Defense of the Heart

Enchantment

At the beginning of your upkeep, if an opponent controls three or more creatures, sacrifice Defense of the Heart. If you do, search your library for up to two creature cards and put those cards onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library.

Combos

• Defense of the Heart + Hall of Heliod's Generosity

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (49)

Quickspell on Build a Deck with Me …

1 week ago

If I may add a few other notes to your thought process.

• You said that you want to go infinite, and Ghired and Sunstrike Legionnaire or Midnight Guard would be you main line.
• You also mentioned other combolines such as Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker and Zealous Conscripts.

At this point, you are already on the track of using known combos and putting them into a Naya shell. There are many other combos that can go with this, you just need to tutor for them.

Note that haste is an important aspect to this. Zealous Conscripts is much better than Hyrax Tower Scout or Sparring Mummy for this reason, even though both have cheaper mana value. Without haste, your million tokens will just be board-wiped. You could argue for redundancy, but the truth is that tutors and recursion such as Eternal Witness and Skullwinder are much better, because they add to your strategy with more flexibility.

Most creature tutors are green non-creature spells that search for green creatures. However, you want to keep the amount of non-creature spells low, because Ghired's ability doesn't apply to them. But there are some great tutors that can help you find your pieces:

• Defense of the Heart is great to outright win the game with Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker and Zealous Conscripts. If you can produce a lot of treasure (which shouldn't be a problem with Ghired), Tooth and Nail does the same for 9 mana. Shared Summons tutors them to your hand.
• If you are considering Molten Duplication, there is redundancy with Twinflame and Heat Shimmer. All of them will be helpful for Ghired, but most importantly, all of them go infinite with Dualcaster Mage.
• Sunstrike Legionnaire can be found by both Imperial Recruiter and Recruiter of the Guard
• Midnight Guard can be found by Imperial Recruiter
• Both Imperial Recruiter and Recruiter of the Guard can also find Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker

Most of these cards use ETBs. If you can give them haste - ideally with creatures - you can cast them, make use of their ETB, and directly tap them with Ghired for value. Anger comes to mind, Hellraiser Goblin is great (you won't be attacking, because you are going to tap your creatures with Ghired), Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods can be okay. As for non-creature spells, you have Mass Hysteria, Concordant Crossroads, Fervor, Rising of the Day. Though I would probably only consider Hammer of Purphoros as it can create tokens.

As for the token doublers, I'm not sure if they really fit the deck. Sure, they are staples for token strategies. But what's the point of making infinite tokens go double? Mondrak, Glory Dominus and Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation  ^Flip will put a bounty on your head which is not a good thing in a combo-deck. You want to stay under the radar until you can go off.
Mondrak only doubles creature tokens, so you are not making more treasures. And the other doublers like Anointed Procession, Parallel Lives etc. will not tap with Ghired. Since you also want to put in all the other Naya-staple enchantments like Smothering Tithe and Guardian Project etc., you will just fill your deck with non-creatures that don't synergize with your commander.

Some cards worth mentioning are:
- Illusionist's Bracers - Cloudstone Curio (create a creature token, return a creature with an ETB to your hand). - Helm of the Host

delusiions on Animar & friends!

2 months ago

Have you ever considered Defense of the Heart?

scottbaker91 on Budget Meren Eldrazi spawn

2 months ago

Some cards I would consider, in no particular order. IMO, you need more board control. Birthing Pod, Skullclamp, Parallel Lives, Doubling Season, Whisper, Blood Liturgist, Ghoulcaller Gisa, Infernal Genesis, Chatterfang, Squirrel General, Dauthi Voidwalker, Opposition Agent Tombstone Stairwell, Scroll Rack, Sadistic Hypnotist, Living Death, Grave Pact, Dictate of Erebos, Toxic Deluge, Fleshbag Marauder, Attrition, Survival of the Fittest (expensive), Pernicious Deed, Defense of the Heart

Deathreap Ritual ---> Moldervine Reclamation

Wurwilf on Beledros Supernova

3 months ago

Heartbeat of Spring at only 3 mana can set up some nasty tempo turns.

Skullclamp and Lightning Greaves are probably still worth it even if you mostly try to win the turn you play Beledros.

Sanctum of Eternity is a funny little guy with commanders that untap lands.

Kozilek, Butcher of Truth is good in all decks that can cast him.

Defense of the Heart is a meta call, I guess, but it's usually reliable. Boring card though, to be honest.

baddabiiing on Prossh EDH Tokens/Sac

5 months ago

Last Laugh Thanks for the suggestions! All those cards have great effects, but generally I prefer to play my effects on creatures in this deck so I can cast them off Food Chain, find them with my creature tutors, and cheat them in with things like Birthing Pod and Defense of the Heart.

Impact Tremors was cut from this deck for Zulaport Cutthroat when it was first printed for this reason, much more synergistic as a creature and generally paints a much smaller target on your head. I'll likely cut either artist or cutthroat once I finally pickup a copy of The Meathook Massacre. Similar story with Bastion of Remembrance, plus making off-color tokens is a pet peeve of mine.

