Warning: This article is long, be prepared for a hour/hour and a half read, thank you.
For this article I will of course be using the better, shinier Mikaeus from From the Vault: Legends, since it was also his first appearance in Magic, now without further ado let's take a look at Mikaeus, the Lunarch's stand alone abilites.
1) He enters the battlefield with a modifier of +1/+1 counters, where X is the cost paid, his converted mana cost in this case is 1, due to the single white in his mana cost.
2) You may tap him to add a +1/+1 counter on him, note the turn he is summoned, unless he is granted haste by specific equipment or abilites such as Lightning Greaves, then you aren't able to tap him immediately for his ability.
3) You may remove a +1/+1 counter from Mikaeus, putting a +1/+1 counter on each other creature you control, meaning your army gets stronger each time you activate this special ability, again before this can be activated he needs to be able to tap for his ability to trigger or be granted haste to tap immediately.
Now unlike other mono white generals in this format, Mikaeus, the Lunarch is unique since his Power/Toughness ratio always remains a static 0/0 but with a modifier of +1/+1 counters instead to factor his Power/Toughness, which means -1/-1 effects can negate the many +1/+1 counters which are on him, since they cancel each other out, so Black players whom play stuff like Black Sun's Zenith and Mutilate which grant -1/-1 counters can hinder a Mikaeus player, let's look at the reasons why we should and shouldn't play this particular general.
Why Should you Play Mikaeus, the Lunarch
- He's self sustaining as a general, very few mono white cards allow for a self pump and has unique and overall fun effects on the board state while he's in play
- His pump effect can be used as a response to damage on him, lethal damage, no problem just give him that extra bit of toughness or perhaps he's targeted by removal, well just give you whole army a massive boost and let the spell resolve.
- He's probably the single most unique mono white general to come out in a long time, fun, very casual which is what the format is about, casual play, has plenty of build around me strategies and focuses on mono white's strengths.
- He's fun, which is what the format is all about, casual and a way to meet new friends.
Why Should you NOT play Mikaeus, the Lunarch
- If your tired of playing mono white decks where you consistently get beat down by your friends consistently because your playing a aggressive color, then perhaps it's time to move on.
- If you like drawing cards, perhaps he's not for you, blue players love drawing cards, perhaps give that a shot, if that is your thing.
- White has been given a lot of broken generals in the past few years of magic, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Avacyn, Angel of Hope, just to name a few, so it's the color which is known for playing the stupid stuff.
But that isn't to say Mikaeus players aren't left in the dark here, they have a few strategies to build around him with, for the purposes of this primer, all strategies will be explained.
Strategies
There are normally many routes a player may choose to base this general around, a creature theme like Tokens or perhaps a Life gain theme, all are present in white since there is a lot of cards which allow you to explode, I will explain each theme.
#1) Tokens - This theme is perhaps the most common Mikaeus players take, generate a fast army via spells like Conqueror's Pledge or Moblization which generate a small army in themselves and grant them all +1/+1 counters with the Lunarch's special ability after they arrive onto the battlefield, various effects like Glorious Anthem and Eldrazi Monument both work in this theme as it generally grants your entire field +1/+1 and various other little effects, overall perhaps a good solid basic route to go.
#2) Mono White Beats/Lifegain - This strategy doesn't employ a lot of token based effects as it's more big creatures and strict massive flyers, one of white's unique flavors in terms of magic, early turn 1 drops like Serra's Ascendant in this strategy make it almost impossible to come back, with this kind of stuff it's near impossible to stop stuff like Felidar Sovereign whom is a win condition all on it's own, this strategy often makes use of the Reveillark/Karmic Guide combo to ensure maximum beaters all while having a nice creature count.
#3) +1/+1 Modifiers - One of the big things about this strategy is the fact that white has a lot of +1/+1 modifiers, which they use to their advantage, so creatures like Crovax, Ascendant Hero and Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite are often used to stop your opponent's board state while making yours bigger, stronger and harder to stop, this strategy often abuses land ramp cards in white such as Land Tax, Weathered Wayfarer and the like to maximum the land count in a short a time as possible to get the required number of lands to just snow ball your way to victory.
#4) Counters Matter - With this theme the all important effect here is that Counters matter, so things that proliferate are your best friend here, so stuff like Contagion Engine, Contagion Clasp and such with the right amount of mana and support can make your general strong enough to kill your opponent perhaps in a single shot, also things that grant specific effects like Crescendo of War and the like can snow ball a effect so large during the late game it doesn't matter if your opponent has a way to deal with your general, it's already too late.
With the basic strategies out of the way let's take a look at a few cards which belong in a Mikaeus, the Lunarch deck right off the bat before beginning this strategy.
Required Cards for Building Mikaeus
#1) Emeria, the Sky Ruin - While playing mono white, this is perhaps the best option as most of the lands you play are going to be Plains, which allow you to spring out of control in the long run and just go nuts here, 7 or more of these means a recursion engine which is difficult to stop if players aren't playing Land Destruction like Strip Mine or Wasteland.
#2) Haste Enablers - Stuff like the equipments which grant Haste in this format are quite nice, Lightning Greaves, Swiftfoot Boots, Sword of Vengeance are all useful in the long run, allowing to use and abuse Mikaeus's abilites anytime you need to.
