{"ops":[{"insert":"\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Given how much I love this deck, I figured I ought to do it justice and write an actual primer. Here's what this deck does and how to play it, down to the nitty gritty."},{"insert":"\n\tI would recommend viewing this deck with the Categories (Multiple) option. It will give you the most complete picture of each card's role as well as my density for each effect in the deck.\n\tI'll talk about each category below, save for Lifegain. That category is primarily here to show that my density of Lifegain isn't high enough to get consistent synergy out of it.\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Apologies if you're reading this on mobile. This primer is lengthy, and will be less obstructive on desktop."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Win Condition"},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"This deck wins by going wide with tokens, as seen in the Tokens + Gideons category. I want to play a few planeswalkers that make tokens, defend them for several turns as I amass a board, and then set my army on my opponents to win the game."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Some MVPs in this department include the commander [Worzel, the Protector], [Elspeth, Sun's Champion], and [Elspeth, Storm Slayer]."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Worzel's Cat tokens are indispensable in accelerating my strategy. Not only are blockers a must-have, but the additional loyalty helps offset chip damage and even reach some surprise ultimates. On top of that, Worzel can help me dig for action and has an ultimate that applies additional game-winning pressure. I wouldn't expect Worzel to win a game by himself, but ten 1/1 fliers go a long way."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Sun's Champion wraths the board, offers the most tokens per activation, and builds to an excellent ult. Said ult is one of the best ways to turn a board of dinky 1/1s into a lethal attack."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Storm Slayer amplifies the impact of every other token producer in the deck. If I'm ready to swing for lethal and I failed to reach the Sun's Champion <-7>, then Storm Slayer's <0> is a great plan B. It also doubles as a way to halt all aerial aggression."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"I'll confess the Gideons part of this category is stretching the definition of my gameplan somewhat. Many of the Gideons in this deck are good, but I rarely find myself attacking with them. Gideon is my favorite Magic character, so his inclusion is partly in the capacity of pet cards. I still feel the Gids serve their purpose well, and they can add to my offensive pressure when needed. "},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Some might find it surprising that ulting a planeswalker is not my primary way to win the game. Turns out, a lot of white planeswalker ults make it harder for you to die, but not easier for you to win. Look at cards like [Ajani Steadfast], [Elspeth, Knight-Errant], and [Serra the Benevolent] to see examples of what I mean. Others have ults that just don't do anything in my deck. [Ajani, Outland Chapperone] and [Archangel Elspeth] have a very annoying mana value 3 restriction, as my key mana value is 4. At best, these cards get me a bunch of mana rocks, and at worst, they do nothing."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"That being said, I do have a few cards with game-winning ults. The two only real examples are [Elspeth, Resplendent] and [Ugin, the Spirit Dragon]. The former is an army-in-a-can a la Worzel, but with more immediate stats and an easier time reaching that <-7>. The latter represents such a huge resource swing that it becomes very difficult for me to lose from that position (but not guaranteed by any means)."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"[Halo Fountain] is a recent inclusion. Small sample size, but I feel it's a relevant alt wincon, just not one I can find every game."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"The Rollout"},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Having a default hard cap of one loyalty ability per planeswalker per turn is a restriction other decks don't have to worry about. To get more activations, I can either play more planeswalkers or take more turns. But since I'm a mono-white deck in bracket 2, I can't take extra turns, and people are expecting the game to last for approximately 9 turns. Sometimes a particularly grindy game will last a bit longer, but otherwise my best bet is to start my plan as soon as possible."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"I built this deck to have a very high density of mana value 2 ramp, with the goal of ramping on turn 2 and playing Worzel or one of my many other mana value 4 planeswalkers on turn 3."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"[Gideon's Memorial] is the most laser-targeted card I've received in this deck. Because of my curve, I don't play cards like [Gatewatch Beacon] that are otherwise staples in this type of strategy. But not only does the Memorial ramp me into my commander, not only does it pump tokens and give them vigilance, but it also serves as removal if I draw it late."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"For similar late-game reasons, I quite enjoy [Everflowing Chalice]. Given that Worzel costs 1WWW, I want my colorless sources to be worth the effort. Having a mana rock to dump excess mana into seems worth it to me. I may have a lot of White pips, but I also have a high average mana value. Ultimately, all mana is welcome."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"For every other rock in the deck, my goal was for them to have two of entering untapped, adding white mana, or offering some sort of utility."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"I'll also shout out [Walking Atlas] and [PuPu UFO]. I honestly feel my land count is a little low to make the best use out of this effect, but I really only need to cheat one land into play (and hit all of my subsequent land drops) in order for these to meet the reasonable floor of any other mana rock. But that ceiling? Hoo boy."