Scepter of Celebration is new to me but seems like a great card, I certainly wouldn't cut Avenger of Zendikar from this deck for almost any reason but it could be a good budget replacement for something like Awakening Zone or a token doubler, but I don't know it makes the cut because I almost never have 3 extra mana after casting prossh to equip and it doesn't do much equipped anywhere else. Plus off color tokens again, silly citizens.

Thanks again, I'll give your deck a look!

Mortlocke on Similar cards like Deathrender

5 months ago

First thing that came to mind is Defense of the Heart. Doesn't require the death of creatures, but the effect is similar in regards to putting creatures on the board. From my own personal experience it's a great political tool that disincentivizes opponents from putting out too many creatures too quickly - as you can get any two creatures and just put them on the board when the Enchantment's conditions are met.

OG_MOZZZ on Atraxa is a big fat bully [seeking help]

9 months ago

jakeelephant006 Thanks for the tips, Its kinda dumb but for fun, as I'm sure you saw there's a good few ways for combos in this deck. A few of them are infinite turn combos, Venser, the Sojourner and Ichormoon Gauntlet work with Teferi, Master of Time to get that combo off. Ichormoon is a key piece for the combo meals tbh but yeah it is slow.

Another not so combo fun synergy is why I have Empyrial Archangel but it involves having Defense of the Heart trigger bringing out Empyrial and Avacyn, Angel of Hope, if you are able to get it working, everything becomes indestructible and prevents you from taking damage. Its hard to deal with and if it isn't dealt with usually pressures my opponents to scoop. These 2 are in the maybe board but It That Betrays Cataclysmic Gearhulk is another pair you can pull with a big board state to steal all your opponents boards.

Semesters end was mainly just to avoid board wipes because my group likes those more then targeted removal. It is a bit crap with the reset of counters though.

RCD2023 on Lathiel, Who Blots Out the Sun

11 months ago

hello rakdosrunner!!

i really enjoyed the enforce that u had describing the deck and the mechanics.

i'm playing Lathiel for a long long time and i'm updating him a lot since then.

all the cards that u described i alredy test it, some of then still in the deck but mostly i had cut from the deck in order to be fastier and be more "Go for the troat" (my playgroup dont play easy haha).

firstly i wanna say the awesome cards that i wouldn't dare to touch that u metion before: Aetherflux Reservoir Authority of the Consuls Mangara, the Diplomat True Conviction Worldly Tutor Teferi's Protection Ozolith, the Shattered Spire Branching Evolution Light of Promise Well of Lost Dreams Scholar of New Horizons Tribute to the World Tree Esper Sentinel

it took me a long time to get this deck better and i still getting some frustations but if you like to consider, here some tips of cards to be implemented in order to have a better experience with it: ( mostly of this cards i proxed it because i dont wanna spend a lot of money and because i dont have a headache changing they every 2 months when wizards bring some new things )

starting with the nasty combos :

God Mode ( infinity mana + infinity draw :D ) : Argothian Elder or Priest of Titania + Quirion Ranger+ Ashaya, Soul of the Wild + Beast Whisperer with Eternal Witness in the deck u can even cast your grave again

Lathiel Gatling Gun: Walking Ballista + Heliod, Sun-Crowned or Cleric Class

“Life moves pretty fast..” — Ferris Bueller’s Spike Feeder + Light of Promise

ramp : Marwyn, the Nurturer : counters will get him a good ramp Mirari's Wake : awesome ramp Land Tax: can save you in early game Burgeoning : get ahead Priest of Titania : every elf in the battlefield Exploration : get ahead again Arbor Elf : very good with Selesnya Sanctuary or some mana that u need Mana Reflection: awesome ramp Circle of Dreams Druid : gaeas crandle in creature Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx : why not ? proxy <3 Crop Rotation: get those good lands in battlefield Carpet of Flowers: very good against 2 or more people Smothering Tithe : just perfect

draw : Generous Patron: our green budget risky study, perfect in lathiel Guardian Project : good in general The Great Henge : we have big creatures so probably will cost onle 2 green mana Toski, Bearer of Secrets : unstapable, can't be countered and draw Archivist of Oghma: meh... sometimes good sometimes not, but its 2 mana

tutors: Finale of Devastation : go for the troat Enlightened Tutor: very good tutor in our deck Eladamri's Call : get those pieces that u need Fauna Shaman : get those pieces that u need Defense of the Heart: this is funny, but moste of times works haha Yisan, the Wanderer Bard : good in general Natural Order : to the battlefield! Primal Command : say goodbye to ur grave zombie players

utility: Akroma's Will: defense or end game Alhammarret's Archive : it's 5 mana, but double life gain and double draw Eternal Witness : u have awesome cretures that people wanna destroy so... also good piece of combo God Mode Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines : Hushbringer + Hardened Scales, but better Serra Ascendant: sooooo goood in this deck ... first piece to be tutored by yisan, the wanderer bard Angel of Destiny: go for the troat Ashaya, Soul of the Wild: combo, but also a big creature Overwhelming Stampede : go for the troat Walking Ballista: good in general andd combo Cleric Class: combo but also grave Spike Feeder : Snowball effect, one of the best synergy of lathiel, 'each turn' change counters for life/

Good interactions : Aura Shards , Force of Vigor 2 ducks 1 shot ,Farewell exile :) , Kenrith's Transformation (interaction with draw)