#3) Tutors - This is something most EDH players already know, but a good deck is the ability to search for a specific card type whenever you need it, so equipment fetchers like Stoneforge Mystic and creature tutors like Ranger of Eos are both useful in their own right here and fit usually very well into most of the themes.
#4) Land Ramp - White doesn't often have a lot of Ramp effects for the format, but the most agreed one is Solemn Simulacrum whom has become a EDH staple in every deck, since it is a artifact creature, white has a few specific effects, Eternal Dragon, Land Tax, etc.
#5) Removal - All white players agree that this color needs 2 pieces of removal in the form of Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile which are perhaps the best spot removal in the format, considering they also saw reprints in either Duel Decks or reprints in the Commander's Pre-Constructed decks, removal is plenty in this color and can be anything from Day of Judgment to the previously mentioned cards above, often players at least put in 7-10 pieces of removal for problematic decks.
#6) Card Draw - White has a issue with card draw since it has very few ways to do this, some cards of choice to do this are Skullclamp, Mentor of the Meek and Mind's Eye to deal with this issue so that you don't run out of gas early on, others tend to use specific global card draw like Howling Mine and the like to solve this issue time and again.
With this out of the way, let's take a look at a basic Mikaeus list courtesy of Davidboan on MTGSalvation whom plays with the life gain theme a lot while having so very many ways to hurt and deal with other little bothersome cards in the format.
Davidboan's Mikaeus, the Lunarch EDH
Commander
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Creatures
Serra Ascendant
Soul's Attendant
Soul Warden
Mother of Runes
Auriok Champion
Weathered Wayfarer
Reveillark
Karmic Guide
Auratog
Leonin Relic-Warder
Faith Healer
Fiend Hunter
Mentor of the Meek
Academy Rector
Ranger of Eos
Duplicant
Felidar Sovereign
Solemn Simulacrum
Twilight Shepherd
Sun Titan
Enchantments
Aura of Silence
Land Tax
Test of Endurance
Oblivion Ring
Journey to Nowhere
Luminarch Ascension
Marytr's Bond
Instants
Swords to Plowshares
Path to Exile
Condemn
Enlightened Tutor
Return to Dust
Oblation
Faith's Reward
Argivian Find
Sorceries
Wrath of God
Idyllic Tutor
Day of Judgment
Replenish
Mine Excavation
Planeswalkers
Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Ajani Goldmane
Elspeth, Knight Errant
Artifacts
Sol Ring
Mana Crypt
Pearl Medallion
Thran Dynamo
Glided Lotus
Phyrexian Altar
Ashnod's Altar
Extraplanar Lens
Gauntlet of Power
Caged Sun
Sensei's Divining Top
Scroll Rack
Mind's Eye
Planar Portal
Altar of Dementia
Oblivion Stone
Skullclamp
Lightning Greaves
Lands
30 Snow Covered Plains
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
Cavern of Souls
Mistveil Plains
Scrying Sheets
Ancient Tomb
Temple of the False God
Reliquary Tower
This deck follows the general strategy of big mono white beaters with life gain thrown in to deal maximum damage and survive pretty much any onslaught period, allowing the user to win games in a fast effective method, while still being able to hold back his best cards for the late, late game. One of the better Mikaeus decks I've seen in a while and this has been consistently updated showing the power of the later sets of course, Commander, M11, M12, Avacyn Restored, etc, perhaps my favorite list of this particular general to date. He's covered all his options here, filled it with necessary card draw, haste enablers, excellent recursion packages and tutors galore, allowing this deck to be fast, effective and so brutal, plus he's got a very nice board wipe package of Oblivion Stone/Wrath of God/Day of Judgment going on here to deal with a large board state.
Now we've seen a list of Mikaeus, the Lunarch, let's look at the various spells or packages while taking suggestions from the first stated list above, let's show off the many packages that should be in white in general, starting with the many anthem effects for white..
1) Glorious Anthem
2) Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
3) Angel of Jubilation
4) Honor of the Pure
5) Caged Sun
6) Gauntlet of Power
This package is pretty well agreed upon with the latter often choosing Caged Sun since it only affects your creatures, but the rest is a pretty diverse and wide array of package elements for the anthem effects of the deck in white, if we were playing Green/White we'd have access to a lot better anthem effects but alas we do not, enough of that let's start checking out what we have in terms of available ideas so far.
Various Available Packages
Anthem Effects
Glorious Anthem
Honor of the Pure
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Caged Sun
Angel of Jubilation
Gauntlet of Power
Now, 2 of the anthem effects listed here both generate additional resources, which is why these are extra useful, they just don't sit there, instead they become useful and allow us to play our big creature generator spells or big creatures in general, so it doesn't tax the resources as much, but in case something goes wrong, we need ways to be able to return stuff to the battlefield for the most part, here's the most impartial package I've found while playing
1) Sun Titan
2) Emeria, the Sky Ruin
3) Buried Ruin
4) Karmic Guide
5) Reveillark
These 5 pieces fit together nice and are able to basically ensure we don't lose our best piece as easily, here's a piece of additional information, since Buried Ruin returns artifacts, you can use that in combination with the Titan and return it free of charge, allowing you to use it again, one of the more effective uncommon lands printed in a while of course, so let's update the list of packages once again.