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Tutors and Niche Categories"},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"A great perk of playing a planeswalker deck with White is getting access to the lion's share of planeswalker tutors. These go a long way in helping tie the deck together— so much so that I used to have a tutor in the command zone so that this was a core part of the deck."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Nowadays, I've decided that the 5-mana tutors are too slow for this already slow deck. Fortunately, that still leaves me with three very cheap tutors. [Search For Glory] is by far the one I most want to see in a game. Getting any legendary card opens up so many more tutor hits, almost anything I could ask for. This card is the entire reason I'm playing [Snow-Covered Plains], both for the lifegain and in case I want to Search for a basic land. Not particularly likely given I have legendary lands that enter untapped and add White, but theoretically relevant if I'm scared of nonbasic hate."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Overall, Tutors go a long way in finding effects I don't have a lot of, but still want to see in certain games. For example, Anthems are key to turning my tokens into real threats, but I'm not so stacked with Anthems that I'm guaranteed to draw one every game."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"This also applies to the More Loyalty and Activations category. A lot of other commander decks boil down to what I call B Cards— Play Card A, and then play Card B to enhance the impact of Card A. I don't always like this play pattern though. Why play Card B when I can just play more of Card A? This is especially true in this particular deck, and it's why I'm not playing any token doublers that aren't already planeswalkers. When your cards are only making one token a turn, playing a second planeswalker has the same impact as playing a token doubler."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Although, sometimes a little Card B can be nice, especially if it's not occupying too much of your deck. [The Chain Veil] is an auto-include in any planeswalker deck, although I confess it feels a little slow these days. Still, any way to break your inherent one-per-turn limit is welcome."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"[Ajani Steadfast] combines the Anthems and More Loyalty categories into one concise package. It helps me reach ultimates one turn sooner than my opponents were expecting and/or helps me empower my token army into a bigger and bigger problem."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Removal and Draw"},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"My restrictive theme means that my synergistic options for staple effects are narrow. This manifests in both a reliance on Planeswalkers to do things as well as a lack of other colors to lean on. Fortunately, my options only get better over time, so I enjoy my current selection."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"[Teyo, Geometric Tactician] is one of my favorite draw engines in this deck. Some players are hesitant to give free resources to their opponents, but there's a lot of power to be found there as well. I can't recall a time anyone chose to attack Teyo, especially since he comes with a free flying blocker. So you can make some friends, treat your opponents equally or equitably, and then in the late game that <-2> makes you even harder to attack. And with Worzel, you can easily accrue over a dozen loyalty on Teyo, so he can easily <-2> for the rest of the game."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"I won't comment on every other card advantage option in the deck, but I enjoy the synergies or raw efficiency for each of them."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"A reason why this deck best works in bracket 2: my interaction suite is highly sorcery speed and high mana on average. It goes without saying that a lot of my planeswalkers help me remove things from play, so I'd rather focus on the non-planeswalker cards I'm playing and why."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"I've seen some mixed opinions on cards like [Generous Gift] and [Stroke of Midnight], some claiming that's too much mana to hold up and others claiming they're staples that everyone should play. Personally, I'm someone who wants to be able to address as many card types as possible. 3 mana is a commitment, but you will always find a target for that 3 mana. Gift's ability to hit lands is a nice bonus, and is why I'm also playing [Demolition Field]. I like being able to answer powerful utility lands like the back side of [Growing Rites of Itlimoc] or the Planets like [Uthros, Titanic Godcore]."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"I'll also draw attention to [Lapse of Certainty] and [Bilbo's Gambit]. I was initially quite high on White's counterspells, but I've recently begun to re-evaluate them. I enjoy the ability to stop removal while also having the flexibility of being removal themselves. Plus, no one ever sees the mono-white counterspell coming, and the reaction they elicit is always fun."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"That being said, I chose to cut [Reprieve] because it doesn't always do what I want. I had a game where I couldn't stop a card because the opponent had the mana to replay it. To that end, I chose to prioritize the two effects that better guarantee that a spell is not resolving on that same turn. Even so, my slow strategy means that I'm not always in a place to capitalize on the time bought by these turns. I'm keeping these for now, but I've got my eye on them."