I've been considering writing about Galea, Kindler of Hope for a few weeks. I highlighted it a couple of weeks ago when I looked at the most popular recent commanders from Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, and I was thinking about doing a deep dive into a deck built around the unique leader today. But our own Mark Wischkaemper did just that yesterday!

I love the flexible approach Mark took toward the deck, and since I'm obviously not the only player taking a second look at equipment-themed leaders, it got the wheels turning. For a long time, Equipment has just been the purview of Boros decks. It seemed like every six months for a solid few years Wizards was throwing some new kind of Equipment-matters Red-White Commander at us, and the general response from the Magic community was pretty much a collective sigh.

Is it that equipment decks were boring - after all, targeting one player with combat damage is just asking for trouble in four-player Commander games - or is it that Red-White's problems go deeper in Commander than just their commander themes? I'm on record that the introduction of Lorehold and the re-imagining of Red-White as a color combo in Strixhaven: School of Mages was a massive design breakthrough, and now it seems that Wizards has dome some reimagining of Equipment decks as well with Galea, Kindler of Hope.

Galea has really gotten the wheels turning for a new kind Voltron deck, not something we often see in Blue. And given how popular it's been - one of the top-built commanders on EDHREC since its release - it seems I'm not the only person interested in exploring this design space. So, if we posit that the problem for Red-White Equipment decks wasn't inherently the equipment theme but rather the larger struggles faced by the color pair in Commander, then I have an interest in re-examining how I've looked at some of the equipment released over the last few years!

With that in mind, let's look at some of the best new(ish) equipment available to us for Galea or anything else!

Shadowspear didn't cause many waves when it was first debuted in Theros: Beyond Death, but it's quietly become a multi-format superstar. Trample and lifelink is the stuff Loxodon Warhammer dreams are made of, and the Hammer was a staple of competitive play for a very long time.

These days, the costs on the Hammer are too high, but Shadowspear has carried on the mantle. Not only does it appear in a full 5% of Commander decks - which, trust me, is a massive amount when literally any card in the game could take Shadowspear's slot - but it's also begun showing up in Modern as a target to fetch out with Urza's Saga.

If you're going to be playing the equipment game in Commander, trample and lifelink are two of the most important qualities to impart on a lucky creature (which is why Behemoth Sledge is also very popular). Trample prevents chump-blocking, and lifelink is vital when you tap your creatures and open yourself to three other players swinging back at you.

And, by the way, Shadowspear also comes with the ability to remove hexproof and indestructible from your opponents' creatures. Because why not? It's great everywhere.

You could be forgiven for missing the recent printing of Robe of Stars, but it does something I'm not sure we've ever seen - or at least haven't in many, many years.

Phasing.

The Robe is a fairly straightforward piece of protection equipment, sort of in the vein of Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots but constrained to the color White. The Robe comes down early, but more importantly equips for just a single mana like the Boots. And while phasing isn't exactly hexproof - it has downsides against targeted removal but upsides against board sweepers - it does fill the same niche of protecting the creature. The +3 toughness boost may not be all that relevant, but it doesn't hurt either. All in all, this is a nice option to add to the suite of protection equipment available.

This is one of the pieces of equipment that spurred me to take a second look at recent pieces, because this thing is wildly powerful. The idea of "snap-on" equipment, as Mark Rosewater put it, has been super popular with players, and it's even the basis of the Modern Hammertime deck where Sigarda's Aid fills this role.

The Hammer of Nazahn is essentially an equipment "lord," which is something I'm not sure we've ever seen on something that wasn't a creature. And while the costs for the Hammer are high - 4 mana to play and another four if you need to equip it - the payoff is also very strong. The +2 power bonus is nice, but the indestructible is much more relevant in Commander as it can protect your creatures from the ubiquitous board wipes.

But what we're really here for is the fact that every other equipment suddenly becomes a "snap-on" equipment, which means that with a Hammer out you're free to slam every piece of expensive equipment you want onto the table and completely bypass the equip costs once. That opens up all kinds of possibilities in Galea and beyond.

Speaking of unique equipment, a Sword that can cause someone to lose the game on the spot more than qualifies. It's Black mana-intensive to play - you'll need three to play and equip in the same turn - but providing deathtouch means your creatures will always trade up and your opponents won't be keen to block.

Which of course plays perfectly into the rest of the card. 8 mana is a ton but achievable in the Commander late game, and it'll turn your tiny creatures into The Abyss since your opponents have to respect the eight-mana activation that will end their game on the spot.

I don't think the power level of Vorpal Sword is quite as high as some of the others in this list (8 mana is a lot in 2021 Commander), but it's certainly among the coolest equipment designs we've seen in recent memory.

I love that Wizards is still experimenting with the design space in equipment like this, and the Bracers are one of the first new pieces of equipment in a long time that have made me consider replacing or adding onto the Greaves-Boots package.

You certainly have to put more work into the Bracers as it costs more upfront and on the equip end, but the ability to copy activated abilities could well be worth the extra costs. For instance, I have a Mayael the Anima deck I really love playing. Putting the Bracers onto Mayael allows me to really pop off with her ability, at the cost of losing an element of protection for my leader. Which is better? Bracers has a higher upside but is probably less consistent, but it's in the conversation with Greaves and Boots and that's a really high bar to meet.

Speaking of Galea, Kindler of Hope, Holy Avenger is made perfectly for the deck. Your creature has to connect with the Avenger on it for you to dump an aura, but the good news there is if your creature connects and you get to trigger the ability on Holy Avenger, you can be reasonably sure it's going to stick around (or it probably wouldn't have connected at all!)

Oh, by the way, it comes with double strike, which means everything I just said above happens twice a turn. In fact, if your creature connects with first strike damage, you get to put the aura on before it lands damage in the normal damage step. That opens up all kinds of potent combos and powerful surprise moments, which I think is enough to justify the relatively expensive costs of six total mana to get this thing going.

The Future of Equipment

Those are some of my favorites of the last few years, and I'm debating building a Galea list in paper for myself. I love how it's stretched the boundaries of what these cards can look like in Commander, and it feels natural to combine the "equipment Voltron" with "enchantment Voltron" elements that a lot of people enjoy in Commander. What are your favorites from the last handful of sets that have flown under the radar?

Thanks for reading,

Corbin Hosler

@Chosler