The Foundations Commander Precons released October 2, bringing a new kind of Commander Precon deck to the market. These precons are priced lower, with less demanding themes, and accessibility prioritized for newer players. Are they just for new players, though, or are they worth a look for established Commander fans?
Calling All Angels is one of five precons in the Foundations release. All are mono colored, and all are focused on a main creature type. This – you guessed it – is Mono-white Angels.
CALLING ALL ANGELS – GIADA, FONT OF HOPE
The Commander is Giada, Font of Hope, a fantastic Angels Commander. Let’s get that out of the way first – Giada is probably the best mono-white Angels Commander, and not only easy to play and build, but also strong and impactful. That’s perfect for an entry-level Commander, and so to have a Giada deck here is a bit of a treat.
Notable reprints include Norn’s Choirmaster, Starnheim Aspirant and Righteous Valkyrie, though if you’ve never played an Angels deck before, getting the rest of the shell of a Giada deck is a good deal here, as you get access to plenty of good cards.
Is this deck just for beginners? Not exactly. While the deck is a budget Commander deck with an MSRP of $34.99 – and as such, lacks some of the selling points of regular releases, like new designs – it still ticks a lot of boxes. Much more than half of the nonland cards in the deck are cards I’d consider for a Giada deck, and even when comparing it to my custom-built Bracket 3 Giada deck, I’m playing many of those same cards.
It’s also an easy deck to upgrade, as the main strategy is quite straightforward. The main crux is how to do so on a budget.
$15 BUDGET UPGRADE
Given the MSRP of $34.99, we felt it only fitting to aim for a $15 budget upgrade here today, bringing the total spend to $50. This feels like a sweet spot for beginners, while giving enough space to further customize the deck to personal taste. Do you want to then add Game Changers, a lifegain suite, equipment, or token support? Well, there are multiple directions open to you, but it’s best to decide after some playtesting.
To pick these eight cards, the focus was on lowering the curve a little when it comes to card advantage and ramp, adding some stronger versions of existing effects, and some powerful recursion to bounce back from board wipes and removal.
First up, that recursion. Jackdaw Savior ensures whenever an Angel dies, we can return an Angel with lesser mana value from the graveyard to play. This is excellent in the face of sustained removal or board clears. Angel of Indemnity, meanwhile, is a top-end threat that can enter with a bunch of counters, gain us a bunch of life, and return many of our powerful permanents to play.
The removal in the deck is mostly serviceable for lower bracket play, but there is both a little too much of it, and room to improve it. Generous Gift helps round out our flexibility.
While Akroma’s Will would take up basically our whole budget, there are other ways to improve the lethality of the deck. Lyra, Archangel of Dawn is a mini-Archangel of Thune, dropping counters on the whole team when we gain life. This card gets better the more lifegain effects we have in play, and as a three mana creature, comes in as a 4/4 the turn after Giada. Sigarda’s Vanguard on the other hand can swoop in to help us get lethal as a combat trick, and repeat her buff while in play. Don’t miss using her to give double strike to opposing creatures as a sneaky trick, too.
Finally, we’re taking advantage of the fact we have a two-mana creature with flying and vigilance in the command zone, and using some cheap to play and cheap to equip Equipment cards. Mask of Memory and Sword of the Animist have long been mainstays in the format, and both are excellent budget picks to increase the consistency of our early to mid-game. Conjurer’s Mantle, on the other hand, feels made for Angels decks, giving a nice bit of vigilance coupled with card selection to dig for more angels.
Our cuts are pretty easy.
- Plains – 38 Lands is a touch high when our Commander helps us cast Angels
- Segovian Angel – Low impact
- Exorcise – Sorcery speed, replaced with Generous Gift
- Angelic Destiny – Doesn’t add enough value in this deck
- Day of Judgment – We’re rich in removal, and don’t really want this effect
- Search the Premises – A disappointing top deck
- Seraph of the Sword – Underwhelming and easily replicable
- Vanquisher’s Banner – Replaced with lower mana value card advantage
WHERE TO GO NEXT WITH AN UPGRADE
So, you’ve purchased the precon and a few upgrades – what’s next on the agenda?
Well, to truly get the most out of Giada, you’re going to want to keep the curve a little lower than you’d think, and ditch some of the more expensive Angels in order to try and cast two spells a turn more reliably. You’re also going to want to commit harder to certain sub themes, whether it’s equipment, lifegain, or +1/+1 counters.
You might also consider splashing out on a few pricier picks. Mox Ambler, Smothering Tithe, and Esper Sentinel all work great in Giada. If you’d like some more recommendations for your brew, check out our Top 10 Underrated Cards for a Giada Deck.
If you’d like to see what a well-tuned Bracket 3 version of the deck looks like, then check out “Two Steel Blades and the Wings of Freedom On Our Backs”. It’s a list that has served me well over the years, and with the release of this new precon, I think I’ll take a look at adding a few recently printed cards to upgrade it. Lyra, Archangel of Dawn, Starfield Shepherd and Gleaming Splendor all look pretty great for my build.
Keep an eye out for our budget upgrade guides to the rest of the Foundations precons this week.
Kristen is Card Kingdom’s Head Writer and a member of the Commander Format Panel. Formerly a competitive Pokémon TCG grinder, she has been playing Magic since Shadows Over Innistrad, which in her opinion, was a great set to start with. When she’s not taking names with Equipment and Aggro strategies in Commander, she loves to play any form of Limited.