Various Available Packages
Anthem Effects
Glorious Anthem
Honor of the Pure
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Caged Sun
Angel of Jubilation
Gauntlet of Power
Recursion Package
Sun Titan
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
Karmic Guide
Reveillark
Buried Ruin
Now that we have the recursion package shown off, we need to think of ways to get lands on the battlefield or into our hand quickly and white has a few options in that deparment, some of which I've already talked about, some I've not talked about, so let's take a look at the land fixers of the color
1) Solemn Simulacrum
2) Land Tax
3) Weathered Wayfarer
4) Knight of the White Orchid
5) Journeyer's Kite
This base package allows us to get the maximum amount of lands we want for the deck, while drawing the important cards, this package is probably the best way to do this as almost all of this package is probably necessary to make sure you aren't land screwed in white honestly.
Various Available Packages
Anthem Effects
Glorious Anthem
Honor of the Pure
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Caged Sun
Angel of Jubilation
Gauntlet of Power
Recursion Package
Sun Titan
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
Karmic Guide
Reveillark
Buried Ruin
Land Package
Solemn Simulacrum
Land Tax
Knight of the White Orchid
Weathered Wayfarer
Journeyer's Kite
Now that we have the basis of the packages almost complete, there are 2 more packages we need to make this deck a engine so to speak, Tutor and Card Draw so let's take a look at the many tutors this color has to offer before we begin.
Tutor Spells
#1) Enlightened Tutor - One of the many tutors this deck needs to fetch specific things, artifacts, enchantments, stuff that's required pretty much in the format in order to protect yourself.
#2) Stoneforge Mystic - Another necessary tutor for the build, it fetches all the necessary equipment and has presented itself to be a white staple for the format in terms of just about everything these days, fetching anything from swords to Batterskull.
#3) Ranger of Eos - One of my favorites due to the fact it fetches all the 1 drops in the deck when it hits the board, it's power/toughness may be out of range of the Lark/Guide combo, but it's one of those 4 drops that a lot of white players like to see.
#4) Academy Rector - Just another enchantment fetcher but it usually fetches the best enchantment and puts it on the battlefield when it is exiled, a staple white card if anything else, since a lot of white decks do love to run a lot of enchantments.
#5) Steelshaper's Gift - Probably the only other non body fetcher of the deck, white players love to get a lot of equipment into play quickly to make their creatures bigger and this for 1 white is a pretty good staple in the format.
Card Draw
#1) Skullclamp - Sits as a equipment so it's fetchable via things like Stoneforge and Steelshaper's gift, relatively cheap in terms of mana cost as well, making it a viable equip for any white player.
#2) Mentor of the Meek - One of the newer cards in white's card draw arsenal, it of course triggers when anything that's 2 power or less enters the battlefield, but the mana investment overall is worth it as a token deck can generate some serious card advantage.
#3) Mind's Eye - Probably the most common piece of artifact card draw you'll see, besides the clamp, sure it costs a hefty 5 mana, but whenever a opponent draws you can pay 1 to draw in return, it pays for itself probably after a single round and reloads your hand.
#4) Howling Mine - Generally the most fun loved card of the format, seen quite often and grants a additional card every turn, it's generally the most kept around piece since it helps the opponents as well, as well as my next card.
#5) Font of Mythos - Most of the time this is played in hug decks, but you can include this as a piece of card draw if you want, since it grants 2 extra cards a turn, making it easily the most generic piece of card draw.
Now that we've seen the many packages, here's the final listing for those curious.
Various Available Packages
Anthem Effects
Glorious Anthem
Honor of the Pure
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Caged Sun
Angel of Jubilation
Gauntlet of Power
Recursion Package
Sun Titan
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
Karmic Guide
Reveillark
Buried Ruin
Land Package
Solemn Simulacrum
Land Tax
Knight of the White Orchid
Weathered Wayfarer
Journeyer's Kite
Card Draw
Skullclamp
Mentor of the Meek
Mind's Eye
Howling Mine
Font of Mythos
Tutor Package
Enlightened Tutor
Stoneforge Mystic
Ranger of Eos
Steelshaper's Gift
Academy Rector
But wait there's 1 more isn't there, a bunch of token generators, well technically yes, but i'm only listing the general packages for the color first before we begin constructing the deck as well as the many ideas already listed above, so without further ado let's begin constructing our own Mikaeus, the Lunarch EDH deck, taking ideas from the many listed above.
Example Mikaeus, the Lunarch Elder Dragon Highlander List
Commander
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Lands
Buried Ruin
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
Reliquary Tower
34 Plains
Temple of the False God
Generally, this base land package is the most widely accepted if you didn't want to play stuff like Flagstones of Trokair and Strip Mine, it allows you to go off quite easily and allows both Emeria and Reliquary Tower to be retrieved the most easily since it thins out the deck, but more often then not, Strip Mine is commonly played, so if something's giving you trouble, then cut a plains and include it, since your white mana count is over 30, which is what you want.
