Aang, Air NomadAang, Air Nomad | Art by Jinho Bae

Hello there! My name's Ezra and I'm here to introduce a Commander deck built around a new card from Avatar: The Last Airbender Eternal.

Looking at spoilers from this upcoming set, I was pleasantly surprised by how simple many of the cards are. Between text reminding new players what keyword abilities like flying and vigilance do, straightforward spells, and creatures with no abilities at all ("vanilla"), it has a very "Core Set" feel.

I'm excited to use cards like Aang, Air NomadAang, Air Nomad to introduce new players to the game, whether it's Magic in general or the Commander format.

Serra Angel As a Commander (Basically)

Aang, Air NomadAang, Air Nomad is reminiscent of one of the most (if not the most) iconic creatures in the game: Serra AngelSerra Angel. Way back near the start of Magic's history, the deck that won the 1994 World Championship (the game's first major tournament) played the full four copies of this Angel.

This means that even a card pool with access to (one copy each of) cards like Ancestral RecallAncestral Recall, Time WalkTime Walk, and Black LotusBlack Lotus still chose Serra Angel as its dependable win condition.

Two years later, two copies of Serra AngelSerra Angel showed up again in the deck that won the 1996 World Championship, this time as the top-end threat in an aggressive mono-white strategy.

If you're interested in learning more about the history of this nostalgic creature, check out this video by Nizzahon Magic!

Vigilance

Lots of creatures from Magic's earliest set had flying, like the other iconic cards Mahamoti DjinnMahamoti Djinn, Hypnotic SpecterHypnotic Specter, Sengir VampireSengir Vampire, Shivan DragonShivan Dragon, and Birds of ParadiseBirds of Paradise.

But Serra Angel was the only one to have "does not tap when attacking," now called simply "vigilance."

As good as vigilance is in 1-on-1 formats, it's even better when facing multiple opponents. Aang granting our whole team the ability to attack without letting down our defenses is really important. It means we can always threaten to take down a vulnerable player without worrying about dying to a different player's attack.

The Game Plan

With all that being said, what cards should we put in this white deck to combine with Aang?

Mana That Makes Sense

Mana Rocks

Beyond the ubiquitous Sol RingSol Ring, let's make sure the artifact-based mana we're including matches our strategy.

Because we're only playing white and have an extremely high creature count, Heraldic BannerHeraldic Banner is a perfect fit. Vigilance also works great with Thunder TotemThunder Totem (you'll be able to attack and then use it for mana afterwards) and Strixhaven StadiumStrixhaven Stadium (it will be hard for opponents to attack us through all our untapped creatures).

"Catch Up" Ramp

White isn't the best color for getting a mana advantage proactively, but there have been lots of recent cards that allow you to catch up to opponents. This is where creatures like Sand ScoutSand Scout, Knight of the White OrchidKnight of the White Orchid, Claim JumperClaim Jumper, and Keeper of the AccordKeeper of the Accord come in.

Utility Lands

EDHREC data for other monowhite decks with five-mana commanders show an average of 35 or fewer lands. However, articles like this one argue this number is far too low, pointing out even 36 lands "would translate to 14.5 lands in 40-card decks or 21.8 lands in 60-card decks."

White doesn't have many incredible ramp options, and also doesn't have consistent, cheap card selection like PonderPonder to make our land drops in the early game. This means that we can't really justify having a low land count.

Also, as a starting player, nothing feels worse than not being able to play the game at all, especially in a format that can take as long as Commander.

For these reasons, let's get the mana count higher in this deck and take advantage of utility lands like Castle ArdenvaleCastle Ardenvale and Cave of the Frost DragonCave of the Frost Dragon that tie into our creature-heavy theme.

If you're interested in a more in-depth discussion about how many lands to run in Commander depending on your deck, check out this EDHRECast video!

Creatures

Vigilance Matters

Normally, we'd have to choose between attacking and activating creatures with tap abilities, but Aang means we can have the best of both worlds!

Goldmeadow LookoutGoldmeadow Lookout has a tap ability that creates another creature with a tap ability.

SandsowerSandsower will be able to disrupt our opponents' plans, even by using creatures that just attacked to tap down opposing blockers.

