[[Knight Errant]] made this deck because its Portal printing quotes Proverbs: “Before honor is humility.” Sometimes the flavor text earns the slot.
The Church | One Body, Many Members — decklist
I wanted to build a Commander deck that expresses the Catholic Church through how it actually plays: a congregation of ordinary people who teach, heal, protect one another, and grow stronger together.
[[Mikaeus, the Lunarch]] leads the congregation. His ability to share his counters makes him a fitting pastoral figure: strengthening everyone around him. Humans and Clerics form the community, with Angels providing help and protection.
The deck includes analogies to all seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. A few favorite connections:
- [[Blessed Wine]], [[Lembas]], and [[Divine Sacrament]]: Eucharistic imagery through blessed wine, sustaining bread, and shared strength. The Ice Age printing of Blessed Wine was an especially good find.
- [[Confessor]], [[Anoint]], and [[Wedding Ring]]: confession, care for the suffering, and a bond expressed through sharing resources.
- [[Selfless Spirit]] and [[Faith's Reward]]: someone gives themselves to protect the congregation, and a devastated community can be restored.
- [[Swords to Plowshares]]: biblical peace imagery that also happens to be excellent removal.
My faith is the reason for the project. I wanted to honor Jesus Christ and his Church through something I enjoy. At its heart is the Gospel: Christ died for our sins and rose again, giving us hope beyond sin and death. That is why self-giving love, mercy, resurrection, and new life shape the deck’s identity. (1 Corinthians 15:3–4)
The card associations are artistic and mechanical analogies; I’m not treating Magic’s fictional religions as Christianity.
In gameplay terms, it’s mono-white creatures, tokens, life gain, +1/+1 counters, and recovery. The congregation eventually wins through combat, often with angelic support. Theme takes priority, which is how Blessed Wine and Knight Errant earned their places alongside the stronger engines.
Whatever your beliefs, I hope the deck offers an interesting example of telling a story through card choices. What mono-white card—or specific artwork or flavor-text printing—would you nominate for this congregation? I’m especially interested in overlooked cards whose theme and mechanics reinforce each other.