Instants
Swords to Plowshares
Path to Exile
Return to Dust
Oblation
Condemn
Enlightened Tutor
This particular package of instants for the deck is generally the most accepted as well, since it contains 4 pieces of singular removal as well as tuck effects in Condemn and Oblation, which is the most commonly played tuck effects in white these days, for singular effects that is. Path and Swords are the most common exile effects as well, since they are the most commonly played white spells in this format, dealing with nasty stuff like Eldrazi, Colossi, etc.
Sorceries
Wrath of God
Day of Judgment
Austere Command
Akroma's Vengeance
Terminus
Hallowed Burial
Steelshaper's Gift
The most common sweeper package white can churn out is these 4 right here, sure the cheapest by far may be Wrath of God/Day of Judgment but having 2 sweepers that can tuck things is always nice, since white recently got a power upgrade for the format in terms of Terminus, Avacyn Restored's best white card in my eyes, overall these 6 cards are the easiest to play in a white deck and with 2 white in each of their costs, it's not hard to get there.
Creatures
Student of Warfare
Serra Ascendant
Ranger of Eos
Mentor of the Meek
Solemn Simulacrum
Stoneforge Mystic
Reveillark
Karmic Guide
Weathered Wayfarer
Sun Titan
Knight of the White Orchid
Felidar Sovereign
Soul Warden
Soul's Attendant
Stonehewer Giant
Academy Rector
Auriok Champion
Mirran Crusader
Suture Priest
Hero of Bladehold
Most of this stuff is pretty obvious as white has got a lot of good beaters in the format, but none more so then the turn 1 play of Serra Ascendant which is usually a 6/6 beat stick with flying, being one of the four tutor targets for Ranger of Eos of course which is another valuable card for the deck as a whole, the rest are not needed to be explained as they all work with the strengths of the color white.
Equipment
Skullclamp
Lightning Greaves
Sword of Feast and Famine
Sword of Light and Shadow
Sword of War and Peace
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Body and Mind
Batterskull
Strata Scythe
Sword of Vengeance
These 9 equipments are the best idea in white and make the game easier to adapt to since the fact the entire sword package is present in this build, so pro all colors on a creature is nice and such, plus with Strata Scythe, it's like a massive pump effect to make Mikaeus much bigger for a cost effective amount
Artifacts and Enchantments
Mind's Eye
True Conviction
Land Tax
Howling Mine
Font of Mythos
Planar Portal
Akroma's Memorial
This particular artifact package is useful, since it accelerates both colored and color less mana, in the long run making Mikaeus a more destructive force since white just gets better and better each turn, plus the simple fact is it's always nice to have some form of recovery should Mikaeus die.
Artifacts and Enchantments
Mind's Eye
True Conviction
Land Tax
Howling Mine
Font of Mythos
Planar Portal
Akroma's Memorial
With this set of Enchantments/Artifacts it's easy to keep the card draw and land count high while having 2 late game choices for the deck overall, one of the things white has trouble with is usually card draw, but the cards listed here fix this issue quite well and True Conviction is a late game finisher which is really unique.
Planeswalkers
Elspeth, Knight Errant
Ajani Goldmane
Elspeth Tirel
Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Gideon Jura
Of course most decks these days have a set of walkers to go along with the colors which the generals are, but with both mono white Ajani's and both versions of Elspeth, each of these is unique even since each one does something white is extremely good at, even in the early game, with the average walker cost of the deck to be 3-3.5 CMC.
Now for the most part the deck is finished, right, well this is a multiplayer focused big white beats deck, with all the main portions of the deck, here's the full deck as it stands.
Commander
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Lands
Buried Ruin
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
Reliquary Tower
34 Plains
Temple of the False God
Planeswalkers
Elspeth, Knight Errant
Ajani Goldmane
Elspeth Tirel
Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Gideon Jura
Artifacts and Enchantments
Mind's Eye
True Conviction
Land Tax
Howling Mine
Font of Mythos
Planar Portal
Akroma's Memorial
Equipment
Skullclamp
Lightning Greaves
Sword of Feast and Famine
Sword of Light and Shadow
Sword of War and Peace
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Body and Mind
Batterskull
Strata Scythe
Sword of Vengeance
Creatures
Student of Warfare
Serra Ascendant
Ranger of Eos
Mentor of the Meek
Solemn Simulacrum
Stoneforge Mystic
Reveillark
Karmic Guide
Weathered Wayfarer
Sun Titan
Knight of the White Orchid
Felidar Sovereign
Soul Warden
Soul's Attendant
Stonehewer Giant
Academy Rector
Auriok Champion
Mirran Crusader
Suture Priest
Hero of Bladehold
Sorceries
Wrath of God
Day of Judgment
Austere Command
Akroma's Vengeance
Terminus
Hallowed Burial
Steelshaper's Gift
Instants
Swords to Plowshares
Path to Exile
Return to Dust
Oblation
Condemn
Enlightened Tutor
Now that we have a example list, let's take a look at how the deck alters itself to fit the +1/+1 counter theme, mind you, most of the cards are kept in the deck as is, but a few are altered to provide a more viable theme to the deck, I will be covering as many changes to each theme as Possible
+1/+1 Counter theme Changes
#1) Creatures - In this form of the deck, we would remove the following 5 creatures from the build, allowing us to shift the most important pieces of the deck in without changing the curve too badly.
