# Strategy Specifications
## Deck Name And Archetype
Giada, Font of Hope is a mono-white Commander strategy registered as a 100-card singleton main deck plus a 10-card Veles policy sideboard. The active validation contract reports the command-zone format as Commander, the main deck as exactly 100 cards with singleton nonbasic/nonland and nonbasic card names, and the sideboard as exactly 10 cards for Veles policy use. Treat Giada, Font of Hope as the commander and primary early engine when legal command-zone actions are exposed, but always obey the rules engine if commander access, commander tax, color identity, or replacement effects differ from expectation.

This list is a hybrid tuned Angels midrange deck with stax, fast mana, and lifegain-scaling pressure rather than a pure stock casual tribal shell. The recognizable stock core is Giada, Font of Hope supporting Angels such as Youthful Valkyrie, Righteous Valkyrie, Lyra Dawnbringer, Archangel of Thune, Battle Angels of Tyr, Angel of Destiny, Angel of Invention, and Angel of Jubilation. The tuned-control layer is the heavy rule-setting package of Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Archon of Emeria, Drannith Magistrate, Aven Mindcensor, Grafdigger's Cage, Blind Obedience, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, and Karn, the Great Creator. The pilot should treat the deck as proactive pressure plus selective denial, not as a hard prison deck that can win without attacking.

The primary tag set is midrange and tribal, with Angels as the creature identity and white hatebear/stax cards as the tempo-control identity. The deck is not trying to assemble a deterministic combo from hidden pieces by default; it is trying to land Giada, Font of Hope early, turn later Angels into oversized threats, constrain opposing velocity, and convert lifegain or commander-enabled combat into a winning board. Walking Ballista and Heliod, Sun-Crowned require card-text and rules-engine verification at runtime before assuming any combo, counter, or damage loop; do not infer an infinite line unless Veles exposes legal actions that actually execute it.

The mana profile is powerful but timing-sensitive because the deck combines Plains, Cavern of Souls, Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Crystal Vein, Remote Farm, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Urza's Saga, Gemstone Caverns, Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Mox Amber, Lotus Petal, Mana Vault, Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, and Pearl Medallion with many white pips. Prioritize hands that cast Giada, Font of Hope or a meaningful early rule piece and still have white mana for follow-up plays. Watch for self-inflicted constraints from City of Traitors, Crystal Vein, Remote Farm, Chrome Mox, Mox Diamond, Lotus Petal, and Mana Vault; fast mana is strongest when it accelerates a protected engine, commander, or table-limiting permanent, and weakest when it strands white spells or forces a low-impact dump into removal.

Legality concerns are mostly format and sideboard-context concerns, not deck-count concerns. The main deck passes the provided Commander validation, but Veles should not assume a physical Commander event allows a sideboard unless the current match explicitly uses the registered Veles policy sideboard. The sideboard cards are Rest in Peace, Stony Silence, Containment Priest, Austere Command, Farewell, Generous Gift, Teferi's Protection, Angel's Grace, Flawless Maneuver, and Council's Judgment; use them only through explicit sideboard policy or match configuration, never as maindeck legal actions before sideboarding.

Opponent information status is unknown at guide load unless matchup metadata, revealed cards, public commanders, or Veles state snapshots say otherwise. Do not name or play around specific opposing staples in policy fields unless those cards are visible, revealed, logged, or prefixed as opponent examples in prose. Runtime decisions must rank legal actions from visible board state, public zones, known commanders, stack contents, revealed cards, and current legal-action text before applying this deck guide.

## Thesis
Giada, Font of Hope assembles early white acceleration, a command-zone Angel engine, and table-limiting permanents into a board that attacks while opponents are forced to play at reduced speed. Prioritize a hand that produces white mana, casts Giada, Font of Hope or a disruptive two-drop, and converts the next turns into Angels or engines rather than isolated reactive trades. The deck wins by making Angels larger than normal through Giada, Font of Hope, Youthful Valkyrie, Righteous Valkyrie, Archangel of Thune, Lyra Dawnbringer, Angel of Invention, and Thraben Watcher, then closing through evasive combat, lifegain thresholds, or accumulated tax pressure.