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Lands"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":" A nice perk of playing a mono-color deck is having extra room for playing utility lands. I used to have even more, but cut a lot of colorless lands in order to better facilitate reaching three White mana by turn 3."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":" In spite of that, I've still got a good utility land package supported by [Search for Glory] and [Urza's Cave]."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":" Given the choice of any legendary land in my deck, [Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx], [Abstergo Entertainment], and [Minas Tirith] are all prime candidates. Needless to say, Nykthos is capable of generating oodles of mana. Abstergo is a great role-player, given that it can exile graveyards while also being one of my few recursion options. And finally, Minas Tirith isn't the most glamorous option, but it still offers card advantage at a reasonable rate."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":" If I can get any land, legendary or otherwise, my mana base offers some of my Anthem options. Looking at [Abandoned Air Temple] next to [Shefet Dunes] makes me feel kind of bad for the desert, but both do their job of turning ten bodies into +10 power."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":" They're not tutorable, but the modal dual-faced lands are always a welcome inclusion in any deck. I chose to prioritize the one that enter untapped in order to not interfere with my rollout."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Weakness: Attacks"},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Planeswalkers are a notoriously difficult card type to defend in Commander. You have to worry about both attacks and removal."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"This is in part why token-making planeswalkers are so valuable. They make disposable blockers, which often dissuades foes from attacking at all if they can't get through to the planeswalkers."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Blockers aren't always enough though, so I've curated a selection of pillow fort effects in the Anti-Aggro and Mass Disruption categories. Unfortunately, the big names like [Ghostly Prison] were made before planeswalkers existed. Still, I have some useful options. [Onakke Oathkeeper] and [Archangel of Tithes] pull double duty in different ways. Oathkeeper is the cheapest pillow fort effect, blocks well, and is also one of the few sources of recursion in the deck. Meanwhile, Archangel shines when it's time to turn creatures sideways. I'll also highlight [Baird, Steward of Argive] as another card findable off of [Search for Glory]."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Another great way to stop attacks: just kill all the creatures. My choice of theme makes wraths a bit of a forgone conclusion. A number of planeswalkers offer potential wraths on an ultimate, but I want to draw attention to my on-demand wraths. In addition to the aforementioned [Elspeth, Sun's Champion], I'll give [The Eternal Wanderer] and [Ugin, the Spirit Dragon] their flowers. Wanderer's <-4> is backbreaking. Not only does mass sacrifice bypass indestructible protection, but I'm the one that chooses what remains. All of that on top of strong tokens and a highly versatile blink ability. Meanwhile, Ugin is the \"nuke them from orbit\" option. Usually, the appeal of wraths in a planeswalker deck is sparing your trademarked card type, but Ugin's hands are rated E for everyone (unless you're Karn. Or Ugin. Or most mana rocks. Or an artifact token). You're either going to do X=3 to sweep most tokens and utility cards, or you're going as high as possible to hit everything."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"I will note that this deck's categories take some inspiration from Command Zone podcast's theory of deckbuilding. This is to say that wraths are classified as Mass Disruption, but so is mass graveyard exile and pillow fort effects. If they do something inconvenient to my opponents and they apply to more than 3 cards, they're Mass Disruption."},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"underline":true,"background":"transparent","color":"#000000","bold":true},"insert":"Weakness: Removal (plus general weaknesses)"},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"But like I said, attacks aren't the only thing I need to worry about. Fortunately, my Protection category is tailored to shielding planeswalkers from enemy spells. In particular, I love showing off the trifecta of [Faith's Shield], [Angelic Intervention], and [Razor Barrier]. These three cards are the only effects that can give a planeswalker protection from a color. Not only can this blank removal, but they also contribute to halting combat damage."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Despite all my precautions, disruption persists as the biggest weakness of this deck. When I get set back, I have a hard time recovering. Recursion effects are few and far between. I could run more, but I don't like having situational cards to that degree. Building up over time is the nature of this strategy. In games where I fail, it's usually because someone else was faster or I drew too much heat from the table. In games where I succeed, it's because I got a solid start, kept a low profile, held up interaction, and built to an inevitable endgame."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"Putting it unflatteringly, sometimes playing this deck feels like Luigi Wins by Doing Absolutely Nothing. Putting it more positively, this deck benefits a lot from being in second place. If someone else is The Problem, people are more likely to overlook the second biggest problem until it's too late. I suppose this classifies as a weakness: that my success often feels outside of my control."},{"insert":"\n\t"},{"attributes":{"background":"transparent","color":"#000000"},"insert":"But the nice thing about problems is that they give me something to work on. Having a deck project I'm always excited to work on is another reason why I love this deck so much."},{"insert":"\n"}]}