Serra Ascendant - Sure a 6/6 on turn 1 is nice, but we don't need it for this build, since the +1/+1 theme switches this with Glorious Anthem, which hits all our creatures, changing the curve of the deck in terms of the mana base slightly, but not too much.
Soul Warden - Again, another 1 drop removed in place of a favorable piece of the deck, Honor of the Pure, which only costs 1 more then this, but doesn't hit our curve in this deck too badly, just a little like the Anthem hit Serra Ascendant.
Soul's Attendant - This will probably be replaced by a higher CMC card in the form of either Caged Sun or Gauntlet of Power, one of these usually works in place of a creature, overall providing the theme we want so far.
Ranger of Eos - Since most of our 1 drops are gone from the deck, we don't need this guy, he's only good with 3 or more 1 drops in the deck for his tutor effect, he can easily be replaced by the Praetor Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite which only costs 3 more then him.
Auriok Champion - Replacing this with either the Sun or Gauntlet you didn't slap in is a good idea, probably the last major creature we want to change here.
#2) Enchantments - We actually don't need to remove a single enchantment from the deck, since the deck is just right in terms of enchantments, True Conviction is a beast in Multiplayer EDH, providing the necessary Life gain/Double Strike you need to deal with the bigger threats.
#3) Artifacts - For this deck we can get rid of the Font of Mythos, since it draws us too many cards too quickly, replacing it with either Angel of Jubilation or another card i didn't mention Marshal's Anthem for the late game, either one works here since both are essentially anthem cards.
#4) Planeswalkers - Gideon Jura, so you basically force things to attack you, well we got better honestly, throwing either a new equip, Argentum Armor or even Champion's Helm in his place is perhaps the best options, since they are more functional and this makes it easier to be a situational deck.
#5) Sorceries - Nothing really needs to be changed here, the amount of sorceries for the deck is perfect, 7 is the optimal number needed for a mono white build, mostly sweeper effects at that, except for a single tutor effect, still pretty good.
#6) Instants - Again, no changes need to be made in this department, since of course we don't need to really make any other changes in terms of the instants, if it were important enough, I'd even consider adding in Brave the Elements as a prevention effect in the deck in place of Oblation or even the Tutor, Enlightened Tutor
#7) Lands - For this theme, it's possible to not need to run so many colorless producers, though the main one i'd cut for the deck is Reliquary Tower in place of a plains, to give a little more white mana availablity for the deck, overally making it easier to cast those 2 and 3 white drops later on.
Now that we have the basic changes for the +1/+1 counter theme, let's remake the deck with the changes i've stated above, including those which are going in and out.
+1/+1 Altered Theme - Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Commander
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Lands
Buried Ruin
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
35 Plains
Temple of the False God
Planeswalkers
Elspeth, Knight Errant
Ajani Goldmane
Elspeth Tirel
Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Artifacts and Enchantments
Mind's Eye
True Conviction
Land Tax
Howling Mine
Marshal's Anthem
Planar Portal
Akroma's Memorial
Glorious Anthem
Caged Sun
Gauntlet of Power
Honor of the Pure
Equipment
Skullclamp
Lightning Greaves
Sword of Feast and Famine
Sword of Light and Shadow
Sword of War and Peace
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Body and Mind
Batterskull
Strata Scythe
Sword of Vengeance
Champion's Helm
Creatures
Student of Warfare
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Mentor of the Meek
Solemn Simulacrum
Stoneforge Mystic
Reveillark
Karmic Guide
Weathered Wayfarer
Sun Titan
Knight of the White Orchid
Felidar Sovereign
Stonehewer Giant
Academy Rector
Mirran Crusader
Suture Priest
Hero of Bladehold
Sorceries
Wrath of God
Day of Judgment
Austere Command
Akroma's Vengeance
Terminus
Hallowed Burial
Steelshaper's Gift
Instants
Swords to Plowshares
Path to Exile
Return to Dust
Oblation
Condemn
Brave the Elements
Let's now take a look at the third theme, which is of course Tokens, were we will look at the many token producers in the color of White and try to make it a theme in itself, this is a list based entirely off memory of course, so if i miss anything let me know please.