This deck is not trying to sit behind rule pieces forever without pressure. Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Archon of Emeria, Drannith Magistrate, Aven Mindcensor, Grafdigger's Cage, Blind Obedience, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, and Karn, the Great Creator are tempo tools that buy clean attack steps and protect a developing board. Use them to shrink opposing action windows, then deploy threats before the table naturally answers the lock piece.

Prioritize board development over speculative control when the hand already contains a safe Giada, Font of Hope curve. Prioritize interaction when a visible opposing commander, engine, graveyard, stack item, or combat step threatens to invalidate the Angel plan before your next turn. Prioritize protection when one protected permanent carries the game: Giada, Font of Hope, Archangel of Thune, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Luminarch Ascension, Smothering Tithe, or a large Angel threatening lethal.

## Role Package
- Threats: Giada, Font of Hope is the early scaling threat and commander engine; Serra Ascendant, Segovian Angel, Youthful Valkyrie, Righteous Valkyrie, Angel of Vitality, Dazzling Angel, Exemplar of Light, Lightstall Inquisitor, Herald of War, Battle Angels of Tyr, Lyra Dawnbringer, Angel of Destiny, Angel of Jubilation, Angel of Invention, Archangel of Thune, Archangel of Tithes, Beza, the Bounding Spring, Serra Paragon, Thraben Watcher, Voice of Victory, and Walking Ballista provide the board presence. Card text check required for Dazzling Angel, Exemplar of Light, and Lightstall Inquisitor before relying on exact trigger or combat text.

- Payoffs: Archangel of Thune, Righteous Valkyrie, Angel of Vitality, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Lyra Dawnbringer, Angel of Destiny, Angel of Invention, Flowering of the White Tree, Folk Hero, Chivalric Alliance, Luminarch Ascension, Thraben Watcher, and Battle Angels of Tyr are the cards that turn routine creature deployment or combat into snowball pressure. Treat Walking Ballista plus Heliod, Sun-Crowned as a rules-engine-confirmed line only when legal actions explicitly expose the needed counters, lifegain, damage, and targeting sequence.

- Engines: Giada, Font of Hope, Folk Hero, Chivalric Alliance, Esper Sentinel, Archivist of Oghma, Deep Gnome Terramancer, Smothering Tithe, Trouble in Pairs, Luminarch Ascension, Urza's Saga, Minas Tirith, War Room, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, and Geier Reach Sanitarium keep material flowing. Prefer engines that are live under your own Deafening Silence or Rule of Law effects, because the deck often limits spell volume for every player.

- Velocity: Enlightened Tutor and Search for Glory find role-specific pieces; Ranger-Captain of Eos finds small creature utility when legal targets appear; Wojek Investigator, Trouble in Pairs, Archivist of Oghma, Esper Sentinel, Folk Hero, Chivalric Alliance, Minas Tirith, War Room, and Geier Reach Sanitarium support card flow. Card text check required for Wojek Investigator before assuming clue, investigate, or draw timing.

- Interaction: Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, March of Otherworldly Light, Solitude, Winds of Abandon, Soul Partition, Reprieve, Silence, Bovine Intervention, Unexplained Absence, Cathar Commando, Loran of the Third Path, Witch Enchanter, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Strip Mine, Karn, the Great Creator, Aven Mindcensor, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, Drannith Magistrate, Grafdigger's Cage, Archon of Emeria, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Blind Obedience, and Archangel of Tithes form the disruption suite.

- Protection: Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Silence, Reprieve, Soul Partition, Voice of Victory, Cavern of Souls, Homeward Path, and Flowering of the White Tree protect key permanents, attacks, and stack turns. Use protection proactively when losing Giada, Font of Hope or a payoff would collapse the next two turns.

- Recursion: Serra Paragon and Sevinne's Reclamation recover engines, rule pieces, lands, and cheap threats after removal. Preserve them for high-impact rebuilds unless the visible board demands immediate stabilization.

- Mana: Plains, Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Crystal Vein, Remote Farm, Cavern of Souls, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Gemstone Caverns, Flagstones of Trokair, Prismatic Vista, Urza's Saga, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Minas Tirith, War Room, Homeward Path, Talon Gates of Madara, Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Pearl Medallion, Chrome Mox, Mox Diamond, Mox Amber, Lotus Petal, and Mana Vault provide acceleration and utility. Sequence white sources before colorless acceleration when the hand needs Giada, Font of Hope or multiple white-pip spells.

