<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lyra, Archangel of Dawn" href="#" target="_blank">Lyra, Archangel of Dawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://victoradameart.com/">Victor Adame Minguez</a></span></em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week, we look at one of the more beautiful and deadly creature types, which has a biblical and idiomatic pedigree.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At their best, they look out for people, providing protection and guidance.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At their worst, they’re heavenly emissaries of doom and destruction.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Have you guessed it? It’s Angels!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Angels are huge flyers that also happen to work with life gain, making them ideal curvetoppers and race-winners. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">They might not be a featured type in <em>Reality Fracture</em>, but the upcoming set did provide them with an incredible new leader. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Well, a new incarnation of an old leader.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sigarda, Font of Blessings"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lyra Dawnbringer"></div></div>
<h2>Angel History</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Unlike Wolves <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/building-wolf-typal-with-chief-of-the-wilds">last week</a>, Angels have been around since the beginning of <em>Magic</em>, serving as some of the finest win conditions in the game.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Serra Angel" href="#" target="_blank">Serra Angel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was a control finisher for a long time, dominating offense and defense with its size, evasion, and defensive ability in vigilance.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lightning Angel" href="#" target="_blank">Lightning Angel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> also served as a control finisher in two generations, with its colorshifted status.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Baneslayer Angel" href="#" target="_blank">Baneslayer Angel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> took that to another level, singlehandedly ending the Jund menace by outclassing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Broodmate Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Broodmate Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s taken a bit for Angels to get true support, however. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over the years, more and more Angels have been printed at lower mana values. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Giada, Font of Hope" href="#" target="_blank">Giada, Font of Hope</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Youthful Valkyrie" href="#" target="_blank">Youthful Valkyrie</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have made it easier to get multiple Angels out, enabling them to develop synergies and a cohesive identity. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">So how do we get curvetoppers to play with each other? And what does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lyra, Archangel of Dawn" href="#" target="_blank">Lyra, Archangel of Dawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> bring to the table?</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lyra, Archangel of Dawn"></div></div>
<h2>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lyra, Archangel of Dawn" href="#" target="_blank">Lyra, Archangel of Dawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lyra, Archangel of Dawn is another of the recent trend of early Angels, being a 3-mana 3/3 flyer. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">She's a solid beater that comes down before her flying brethren; as long as she has an ability that cares about Angels, flyers, or white creatures, she can be an excellent mono-white Angel commander. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">And her ability is absolutely incredible.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the strongest Angels in <em>Magic</em> is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archangel of Thune" href="#" target="_blank">Archangel of Thune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which puts a +1/+1 counter on all our creatures when we gain life. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s an incredible combo piece, part of 11 unique combos in <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/search/?q=archangel%20of%20thune">Commander Spellbook</a>, with hundreds of variations; we could make a bracket 3-to-4 dedicated combo deck just on that basis.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our commander is a fairer version of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archangel of Thune" href="#" target="_blank">Archangel of Thune</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; her ability is the same, but only puts counters on Angels, so we would need to have something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Maskwood Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Maskwood Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> out to use those combos.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But what if we just used the counters to add power to our already strong flyers?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Crazy might not be absolutely bonkers, but it’s still good!</span></p>
<h2>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lyra, Archangel of Dawn" href="#" target="_blank">Lyra, Archangel of Dawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Angels have historically been curvetoppers, but Lyra gets better the more Angels we have out. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">As a result, we’re going with small-to-medium Angels that then grow, rather than singular large Angels that are already big.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Seluma, Light of Aysen"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sephara, Sky&#039;s Blade"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Seluma may be an interesting rulebreaking commander, but it can also just be a solid card in the 99; it’s a 4/4 flyer for 4 that reanimates Angels when it connects, which is plenty strong.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sephara, Sky&#039;s Blade" href="#" target="_blank">Sephara, Sky&#039;s Blade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a cheap flyer…when we already have flyers; it does beat down quite well, though!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Segovian Angel"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angelic Field Marshal"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Segovian Angel" href="#" target="_blank">Segovian Angel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another cheap flyer and prototypical keyword soup carrier, taking on our commander’s counters expertly.