Soldier Based Generators
Conqueror's Pledge
Moblization
Captain's Call
Hero of Bladehold
Elspeth, Knight Errant
Elspeth Tirel
Nomads Assembly
Knight-Captain of Eos
Captain of the Watch
Cloudgoat Ranger
Martial Coup
Precinct Captain
Attended Knight
Timely Reinforcements
Knight Based Generators
Knightly Valor
Security Blockade
Human Based Generators
Thraben Doomsayer
Increasing Devotion
Gather the Townsfolk
Commander's Authority
Voice of the Provinces
Angel Based Generators
Entreat the Angels
Decree of Justice
Moonsilver Spear
Luminarch Ascension
Spirit Based Generators
Elguad Inquisitor
Midnight Haunting
Geist-Honored Monk
Doomed Traveler
Mausoleum Guard
Spectral Procession
Bird Based Generators
Emeria Angel
Seller of Songbirds
Eyes in the Skies
Other Token Generators
White Sun's Zenith
Kemba, Kha Regent
So it seems like we have a lot of Soldier based generators, so a Soldier theme based Mikaeus deck, then we will see the remaining theme, were of course Counters Matter, since there aren't enough other types of token generators to warrant a theme
Mikaeus, the Lunarch's Soldiers of Fortune
Commander
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Lands
Buried Ruin
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
35 Plains
Temple of the False God
The land base for Mikaeus doesn't change at all with this theme, as it's pretty consistent and some of the best things you can use, though probably if you want you can cut a plains to throw in a Windbrisk Heights to get a card into play under a easier condition, otherwise the lands for Mikaeus are consistent and will usually be 37-38 lands per Mikaeus deck, due to the amount of mana rocks we are using for him.
Instants
Swords to Plowshares
Path to Exile
Return to Dust
Oblation
Condemn
Brave the Elements
Captain's Call
As with anything, the instants in this deck aren't needed change either, though i'd probably slot in Enlightened Tutor here due to the added enchantment Moblization here, just to make it easier to retrieve in the long run, otherwise there's no changes here for the instants in the deck.
Sorceries
Wrath of God
Day of Judgment
Austere Command
Akroma's Vengeance
Terminus
Hallowed Burial
Steelshaper's Gift
Timely Reinforcements
Nomads' Assembly
Conqueror's Pledge
Here's where the changes begin roughly for the soldier theme deck, Akroma's Vengeance can come out of the deck in favor of the spell Martial Coup since it makes soldiers either way and it's wrath effect triggers at 7 mana instead of 6, but it's a pure creature remover, we have Austere Command to remove the enchantments and artifacts which are bothering us, plus Return to Dust to deal with the invulnerable enchantments and artifacts.
Equipment
Skullclamp
Lightning Greaves
Sword of Feast and Famine
Sword of Light and Shadow
Sword of War and Peace
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Body and Mind
For this deck we can cut the equips down to a mere 7, all the Swords, except for Vengeance, keeping the 5 big swords, Skullclamp and Lightning Greaves in the deck, freeing up 4 slots in the process, all 4 which go to the creatures for the deck.
Artifacts and Enchantments
Mind's Eye
True Conviction
Land Tax
Howling Mine
Marshal's Anthem
Planar Portal
Akroma's Memorial
Caged Sun
Gauntlet of Power
Honor of the Pure
Glorious Anthem
Moblization
Not much needs to be changed here, the acceleration factors of Sun and Gauntlet are the reason they are staying, but Honor of the Pure and Glorious Anthem are also good at that, so they earn a spot in this list pretty much as a sole anthem like spell,
Creatures
Student of Warfare
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Mentor of the Meek
Solemn Simulacrum
Stoneforge Mystic
Reveillark
Karmic Guide
Weathered Wayfarer
Sun Titan
Knight of the White Orchid
Felidar Sovereign
Stonehewer Giant
Academy Rector
Mirran Crusader
Suture Priest
Hero of Bladehold
Precinct Captain
Knight-Captain of Eos
Captain of the Watch
Attended Knight
Cloudgoat Ranger
Here's where the deck starts to change dramatically, with the following creatures being added to suit the theme of the list.
#1) Precinct Captain
#2) Knight-Captain of Eos
#3) Captain of the Watch
#4) Attended Knight
#5) Cloudgoat Ranger
And the following getting cut from the list since each one is not really useful to this theme overall.
#1) Stonehewer Giant
#2) Student of Warfare
#3) Suture Priest
#4) Felidar Sovereign
Of course we all know the planeswalkers stay as well except for Ajani, Caller of the Pride since he's not going to be as useful, so here's the 8 other cards to add to this build.
#1) Sol Ring
#2) Everflowing Chalice
#3) Extraplanar Lens
#4) Aura of Silence
#5) Oblivion Stone
#6) Harmless Assault
#7) Survival Cache
#8) Ghostly Prison
Here's the full list of course completed and all for this theme.
Mikaeus, the Lunarch's Soldiers of Fortune
Commander
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Lands
Buried Ruin
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
35 Plains
Temple of the False God
Creatures
Student of Warfare
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Mentor of the Meek
Solemn Simulacrum
Stoneforge Mystic
Reveillark
Karmic Guide
Weathered Wayfarer
Sun Titan
Knight of the White Orchid
Felidar Sovereign
Stonehewer Giant
Academy Rector
Mirran Crusader
Suture Priest
Hero of Bladehold
Precinct Captain
Knight-Captain of Eos
Captain of the Watch
Attended Knight
Cloudgoat Ranger
Benalish Commander
Artifacts and Enchantments
Mind's Eye
True Conviction
Land Tax
Howling Mine
Marshal's Anthem
Planar Portal
Akroma's Memorial
Caged Sun
Gauntlet of Power
Honor of the Pure
Glorious Anthem
Moblization
Ghostly Prison
Sol Ring
Everflowing Chalice
Oblivion Stone
Extraplanar Lens
Equipment
Skullclamp
Lightning Greaves
Sword of Feast and Famine
Sword of Light and Shadow
Sword of War and Peace
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Body and Mind
Sorceries
Wrath of God
Day of Judgment
Austere Command
Akroma's Vengeance
Terminus
Hallowed Burial
Steelshaper's Gift
Timely Reinforcements
Nomads' Assembly
Conqueror's Pledge
Survival Cache
Instants
Swords to Plowshares
Path to Exile
Return to Dust
Oblation
Condemn
Brave the Elements
Captain's Call
Harmless Assault
Planeswalkers
Elspeth, Knight Errant
Ajani Goldmane
Elspeth Tirel
This particular deck is the easiest theme to build around and provides a all around token feel while getting aggressive and the like, showing why Mono-White has always had some decent themes to it, of course we aren't done this article by a long shot, we've still got 1 more theme to show off, that is of course, Counters Matter.
