on other turns to make up for it. I'd have to win the first game of the match, before sideboarding.
July 16, 2013 12:35 a.m.
CerberusPuppy says... #10
G/W is tempting, but I have to consider a budget. Scavenging Ooze goes for $12 and Kalonian Hydra is $22 each. It does seem like the singles for B/W would be cheaper, even the land. I am more familiar with green than black though, and with green I could splash black for Putrefy .
July 16, 2013 1:49 a.m.
CerberusPuppy says... #11
So what happens if I have Trostani, Selesnya's Voice in play and then I bring Archangel of Thune out? I gain 4 life, but does that then trigger the Archangel? What about Voracious Wurm? Do I gain 2 life, or an amount equal to its toughness with the counters?
Thanks again.
July 16, 2013 2:59 a.m.
CerberusPuppy says... #12
Okay, I've posted a prototype of the G/W version here: Archangel Life Gain (G/W version). I'd appreciate any help with it. I don't think it's quite there just yet.
July 16, 2013 3:51 a.m.
angelic accord is good, and after 1 turn of an attack with archangel, she'll be able to trigger it every turn. You want to have cards that gain you life often, like Blood Artist or Chalice of Life Flip . Green white and black are all colours without a lot of draw power, so the often overlooked Scroll of Avacyn could help here, and maybe get you a bonus +1/+1 to all and 5 life in the process. Seraph Sanctuary gives you an instant +1/+1 to all when thune comes out, and 1 life if it comes out afterwards. It would be good for the landbase in an archangel of thune deck. A card as gamebreaking as it can change what seems viable, like the sanctuary.
July 16, 2013 3:58 a.m.
CerberusPuppy says... #14
Thanks, but I'm trying to avoid cards that are rotating out. That and the Archangel is the only angel in the deck for now.
July 16, 2013 5:11 a.m.
CerberusPuppy says... #15
I will at least try Angelic Accord . If it triggers even once, it seems worthwhile- a 4/4 flyer for 4 mana. And there's a good chance it could trigger two or three times in a game.
Epochalyptik says... #2
If this is going to be a competitive deck, you don't want to be playing cards like Serra Angel or Angelic Skirmisher . They're too slow and expensive.
I think you'd be better off using extort weenies and having Archangel of Thune as a finisher. This would allow you to play some utility creatures in the first few turns and turn everything deadly once you hit Archangel. To be honest, though, that approach would be left very vulnerable to Supreme Verdict and Bonfire of the Damned .
July 15, 2013 9:44 a.m.