Erebos, Bleak-HeartedErebos, Bleak-Hearted | Art by Chase Stone

Magic is a game that doesn't have a required way to play. Certainly, there are ways that are more competitive or "optimal" than others, and the Commander format has different rules and expectations nested within it.

But one of the most enticing thing about the game is that there is an incredible variability of playstyles you can engage with. Just like there's a wide variety of Gods available to field.

From Theros to Kaldheim to the Forgotten Realms, there are actual, honest-to-God... Gods running around Magic. Though as you might expect from such a disparate collection of divine beings from different sources and planes, not all deities are created equally.

What Is Playing "Out Of Type"?

So much of the conversation surrounding Magic is on optimization and competitive deck-building. Which is fun! Few things are as satisfying as putting together a banger build, piloting it against tough opponents, and having it all go exactly according to plan.

Though as I mentioned previously, that's not the only way to play. Nor is it the only discussion to have around Magic.

Staples of the different colors define metas, though that's due to the synergies they're intended to have. Nothing is stopping you from breaking those synergies and challenging those metas.

It certainly won't give you the highest win rate, but it will be a new and unique experience.

Gods In Magic

There are multiple styles of Gods from across the various planes of Magic. Then on top of that, some Universes Beyond content also involves the God creature type. Each of these interpretations of Gods lends different methodologies to their persistence and divinity.

This is a super cool integration of storytelling and mechanics!

Each plane has its own beliefs and mythologies, with the role those Gods inhabit influencing how they're represented mechanically.

Theros Gods

Being inspired by Greek myth, the Theros Gods are enchantment creatures who don't count as creatures until you have enough devotion of their color. Devotion to a color is just the total number of mana symbols of a certain color across all permanents you control. Therefore, if you play Heliod, Sun-CrownedHeliod, Sun-Crowned and he's your only white permanent, your devotion to white would be one and he wouldn't be considered a creature.

The other trait that links all of the Theros Gods is that they're - mostly - indestructible.

So across Theros, the Gods must be worshipped and you must demonstrate your devotion to them and their domains in order to curry their favor. Even if you don't, or if your opponents use removal to artificially devalue your devotion, the Gods still remain on the board as enchantments.

Which, for an effect like that of Purphoros, God of the ForgePurphoros, God of the Forge really, isn't that big a deal.

Amonkhet Gods

In contrast, some of the Egyptian-inspired Amonkhet Gods can die. However, they consistently have ways of returning to your deck or hand after being removed from the field. The Scarab GodThe Scarab God is a good example of that.

However, it's worth noting that these effects only protect your Gods from removal on the battlefield, not from discarding or mill.

The God-Eternal cycle similarly only has returning effects from battlefield removal, though these also proc when exiled. They return to the third card from the top of the library, adding a small delay to their eternal reign.

Just make sure you don't shuffle before drawing them.

Though it shouldn't surprise you that a good few of the Amonkhet Gods are "just" indestructible, whether represented in Amonkhet-focused sets or in something like Aetherdrift. But just like their Theros counterparts, there's some limit as to their ability to attack or block you need to overcome.

These usually relate to the core strategy of the color they're a part of, such as Rhonas the IndomitableRhonas the Indomitable only being able to attack or block if you control a powerful creature. Nothing complicated, though more specific than devotion.

Kaldheim Gods

The neat thing about the Norse-inspired Kaldheim Gods is that they aren't inherently protected. This, objectively, is a downgrade, both mechanically as well as for in-universe power scaling.

But it's really cool!

Because in Kaldheim as well as in the real-world mythology that inspired it, the Gods are much more present. They'll fight against or alongside you, and there are stories of Gods dying - sometimes by mortal hand! What matters to Kaldheim is the impact the Gods have on mortals, rather than the worship or honoring of them.

While Birgi, God of StorytellingBirgi, God of Storytelling isn't indestructible, she does have an artifact associated with her. So at the cost of permanence you're granted flexibility in what the God can do, which is certainly a different way of handling it.

Ixalan

On that note, the mezoamerican-inspired Ixalan Gods dip into both schools of thought. They don't have explicit protections, at least not the indestructible keyword, but they also don't have that Kaldheim flexibility.

Instead, when they die they return to the field tapped and transformed into a land. That land then has a means of transforming back into the God, but only if you fulfill a specific condition.

Almost like Amonkhet's requirements.

Ojer Taq, Deepest FoundationOjer Taq, Deepest Foundation gives an amazing ability for token generation, so your opponents remove it. It immediately returns as a land which you can then transform back into a God if you attack with three or more creatures. If you got a single proc of Ojer Taq's ability, this should be simple.

Other Gods

There are other Gods from different planes and universes, but they don't really have a unified theme or specific protections. Which makes sense, given how varied they are!

Anzrag, the Quake-MoleAnzrag, the Quake-Mole being a God doesn't really align with the same expectations of Xenagos, God of RevelsXenagos, God of Revels. But also, it has fewer restrictions on when it can be used and how.

So your mileage may vary as to the divinity of these other, more vulnerable Gods.

But What if You Treated Them Like Actual Gods?

And by that, of course, I mean you play a deck of Gods where they're anywhere but creatures on the front lines.

It's Quite Simple

You have a range of Gods to use and different ways to make them utterly incapable of acting as grunts. After all, they're divine! Why should they be trading blows with a Goblin ArsonistGoblin Arsonist?

Lack Devotion

For the Theros Gods, it's a matter of keeping your devotion to their colors low to keep them as enchantments. This sounds tricky, as it limits what permanents you can play. However, most of the mono-colored Theros Gods have a devotion threshold of five, while the multicolored have a threshold around seven. This means that, in addition to the mana from the Gods themselves, you can have around three other permanents of their color.

That isn't a lot, but that's ignoring colorless permanents. Artifacts and Eldrazi are actually your best friends here, despite the fact that they're both antithetical to Gods in their own ways. This makes them perfect to play Gods differently!

Just whatever you do, make sure you avoid the Altar of the PantheonAltar of the Pantheon. Or any permanents that'll leave you too devoted.

Put Them on a Pedestal

Similarly, the Amonkhet Gods are already unable to participate in combat unless you fulfill their specific requirements. It's just a matter of not fulfilling those requirements and keeping them safe.

Kaldheim Gods already have an easy alternate means of utilizing them: Play their back-face. You'll have a range of useful artifacts, enchantments, and even creatures related to the Gods without actually fielding them.

Then you have the Ixalan pantheon who begin as Gods and only transform into lands upon their destruction. So it's only natural that in order to change how you play Gods, you need to force that change early.

Sacrificing is a pretty well-explored strategy, so there's plenty of support to not just facilitate it but also benefit from it. Cards like Carmen, Cruel SkymarcherCarmen, Cruel Skymarcher will mean those sacrifices actually promote your board state while the lands you get from your Gods enhance your economy.

What Then?

After you do all of this nonsense to ensure you're fielding Gods without throwing them to the front lines, what then?

It's really up to you.

The abilities of Gods are so varied you could reasonably win by keeping your devotion down for red in a multicolored deck. Then you can play Purphoros, God of the ForgePurphoros, God of the Forge, leave it as an indestructible enchantment, and win as anyone else would.

Alternatively, you can set up a series of Ixalan Gods sacrificed into lands alongside multiple Theros Gods in enchantment form. In a single turn you can transform the Ixalan Gods which, depending on the colors, would convert your enchantments into enchantment creatures.

There's as many ways to play them as there are Gods.

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