With the Counters Matter theme, not much changes from the list we created of course, except for the fact we need to make counters matter, so cards that have stuff like Level Counters are useful in this theme, the more recent stuff from Rise of the Eldrazi is a example of things that have Counters matter.
Mikaeus, the Lunarch's Counters-R-US
Commander
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Lands
Buried Ruin
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
34 Plains
Temple of the False God
Inkmoth Nexus
Like the previous token theme, the land base is pretty much perfect, you could try and add stuff like Windbrisk Heights, but my personal favorite land of the most recent 10 sets is of course Rogue's Passage which is a underrated super star that recently came out as of this primer in Return to Ravnica, otherwise there's nothing really to add, unless you want to add a Strip Mine or Inkmoth Nexus here.
Creatures
Student of Warfare
Transcedent Master
Herald of War
Twilight Shepherd
Elder Cathar
Academy Rector
Myojin of Cleansing Fire
Caravan Escort
Sun Titan
Myr Battlesphere
Stoneforge Mystic
Knight of Cliffhaven
The creature base this time around is rather small for the deck then normal, it's only 12 creatures since we need to make room for the ways to get everything bigger, faster, but keeping the standard package of Stoneforge Mystic, Sun Titan and Academy Rector
Enchantments and Artifacts
Otherworld Atlas
Armored Ascension
Light from Within
Bonds of Faith
Contagion Clasp
Contagion Engine
Crescendo of War
Sol Ring
Lightning Greaves
Trigon of Mending
Chimeric Mass
Grindclock
Prototype Portal
Tumble Magnet
Throne of Geth
Myr Turbine
Titan Forge
Sphere of the Suns
Everflowing Chalice
Shrine of Loyal Legions
Ring of Thune
Caged Sun
Land Tax
Gauntlet of Power
Extraplanar Lens
Sculpting Steel
Thran Dynamo
This time around in this deck there are lots of enchantments and artifacts for the deck, since each one does something unique, plus of course the usual assortment of ramp cards, plus other little things which generate the big creatures and do stuff you want it to do.
Planeswalkers
Ajani Goldmane
Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Elspeth Tirel
Elspeth, Knight Errant
Karn Liberated
This time the deck uses the colorless planes walker Karn Liberated which exiles stuff from both the hand and that to deal with big threats, as well as the obvious wrath effects and the general 4 other cards of choice, both mono white ajani's and of course both versions of Elspeth.
Instants
Enlightened Tutor
Path to Exile
Swords to Plowshares
Condemn
Return to Dust
Oblation
Brave the Elements
Harmless Assault
Instants in this build don't really change and are useful all around, fog effects, the works plus tutors are necessary to get the best stuff you need as well as all the useful removal.
Sorceries
Wrath of God
Day of Judgment
Terminus
Hallowed Burial
Austere Command
Akroma's Vengeance
Steelshaper's Gift
Final Judgment
Sorceries for the most part stay the same as well, except for the inclusion of Final Judgment which is another wrath effect that removes creatures from the game, a decent effect if i might add and is a unique flavor since the deck uses very few creatures overall. This deck overall is quite unique and is a very new type of mono-white deck which is totally designed for casual use and the budget player for the most part, here's the full deck for the most part.
Commander
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Lands
Buried Ruin
Emeria, the Sky Ruin
34 Plains
Temple of the False God
Inkmoth Nexus
Sorceries
Wrath of God
Day of Judgment
Terminus
Hallowed Burial
Austere Command
Akroma's Vengeance
Steelshaper's Gift
Final Judgment
Instants
Enlightened Tutor
Path to Exile
Swords to Plowshares
Condemn
Return to Dust
Oblation
Brave the Elements
Harmless Assault
Planeswalkers
Ajani Goldmane
Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Elspeth Tirel
Elspeth, Knight Errant
Karn Liberated
Enchantments and Artifacts
Otherworld Atlas
Armored Ascension
Light from Within
Bonds of Faith
Contagion Clasp
Contagion Engine
Crescendo of War
Sol Ring
Lightning Greaves
Trigon of Mending
Chimeric Mass
Grindclock
Prototype Portal
Tumble Magnet
Throne of Geth
Myr Turbine
Titan Forge
Sphere of the Suns
Everflowing Chalice
Shrine of Loyal Legions
Ring of Thune
Caged Sun
Land Tax
Gauntlet of Power
Extraplanar Lens
Sculpting Steel
Thran Dynamo
Creatures
Student of Warfare
Transcedent Master
Herald of War
Twilight Shepherd
Elder Cathar
Academy Rector
Myojin of Cleansing Fire
Caravan Escort
Sun Titan
Myr Battlesphere
Stoneforge Mystic
Knight of Cliffhaven
With this however ends the primer in terms of deck building, it's time to look at the generals which Mikaeus, the Lunarch may have trouble dealing with in each strategy.