- Sideboard modules: Rest in Peace and Containment Priest attack graveyard or entry-cheat strategies; Stony Silence attacks artifact engines; Austere Command, Farewell, Council's Judgment, Generous Gift, and Angel's Grace are broad stabilizers; Flawless Maneuver and Teferi's Protection protect a committed board or survival window. Use these only when the match uses the registered Veles policy sideboard.

## Primary Win Conditions
- Angel curve pressure: Set up Giada, Font of Hope early from Plains, Ancient Tomb, Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Pearl Medallion, Chrome Mox, Mox Diamond, Mox Amber, Lotus Petal, Mana Vault, or Cavern of Souls, then deploy evasive Angels that enter larger and shorten the clock. Execute by stacking Youthful Valkyrie, Righteous Valkyrie, Angel of Vitality, Lyra Dawnbringer, Angel of Invention, Archangel of Thune, Thraben Watcher, Flowering of the White Tree, and Folk Hero around repeated Angel casts and attacks. Prioritize this path when Giada, Font of Hope is castable before turn three, the hand contains at least one follow-up Angel, and visible interaction does not make commander recasting the whole turn plan.

- Lifegain snowball: Build a board where combat lifelink or incidental life gain turns into permanent size or lethal pressure through Archangel of Thune, Righteous Valkyrie, Angel of Vitality, Lyra Dawnbringer, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Angel of Destiny, and Serra Ascendant. Execute by attacking with evasive lifelink bodies before spending removal on low-impact blockers, then use Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, March of Otherworldly Light, Solitude, Soul Partition, or Bovine Intervention only when a blocker, combo creature, or damage race changes the clock. Prioritize this path when life total is high, opponents lack visible sweepers, and one lifegain trigger or attack makes the whole team meaningfully harder to race.

- Rule-piece tempo beatdown: Use Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Archon of Emeria, Drannith Magistrate, Grafdigger's Cage, Aven Mindcensor, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, Blind Obedience, Karn, the Great Creator, and Archangel of Tithes to reduce opposing action quality while Angels attack. Execute by committing pressure before adding redundant lock pieces, because the deck still needs damage to win. Prioritize this path against visible spell-chain, commander-centric, activated-ability, graveyard, artifact, or tutor/search setups, especially when a single restriction buys a full attack cycle.

- Engine-to-overwhelm line: Convert unanswered engines into inevitability through Smothering Tithe, Trouble in Pairs, Esper Sentinel, Archivist of Oghma, Deep Gnome Terramancer, Chivalric Alliance, Folk Hero, Luminarch Ascension, Minas Tirith, War Room, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, and Urza's Saga. Execute by protecting the engine with Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, Reprieve, Silence, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Soul Partition, or Voice of Victory when losing it would collapse the next turn. Prioritize this path when the table is slowed, hands are low, or your current board already blocks well enough to spend mana on future advantage.

- Deterministic combo or damage finish: Treat Walking Ballista plus Heliod, Sun-Crowned as a win path only when legal actions clearly expose the needed counters, lifegain, targeting, and damage sequence. Execute exact damage choices through the rules engine, aiming at opponents or necessary blockers only when the legal action text confirms the target and outcome. Prioritize this line over combat when the visible board makes attacks unsafe or when opponents can untap into a clear answer.

## Secondary Win Conditions
- Backup combat: Win with ordinary evasive bodies when Giada, Font of Hope is taxed or removed by leaning on Serra Ascendant, Segovian Angel, Battle Angels of Tyr, Angel of Jubilation, Beza, the Bounding Spring, Herald of War, Angel of Invention, Lyra Dawnbringer, Archangel of Tithes, Thraben Watcher, and White Plume Adventurer. Card text check required for Beza, the Bounding Spring and White Plume Adventurer before relying on exact token, initiative, or resource outcomes.

- Recursion rebuild: Use Serra Paragon and Sevinne's Reclamation to recover Giada support, cheap engines, protection, Urza's Saga resources, or important lands after removal. Prefer recurring a card that immediately changes board, mana, or draw over a slow threat when behind.

- Utility pressure: Use Luminarch Ascension, Urza's Saga, Karn, the Great Creator, Minas Tirith, War Room, Geier Reach Sanitarium, and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx to make every draw step or mana burst matter after sweepers. Card text check required for exact Urza's Saga chapter timing before choosing a search or token line.

