After Return to Ravnica was released, a lot of people published and built decks around the five guild leaders. Today, I want to build around Isperia for Azorius week, but luckily, you can build an Isperia deck in a variety of different ways. My deck will naturally look different than many others simply because I’m a different person with different emphases. With that said, here is my deck:

"Incredible Isperia"

• Commander (0)

• Creatures (24)
• 1 Archon of Justice
• 1 Baneslayer Angel
• 1 Consecrated Sphinx
• 1 Dawn Elemental
• 1 Deep-Sea Kraken
• 1 Draining Whelk
• 1 Fog Bank
• 1 Iridescent Angel
• 1 Sphinx of Uthuun
• 1 Spirit of the Hearth
• 1 Transcendent Master
• 1 Trap Runner
• 1 Twilight Shepherd
• 1 Wall of Denial
• 1 Windreaver
• 1 Darksteel Sentinel
• 1 Silent Arbiter
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
• 1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
• 1 Cho-Manno, Revolutionary
• 1 Commander Eesha
• 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
• 1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 1 Gideon Jura
• 1 Jace, Memory Adept
• 1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage

• Spells (35)
• 1 Absorb
• 1 Altar's Light
• 1 Desertion
• 1 Dismantling Blow
• 1 Dismiss
• 1 Fall of the Gavel
• 1 Forbid
• 1 Opportunity
• 1 Path to Exile
• 1 Ray of Distortion
• 1 Return to Dust
• 1 Spell Contortion
• 1 Sphinx's Revelation
• 1 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Austere Command
• 1 Bribery
• 1 Morningtide
• 1 Phyrexian Rebirth
• 1 Rout
• 1 Supreme Verdict
• 1 Wrath of God
• 1 Leyline of Sanctity
• 1 Martial Law
• 1 Reparations
• 1 Rest in Peace
• 1 Safeguard
• 1 Spirit Mirror
• 1 Sunblast Angel
• 1 Cauldron of Souls
• 1 Darksteel Plate
• 1 Gilded Lotus
• 1 Horn of Deafening
• 1 Nova Pentacle
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Tawnos's Coffin

• Lands (37)
• 10 Island
• 11 Plains
• 1 Azorius Chancery
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Faerie Conclave
• 1 Glacial Fortress
• 1 Hallowed Fountain
• 1 Maze of Ith
• 1 Mystic Gate
• 1 Mystifying Maze
• 1 Prahv, Spires of Order
• 1 Reflecting Pool
• 1 Seachrome Coast
• 1 Sejiri Refuge
• 1 Terramorphic Expanse
• 1 Urza's Factory
• 1 Kor Haven

Buy This Deck

There are several older and unusual cards here that will keep you going. Since you may not know what some of them do, let’s discuss them closely. First is Trap Runner. Basically, he taps to block a creature. No one takes any damage. If you can target it, it’s blocked. Now, if the creature has trample, you’ll take a full hit of damage, but otherwise, he can tap to prevent damage from any creature that might slip through your defenses.

Joining him are several permanents that will prevent damage from a creature. Safeguard requires 3 mana to prevent damage from an attacking creature, but you can spend that mana over and over again. There’s a lot of power here. For 2 mana, you can tap Kor Haven or Horn of Deafening to prevent some combat damage as well. (Get a cool pimped Legends version of the Horn for a cheap price while you’re at it.) Another card that will prevent damage from an attacker is Maze of Ith.

Martial Law detains an opposing creature while Tawnos's Coffin exiles it. Feel free to use these as needed to keep you from being attacked. Each can be used in other ways. The Law can detain a blocker so you can swing for damage, while the Coffin can save one of your critters from removal.

I also included a large number of creatures that can block and live. Some prevent damage dealt to them in combat (and outside of it): Fog Bank, Cho-Manno, Revolutionary, and Dawn Elemental. Commander Eesha rocks protection from creatures, enabling her to swing unimpeded as well. Iridescent Angel probably has protection from most creatures you’ll see as well, and she can swing handily. Darksteel Sentinel counts because it is indestructible. Wall of Denial just has a large defense. Finally, don’t forget the unusual Spirit Mirror. It makes a 2/2 token creature, which you can use to block, and when it dies, another is spit out on your upkeep.

Speaking of which, with little graveyard game, I decided to toss in both Morningtide and Rest in Peace. Both hose powerful and prolific Commander strategies. I would have added Final Judgment to the deck except that I didn’t want to destroy my own indestructible creatures. Note that Twilight Shepherd and Cauldron of Souls don’t work super-well with Rest in Peace, but I don’t expect the Rest to be out for long. Someone is going to take it out. It’s really more like Morningtide number two.

I wanted some attackers that would serve for game. Avacyn, Angel of Hope not only protects the team from removal, but her body is good enough to win. Other big flyers include Akroma the first, Iona, Shield of Emeria, Consecrated Sphinx, and Sphinx of Uthuun. What you see with my beaters is continuing the deck’s theme. Iona and Avacyn protect me and my creatures. The Sphinxes lend more card-drawing. These help us out.

They aren’t the only beaters that do so. Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre will destroy an offending permanent and swing for a ton of damage, and it has the useful indestructible status. All three fit here better than Darksteel Colossus or its Blight brother. Deep-Sea Kraken gives me that unblockable beater that can serve. Sometimes when you’ve stagnated your foes’ offenses, they have strong defenses since their creatures can’t attack. This will go through any defenses out there. Spirit of the Hearth keeps me from being targeted and it gives me a body of size. Keeping me untargetable is important enough that Leyline of Sanctity joins the deck. Don’t forget Archon of Justice’s ability to exile something when it dies. Twilight Shepherd brings back the team post-Wrath, and Sunblast Angel gives me more removal and a beater.

I added a few utility creatures such as Solemn Simulacrum and Silent Arbiter. The Arbiter combined with any defensive permanent keeps me from taking any damage in combat at all, while I can still swing with one creature (such as Ulamog, Avacyn, Akroma, or The DS Kraken) for a ton of damage. Draining Whelk is a powerful counter and dragon. Transcendent Master can be leveled for a nice indestructible, lifelinked brawler as I have extra mana. These round out my creatures.

Since I was in the colors anyway, a few counters slipped into the deck. Forbid meets Dismiss, and both Absorb and Fall of the Gavel add to my life total. Desertion will counter anything, but it can give me an artifact or creature right into play on my side of the table.

In addition to the lands that prevent stuff (two Mazes, Haven, Prahv) and the requisite lands for color-making, I found space for Faerie Conclave and Urza's Factory. One makes an army slowly, and the other can swing after a board wipe. Both give the deck just a little bit extra for the multiplayer game.

I tried to find cards from the new and old, with Commander essentials (Sol Ring, Bribery, Swords to Plowshares) next to new stuff (Rest in Peace, Martial Law, Supreme Verdict). We have established newer cards (Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Darksteel Plate, and Consecrated Sphinx), pet cards I really like (Draining Whelk, Return to Dust, and Cauldron of Souls), and even older cards people don’t regularly play (Spirit Mirror, Trap Runner, and Safeguard). The result is a deck that is a true mix-up of the Incredibleness of Isperia.

Isperia’s Cornucopia of Love has arrived.

See you next week,

Abe Sargent