+1/+1 Counter Theme Problem Generals
- Azami, Lady of the Scrolls - She's one of the bane generals this strategy hates, since most blue players play with some form of card draw, she's perhaps the most well known in this department and every wizard tribal at least includes her as the figurehead of choice.
- Maelstrom Wanderer - This guy can be a total douche fight, it's all dependent on if you have a mass removal spell to deal with most of his attackers before he brings out the cascade effects, wanderer decks tend to often be a over run for any white player.
- Animar, Soul of Elements - The only reason this guy is a problem is due to the Pro White and Pro Black effects on him, if left unchecked he can spiral out of control with Infinite mana/A massive Animar, usually ending games quickly
- Azusa, Lost but Seeking - One of the worst generals you can be faced with, often dropping as early as turn 1 if done correctly, can quickly spiral out of control and is mostly a auto pilot general, big creatures, lots of land effects to end any Mikaeus player's day
- Jenara, Asura of War - Often called the one of the lamest bant generals in the format, next to that shining turd, Rafiq, left unchecked she can often spiral out of control and has evasion, making the deck overall difficult to deal with.
- Rafiq of the Many - Known as the "One Shot" king, he can get nasty fast, since he has double strike when he attacks alone, often given swords to give him protection, usually 2-3, his exalted effect is the worst to deal with and if your not quick enough, he can do 21 commander damage in a single swing.
- Bruna, Light of Alabaster - Much like rafiq, she's the "One Shot" queen of the format, often killing players in 1 swing, it doesn't help that her ability brings all the auras in her graveyard back onto her as she attacks, creating a big problem since most bruna players are competent enough to protect her.
- Animar, Soul of Elements - The only reason this guy is a problem is due to the Pro White and Pro Black effects on him, if left unchecked he can spiral out of control with Infinite mana/A massive Animar, usually ending games quickly, Animar overall is a problem for Mikaeus players and should be dealt with swiftly.
- Maelstrom Wanderer - Much like the previous list, he's annoying and can get out of control quickly, one of the overall problem generals for the average Mikaeus player, but once he's dealt with he often leaves a huge army in his wake with token makers like Avenger of Zendikar and the like.
- Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant - Since this deck relies heavily on combat, once it changes into the enchantment your screwed until you remove it, that is if the ascendant player hasn't given it shroud.
- Chainer, Dementia Master - In my experience, since black runs as many sweeper effects as you do, this kind of general is a problem, since he can steal your best creatures and use them against you, often causing you trouble in the long run, not the worst general to deal with for token decks, but one of the hardest.
Counters-Matter Problem Generals
- Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord - One of the newer generals, but he often plays off by as early as turn 7, depending if he has Coffers/Urborg back up, plus his deck will be packed full of beaters like Lord of Extinction and the like to use as sac fodder to Jarad, usually 1 shotting opponents with his ability
- Azami, Lady of the Scrolls - She often responds to a lot of trigger activations via specific methods, such as drawing cards, seeing if there's a counter spell or effect among them and then using that, this deck likes when things stay on the board more often then not, not consistently being bounced by stuff like Capsize and Into the Roil
- Skithryx, the Blight Dragon - Infect is a huge issue with this type of deck, as it can often be annoying to deal with, most metas agree to change the rules for 15-20 infect when they see this, but other things in this deck like Phyrexian Crusader can be majorly problematic for the Mikaeus player
- Maelstrom Wanderer - Like i've previously stated the past 2 times, this guy is a annoyance and whoever plays him should feel bad since it's another one of those Auto Pilot builds where it tends to go off as early as turn 4.
Big White-Weenie Problem Generals
- Maelstrom Wanderer - One of the most hated generals period in any Mikaeus player's mind, it can spiral out of control rather quickly, even if you get a explosive start in the first 4 turns.
- Mikaeus, the Unhallowed - His undead counter part can cause some serious issues for the deck, often using spells like Consume Spirit and Exsanguinate to deal maximum damage with a lot of mana producing effects, often also employs lots of zombies and effects to grief a mono white player.
- Kiku, Night's Flower - Often enough Mikaeus, the Lunarch is left unprotected and with her ability she forces him to suicide himself at the end of your turn, causing you to just get a little flustered inside.
So after all that we did we learn everyone.
- Mikaeus, the Lunarch is a overall fun general, designed for social interactions and the like, while doing what every EDH player loves to do, play actual magic.
- There are several different themes to Mikaeus, allowing for a diverse build structure and the like, making it one of the most fun mono white generals to build around.
- Every EDH player is going to have different ideas for building Mikaeus, even if it is a different strategy, the overall idea of the format is to have fun
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