- Fallback interaction lock: If winning quickly is impossible, chain Silence, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Reprieve, Soul Partition, Cathar Commando, Loran of the Third Path, Witch Enchanter, Winds of Abandon, Unexplained Absence, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Strip Mine, and Homeward Path to keep the most dangerous visible permanent, stack item, or theft effect from ending the game.

## Emergency Lines
- Behind on life: Stabilize before adding slow engines by removing the largest immediate attacker, blocking with expendable bodies, and preserving lifelink attacks from Lyra Dawnbringer, Righteous Valkyrie, Angel of Vitality, Serra Ascendant, or Angel of Destiny when legal. Do not spend Ancient Tomb, Mana Vault, War Room, or aggressive attacks if the visible crack-back makes survival worse.

- Behind on board: Use Winds of Abandon, Solitude, March of Otherworldly Light, Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Bovine Intervention, Unexplained Absence, Archangel of Tithes, Blind Obedience, and Angel of Invention to reduce pressure, then rebuild with the cheapest Angel or engine that survives the current board. Save protection for the stabilizer, not for a replaceable small creature.

- Behind on cards: Prioritize Esper Sentinel, Archivist of Oghma, Trouble in Pairs, Smothering Tithe, Folk Hero, Chivalric Alliance, Minas Tirith, War Room, Geier Reach Sanitarium, Serra Paragon, and Sevinne's Reclamation over marginal attacks. If Deafening Silence or Rule of Law limits your own double-spell recovery, choose the single spell that creates the most future decisions.

- Behind on mana: Sequence Plains and white sources before colorless bursts, preserve Lotus Petal and Crystal Vein for turns that cast Giada, Font of Hope plus protection or a decisive Angel, and use Search for Glory or Enlightened Tutor only when the searched card solves mana or survival immediately. Do not keep spending commander tax if the same mana casts a live Angel and interaction.

- Behind to combo or engines: Deploy the specific hate piece before pressure when visible public information shows a near-term kill or lock. Use Drannith Magistrate, Grafdigger's Cage, Aven Mindcensor, Archon of Emeria, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Rule of Law, Deafening Silence, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, Karn, the Great Creator, Silence, or Ranger-Captain of Eos according to the legal threat presented.

- Win conditions removed: Shift from commander scaling to rule-piece tempo, recursion, and utility pressure rather than overpaying for Giada, Font of Hope. If Archangel of Thune, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Luminarch Ascension, or Walking Ballista is gone, win through evasive Angel combat and engines already on board.

## Resource Model
- Life is a spendable buffer only while lifegain or prevention is visible; use Ancient Tomb, Mana Vault, War Room, aggressive attacks, and shock-like tempo losses more freely when Serra Ascendant, Lyra Dawnbringer, Angel of Vitality, Righteous Valkyrie, Angel of Destiny, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Archangel of Thune, or Blind Obedience can legally recover life or convert lifegain into pressure. Stop spending life when the visible attack back forces chump blocks, disables War Room safely, or makes Angel of Destiny race math unreliable.

- Hand quality matters more than raw card count when Rule of Law, Deafening Silence, Eidolon of Rhetoric, or Archon of Emeria is active; keep the card that advances the strongest single-spell turn and avoid holding multiple expensive Angels without mana acceleration. Esper Sentinel, Archivist of Oghma, Trouble in Pairs, Chivalric Alliance, Folk Hero, Smothering Tithe, Minas Tirith, War Room, and Geier Reach Sanitarium convert table activity into more decisions, but only deploy slow engines when the board is not demanding removal.

- Mana is the deck's main snowball resource; Giada, Font of Hope, Starnheim Aspirant, Pearl Medallion, Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Mox Amber, Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, Mana Vault, Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Crystal Vein, Remote Farm, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Smothering Tithe, and Urza's Saga let the deck jump from rule piece into Angel pressure. Spend burst mana on permanents that survive a turn cycle or protect a commitment; avoid using Lotus Petal or Crystal Vein for a low-impact spell if the next turn needs Giada plus protection.

- Board material is both clock and insulation; prioritize keeping Giada, Font of Hope, Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, Voice of Victory, Ranger-Captain of Eos, and the largest evasive Angel when opponents can remove only one piece. Treat small creatures as protection, hate, card-flow, or Chivalric Alliance material before treating them as attackers.