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angelic Field Marshal" href="#" target="_blank">Angelic Field Marshal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> also gets better with our commander, but it comes down after, grows from having it out, and gives our board vigilance.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Starnheim Aspirant"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Wind Crystal"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Starnheim Aspirant" href="#" target="_blank">Starnheim Aspirant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Wind Crystal" href="#" target="_blank">The Wind Crystal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are both cost reducers, which greatly helps our deck’s velocity, enabling our strongest starts and making sure our commander has a board full of Angels to grow.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angel of the Ruins"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sunblast Angel"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In terms of removal, this is where we can lean into Angels’ more destructive inclinations.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angel of the Ruins" href="#" target="_blank">Angel of the Ruins</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> comes in with a double <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Disenchant" href="#" target="_blank">Disenchant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sunblast Angel" href="#" target="_blank">Sunblast Angel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the Angel of Death for tapped creatures. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Interestingly enough, we have a lot of reanimation, so cycling <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angel of the Ruins" href="#" target="_blank">Angel of the Ruins</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be a strong early-game play.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Battle Angels of Tyr"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wojek Investigator"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Battle Angels of Tyr" href="#" target="_blank">Battle Angels of Tyr</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wojek Investigator" href="#" target="_blank">Wojek Investigator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are both conditional draw effects that care about opponents.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Battle Angels can give us a draw, a Treasure, or some life, depending on whether we're behind the player we hit on those resources; Wojek investigates each of our upkeeps for each opponent we are behind on cards.</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Radiant Fountain"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cabaretti Courtyard"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our landbase has some…unusual inclusions: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Radiant Fountain" href="#" target="_blank">Radiant Fountain</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gains us a couple of life when it enters, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cabaretti Courtyard" href="#" target="_blank">Cabaretti Courtyard</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and its ilk can each find a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Plains" href="#" target="_blank">Plains</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and gain a life upon entering; the life gain is the important part, as we can use our lands to trigger our commander!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how do we close the game out?</span></p>
<h2>How Does This <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lyra, Archangel of Dawn" href="#" target="_blank">Lyra, Archangel of Dawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Commander Deck Win?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brisela, Voice of Nightmares"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angel of Destiny"></div></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Our plan is extremely straightforward: attack with large flyers that become larger as we gain life and make it hard to race against. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">But how do we make this a deck we want to pick back up?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We have some “Bucket List” items in here: melding Brisela, which is an incredible rush, and taking a player out with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angel of Destiny" href="#" target="_blank">Angel of Destiny</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>’s end step trigger. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bonus points if you can take out the whole table that way.</span></p>
<h2>The Deck List</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Lyra, Archangel of Dawn Commander Deck Tech" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="&nbsp;
[Commander]
*1 Lyra, Archangel of Dawn
[/Commander]
&nbsp;
[Creatures]
*1 Admonition Angel
*1 Angel of Condemnation
*1 Angel of Deliverance
*1 Angel of Destiny
*1 Angel of Finality
*1 Angel of Jubilation
*1 Angel of Sanctions
*1 Angel of Serenity
*1 Angel of Vitality
*1 Angel of the Dawn
*1 Angel of the Dire Hour
*1 Angel of the God-Pharaoh
*1 Angel of the Ruins
*1 Angelic Curator
*1 Angelic Field Marshal
*1 Angelic Guardian
*1 Angelic Sell-Sword
*1 Angelic Skirmisher
*1 Archangel of Thune
*1 Archangel of Tithes
*1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
*1 Baneslayer Angel
*1 Battle Angels of Tyr
*1 Bruna, the Fading Light
*1 Celestine, the Living Saint
*1 Dazzling Angel
*1 Emeria Shepherd
*1 Exemplar of Light
*1 Firemane Commando
*1 Giada, Font of Hope
*1 Gisela, the Broken Blade
*1 Herald of Eternal Dawn
*1 Karmic Guide
*1 Lightkeeper of Emeria
*1 Lyra Dawnbringer
*1 Metropolis Reformer
*1 Platinum Angel
*1 Resplendent Angel
*1 Righteous Valkyrie
*1 Segovian Angel
*1 Seluma, Light of Aysen
*1 Sephara, Sky&#039;s Blade
*1 Serra Paragon
*1 Serra&#039;s Emissary
*1 Starnheim Aspirant
*1 Sunblast Angel
*1 Thraben Watcher
*1 Valkyrie Harbinger
*1 Vanguard Seraph
*1 Wojek Investigator
*1 Youthful Valkyrie
[/Creatures]
&nbsp;
[Artifacts]
*1 Archaeomancer&#039;s Map
*1 Herald&#039;s Horn
*1 Pearl Medallion
*1 Sol Ring
*1 The Wind Crystal
*1 Urza&#039;s Incubator
[/Artifacts]
&nbsp;
[Enchantments]
*1 Land Tax
*1 Oath of Lieges
[/Enchantments]
&nbsp;
[Lands]
*1 Abandoned Air Temple
*1 Adventurer&#039;s Inn
*1 Bonders&#039; Enclave
*1 Brokers Hideout
*1 Cabaretti Courtyard
*1 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
*1 Minas Tirith
*1 Obscura Storefront
*30 Plains
*1 Radiant Fountain
*1 War Room
[/Lands]
&nbsp;"></span></div></span></p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Angels have a range of strategies and colors, but are based solidly in the color white and the archetype Stompy, or big creature midrange.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">How would you build Angels? And who would you use to command them?</span></p>


lyra archangel of dawn

Lyra, Archangel of Dawn | Mono-White Life Gaining Angels