We can attack and still use our creatures to help cast cards like Guardian of the Great DoorGuardian of the Great Door, Knight-Errant of EosKnight-Errant of Eos, and Angel of SalvationAngel of Salvation afterwards.

With vigilance, huge artifact threats like Traxos, Scourge of KroogTraxos, Scourge of Kroog and Mage-Ring ResponderMage-Ring Responder lose their downsides.

Finally, Keensight MentorKeensight Mentor has a tap ability and also permanently buffs our creatures with vigilance... which will be all of them!

Drawing Cards

White card draw has always been a bit more difficult to come by, especially compared to a color like blue. However, there are some great creatures that can create much-needed card advantage.

Mentor of the MeekMentor of the Meek and Welcoming VampireWelcoming Vampire fill your hand back up when smaller creatures hit the board.

Fey SteedFey Steed and Mangara, the DiplomatMangara, the Diplomat give you a consolation prize if your opponents start going after you in combat or with removal spells.

Finally, the The MonarchThe Monarch mechanic is especially good in this deck when you'll be able to avoid taking damage from opponents due to your high creature count combined with vigilance. This is where creatures like Palace SentinelsPalace Sentinels, Palace JailerPalace Jailer, and Archon of CoronationArchon of Coronation come in.

Creature Types Matter

Like a lot of cards from Avatar, this Commander is an Ally. This means cards like Lantern ScoutLantern Scout, Hero of Goma FadaHero of Goma Fada, and Munda's VanguardMunda's Vanguard can reliably enhance our board. Note how awesome the Vanguard in particular is with vigilance!

There are also lots of mini-types matter cards, like Devout ChaplainDevout Chaplain (cares about Humans), Cloudgoat RangerCloudgoat Ranger (cares about Kithkin), Cenn's TacticianCenn's Tactician and Catapult SquadCatapult Squad (both care about Soldiers), and Mishra's FactoryMishra's Factory and FoundryFoundry (both care about Assembly-Workers).

The creatures Mirror EntityMirror Entity and Valiant ChangelingValiant Changeling can fill in as needed because they count as Allies, Humans, Kithkin, Soldiers, etc. Mirror Entity is especially cool, because it can give you a whole board full of all the creature types you need.

These creatures also exemplify the power of vigilance combined with tap abilities. With our Commander out, we can make some really cool plays like:

• Attacking with Devout ChaplainDevout Chaplain, waiting to see how opponents block, then tapping it and even other attacking Humans to remove an Aura, Equipment, creature that is an artifact/enchantment, etc. in the middle of combat
• Attacking with Cloudgoat RangerCloudgoat Ranger and its Kithkin SoldierKithkin Soldier friends and then still tapping them to give it +2/+0 and flying
• Attacking with a Catapult SquadCatapult Squad and other Soldiers, wait to see how opponents block, then start shooting down blockers by tapping your attacking creatures
• Attacking with a Mishra's land and using it to pump itself.

Disrupting Opponents

Commander isn't always just about advancing your own game plan, but about stopping your opponents from doing what they want to do.

There are two main types of disruption: targeted (which can stop a single thing) and mass (which can stop lots of stuff at once).

Targeted Disruption

Airbending LessonAirbending Lesson is an on-theme card that can answer a variety of threats. A lot can change in just a single turn cycle of Commander. This means it removing a card from the battlefield just temporarily can be totally ok. At a different point in the game, the card may no longer be as relevant.

We're also including the classics: Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares and Generous GiftGenerous Gift. The downside of the Gift isn't too bad when you have a huge board of creatures on defense at all times.

Mass Disruption

Because our creature count is so high, a lot of our "mass disruption" takes the form of cards to stop our opponents from wiping away our board. Instants like Protection MagicProtection Magic, Unbreakable FormationUnbreakable Formation, Restoration MagicRestoration Magic, and the creature Selfless SpiritSelfless Spirit are great answers to opposing removal spells.

Brave the ElementsBrave the Elements is versatile and can be used on defense against something like Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act or on offense, because giving our creatures a protection from a color means they can't be blocked by opposing creatures of that color.

Finally, MeekstoneMeekstone combined with an all-vigilance team is a combination that leaves your creatures unaffected while frustrating your opponents' ambitions.

To come full circle, the Meekstone + Serra Angel combo was used in the deck that won the first ever Magic World Championship in 1994.