Competitive MTG can be very cutthroat, and for many players, the most intimidating factor is deck cost. Standard in particular is tough to keep up with thanks to its ever-changing metagame and rotating nature.
Yet, for those looking to play the format without breaking the bank, there appears to be an option developing. A Standard Angels brew had a decent showing at a recent paper event, offering players a way to play competitively on a budget.
Mono-White Angels
As is typical for Typal decks, this Angels shell piloted by Michelle Smith is built to abuse specific payoffs that reward you for staying on theme. The strongest of the bunch is undoubtedly
Giada, Font of Hope
Giada, Font of Hope
Flying, vigilance
Each other Angel you control enters with an additional +1/+1 counter on it for each Angel you already control.
{T}: Add {W}. Spend this mana only to cast an Angel spell.
, which quickly adds a ton of extra power and toughness to the board. Even the weakest individual follow-ups, like
Inspiring Overseer
Inspiring Overseer
Flying
When this creature enters, you gain 1 life and draw a card.
, become massive threats if Giada sticks around.
If that weren’t enough, Giada and
Momo, Friendly Flier
Momo, Friendly Flier
Flying
The first non-Lemur creature spell with flying you cast during each of your turns costs {1} less to cast.
Whenever another creature you control with flying enters, Momo gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
combine nicely to reliably help you cast multiple Angels on the same turn. This way, you can grow your copies of
Youthful Valkyrie
Youthful Valkyrie
Flying
Whenever another Angel you control enters, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
in a heartbeat and maximize
Starfield Shepherd
Starfield Shepherd
Flying
When this creature enters, search your library for a basic Plains card or a creature card with mana value 1 or less, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.
Warp {1}{W} (You may cast this card from your hand for its warp cost. Exile this creature at the beginning of the next end step, then you may cast it from exile on a later turn.)
as a value engine without falling behind on board.
As you build out a big board, you’ll quickly gain a good chunk of life from tools like
Haliya, Guided by Light
Haliya, Guided by Light
Whenever Haliya or another creature or artifact you control enters, you gain 1 life.
At the beginning of your end step, draw a card if you've gained 3 or more life this turn.
Warp {W} (You may cast this card from your hand for its warp cost. Exile this creature at the beginning of the next end step, then you may cast it from exile on a later turn.)
, and
Liliana the Faultless
Liliana the Faultless
Whenever another creature or planeswalker you control enters, you gain 1 life.
{1}, {T}, Discard a card: Another target creature or planeswalker you control gains hexproof until end of turn.
. Beyond just excelling in a racing situation, these cards let you get immediate value from
Lyra, Archangel of Dawn
Lyra, Archangel of Dawn
Flying
Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on each Angel you control.
the turn you play it. When combined with other sources of incidental life gain, including
Adventurer’s Inn
Adventurer’s Inn
When this land enters, you gain 2 life.
{T}: Add {C}.
, your creatures will grow ferocious in no time.
From there,
Practiced Offense
Practiced Offense
Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature target player controls. Target creature gains your choice of double strike or lifelink until end of turn.
Flashback {1}{W} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
lets you turn the corner out of nowhere, often swinging for 20 points of Flying damage on a buffed board. Throw in a few copies of
Erode
Erode
Destroy target creature or planeswalker. Its controller may search their library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
to clear away opposing blockers, and you should have no problem ending games.
Winning on a Budget
Unsurprisingly, Angels shine against other creature-based decks with minimal interaction. Even against decks like Boros Dragons, whose creatures are much stronger and larger, your synergies overwhelm them when Giada and Lyra don’t die on sight.
While things get a lot harder when your payoffs die right away, you still have grindy tools like
Abandoned Air Temple
Abandoned Air Temple
This land enters tapped unless you control a basic land.
{T}: Add {W}.
{3}{W}, {T}: Put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
that serve as a late-game mana sink. When combined with sideboard cards like
Ajani, Outland Chaperone
Ajani, Outland Chaperone
+1: Create a 1/1 green and white Kithkin creature token.
−2: Ajani deals 4 damage to target tapped creature.
−8: Look at the top X cards of your library, where X is your life total. You may put any number of nonland permanent cards with mana value 3 or less from among them onto the battlefield. Then shuffle.
and
Leonardo’s Technique
Leonardo’s Technique
Sneak {1}{W} (You may cast this spell for {1}{W} if you also return an unblocked attacker you control to hand during the declare blockers step.)
Return one or two target creature cards each with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
, you can still win longer battles.
Still, at the end of the day, this deck’s biggest strength is its price tag. Not only do you get to utilize a super cheap manabase as a mono-white deck, but no card in this deck costs more than $10. With a good portion of the deck’s core coming from Foundations, the deck is also less likely to rotate out in the near future. Altogether, this deck costs about $117 according to the MTGRocks deckbuilder, which is extremely cheap for a competitive deck.
Like most budget decks, though, Mono-White Angels has its flaws. Unsurprisingly, board wipes from control decks or
Sunderflock
Sunderflock
This spell costs {X} less to cast, where X is the greatest mana value among Elementals you control.
Flying
When this creature enters, if you cast it, return all non-Elemental creatures to their owners' hands.
out of Izzet Spellementals are extremely difficult to beat, since your deck relies on critical mass. You also have limited disruption of your own, which makes beating combo strategies like Dimir Excruciator a challenge.
As such, Angels is far from an elite competitive Standard archetype. Nonetheless, it has its moments in specific metagames and can serve as a great entry point for players looking to get into Standard.
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