Avacyn, Queen of Winter (Angel Tribal) [Primer] (EDH / Commander)

Update jan 2019

I have tried just about everything I have read up on and researched for the better part of a year now. There is just no way white can keep up to the speed of blue, green, and simic or 3-4 color generals that have acess to forementioned.

I have decided to de-commission this deck in real life, and re-tool my Angel tribe with a different multi-color commander. I worked extremely hard on trying to make this deck as competetive as possible. But its just not feasible even in my playgroups’ casual meta.

I’ll still leave it here and update it from time to time just in case someone else wants to give Avacyn a try and wishes to use it as a blue print.

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This is NOT a typical go for broke, Avacyn, angel of Hope plus a one sided "destroy" all board wipe, one-two punch deck. (Although those tools are side-boarded if that meta is preffered).

This is a self-sustaining angel tribal deck with a Hexproof & Vigilance toolbox and a few tutors to help find them.

Tutor Package is as follows: Expedition Map & Weathered Wayfarer - (Any Lands) Good ones like Emeria, the sky ruin, Additional basic land tutoring is provided by land tax, tithe, Myriad Landscape, Terramorphic Expanse (both combo off with Crucible of Worlds) and the Knight of the White orchid,... With this much land draw Reliquary Tower, thought vessel or library of leng might be handy tools if you start flooding. Citanul Flute - (Creatures) Very flexible tutor for angel tribal, that can fetch you important things like ... angels, ... Sun Titan, So yes the Flute over Recruiter of the Guard and Ranger of Eos for this one. Both the Enlightened Tutor & Idyllic Tutor (Artifacts and Enchantments) A second shot at tutoring Land Tax in a deck running both Iona and Avacyn is worth it. Also Idyllic can fetch you the Angelic Renewal a very important cog in Mono-white recurision engine. (more on that next) Inventors' Fair (Artifacts) / Stoneforge Mystic (Equipment) Lightning Greaves!!! Also insidious things like Godsend, or Strata Scythe, or find a creature with Citanul Flute...

Recursion Engine in this list: Buried Ruin, Haunted Fengraf, Emeria the Sky Ruin, Crucible of Worlds, Angelic Renewal, Sun Titan, Emeria Shepherd, are the main components that all synergize and have each others back. Honorable mention to Adarkar Valkyrie and Angel of Serenity for their ability to assist. Thespian's Stage. Two not just one, ... Emeria, the Sky Ruin... Yes it's that good.

Mana-Base Note: Any Mono-Coloured EDH deck should be running Snow-covered Basic lands, Scrying Sheets, Extraplanar Lens and the Coldsteel Heart (If Space allows)Hence why both my posted mono-coloured decks say they are "Winter" Themed. If you are super lucky in this list Adarkar Valkyrie does play nice with Scrying sheets as well.

So the main tactic with this mix is to build a solid board state, with the usual solid, pillow fort-ish lineup of high ranking angels, find some Lightning Greaves, Swiftfoot Boots, etc...

Then bring out Avacyn, to make your entire army a fast clock. After careful study of the mono-white angels tribe as a whole, I have concluded that VIGILANCE is the best way to optimize your post-Avacyn flying armada. Akroma's Memorial/True Conviction has been added for a post-Avacyn blowout. For more flexibilty and added defense ... I.e.: Your heavily outnumbered by an aggro green elf army or something ... consider Brave the Sands.

Since this is a deck with lots of big creatures, and a few good potential mana sinks, an easy infinite white mana combo can be achieved with Sun Titan, Angelic Renewal, and Phyrexian Altar. This can then be used with tools of interest such as Eight-and-a-half-tails, Deathless Angel (pre-Avacyn), Heliod, God of the Sun, or even Well of Lost Dreams (lifelink, is pretty common in white).

With a bit of strategic sideboarding, this list should be able to run Lyra Dawnbringer as an alternate commander. If you do, Concerted Effort really should be played, because an entire flying army with vigilance (picked up from sources other then Lyra), first strike, and lifelink, is no joke. Throw Pristine Angel (Protection) or Magus of the Moat (... potential ground army lock-out ...) into that mix, and it should be KO time.

Should your budget allow it ... Sensei's Divining Top should be replaced by Scroll rack and the Idyllic Tutor should be replaced by Academy Rector, also any tribal deck can benefit from Cavern of Souls (swap out for Path of Ancestry), could also swap out the Godsend or Strata Scythe for Sword of Feast and Famine (Ramp up that early game!)

WEAKNESSES:
Two words: EXILE ALL. Avacyn, paired with hexproof along with Indomitable archangel, and a good recursion engine will force your opponents, into EXILE ALL as an anwser. Hope you had a good game up until then...

Aggro/Combos,... this can be a slow deck, Ethersworn Canonist/Spirit of the Labyrinth MAY help against very aggro or combo decks. But will also slow you down. Aven Mindcensor... might help if an opponent tutors for combo.

Inability to Counter, Inability to Draw, and Inability to Ramp. White is White. Any opponent deck that runs the Simic color combination is going to be serious competition for mono-white decks.

The main tool that was given to white (and mono-red) over the years to deal with the “Simic Speed” is Mass Land Destruction. Unfortunately that meta is not socially acceptable in EDH.

The only other re-course to the inability to keep up pace is abusing pillowfort and Stax hate-bears like Grand Abolisher, Linvala, Iona, Ghostly Prison, Norn’s Annex, Angelic Arbiter, Vedalken Orrery can also be useful to flash in cards like Angel of Serenity...etc etc

Anything with a splash of green that is very aggro and ramps... Could always try to lock it out with a mid/late game Yosei, the morning star combo. Yosei+Sac Outlet+Emeria, the sky Ruin.