- Graveyard and exile are secondary resources; Serra Paragon and Sevinne's Reclamation make cheap permanents, fetch lands, and destroyed engines matter again, while March of Otherworldly Light and Solitude may require exiling cards from hand for tempo. Do not exile a card that is your only rebuild path unless the visible threat is immediate.

- Lands are strategic permanents, not just mana; Strip Mine answers a visible problem land, Homeward Path protects against theft, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire can be interaction, Cavern of Souls supports Angel commitments through permission, War Room and Minas Tirith turn stable boards into cards, and Talon Gates of Madara requires card text check before relying on exact timing or protection utility.

- Sacrifice fodder is scarce; do not casually cash in Cathar Commando, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Lotus Petal, Crystal Vein, or Urza's Saga constructs unless the exchange stops a higher-value threat, enables a decisive spell, or protects a winning board. Angel of Invention and Beza, the Bounding Spring may create extra material, but card text check required for exact token and resource timing.

- Information is earned through public actions; let Enlightened Tutor, Search for Glory, Aven Mindcensor, Deep Gnome Terramancer, Archivist of Oghma, Esper Sentinel, Trouble in Pairs, and revealed searches guide commitment timing without assuming hidden cards. Sideboard bullets convert matchup knowledge into narrower resources: Rest in Peace, Stony Silence, Containment Priest, Austere Command, Farewell, Generous Gift, Teferi's Protection, Angel's Grace, Flawless Maneuver, and Council's Judgment should replace generic pressure only when their specific axis is expected to matter.

## Mana Guide
- Keep hands that produce white mana early and either cast Giada, Font of Hope or establish acceleration plus a relevant two-mana play. A hand with only Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Crystal Vein, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Urza's Saga, Homeward Path, Geier Reach Sanitarium, War Room, or Strip Mine is risky unless it also has Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, Arcane Signet, Mox Amber with a legal legendary line, or another confirmed white source.

- Prioritize white source sequencing before colorless power unless the colorless burst casts Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Mana Vault, Pearl Medallion, Giada, Font of Hope, or a hate piece immediately. Plains, Cavern of Souls naming the relevant creature type when legal, Flagstones of Trokair, Prismatic Vista, Remote Farm, Gemstone Caverns, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, and Minas Tirith are the lands most likely to support early white requirements.

- Sequence tapped or conditional lands around the turn's decisive action; Remote Farm, Gemstone Caverns, Urza's Saga, Minas Tirith, War Room, and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx can be excellent but should not delay a necessary Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Reprieve, Silence, March of Otherworldly Light, or Giada recast. Use City of Traitors and Crystal Vein on turns where sacrificing or losing land equity produces a board state that matters immediately.

- Play the land before drawing when the current hand already contains the spell you must cast this turn or when the land unlocks Esper Sentinel, Deafening Silence, Drannith Magistrate, Giada, Font of Hope, Rule of Law, or interaction. Delay the land when War Room, Minas Tirith, Geier Reach Sanitarium, Trouble in Pairs, Archivist of Oghma triggers, Enlightened Tutor timing, Search for Glory, or visible draw/selection may change which utility land should be committed.

- Spend fast mana to compress pressure plus protection, not merely to empty the hand. The strongest burst turns cast Giada, Font of Hope before another Angel, deploy a lock piece before opponents untap, or leave protection from Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, Reprieve, Silence, Ranger-Captain of Eos, or Soul Partition available.

- Mulligan mana that cannot cast a meaningful spell by turn two unless the visible pregame plan and legal actions show Gemstone Caverns acceleration or a Sol Ring-style recovery. In multiplayer Commander, a slow hand with only expensive Angels is less keepable than a hand with one Angel, one disruptive permanent, and stable white mana.

## Mulligan Guide
- Strong keep: keep two white-producing lands or one white land plus Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Chrome Mox, Mox Diamond, Lotus Petal, or Mana Vault when the hand casts Giada, Font of Hope or a disruptive two-drop by turn two. The ideal opener has Giada, Font of Hope plus Esper Sentinel, Archivist of Oghma, Drannith Magistrate, Deafening Silence, Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, or Swords to Plowshares.

- Strong keep: keep fast mana plus an early rule piece when the hand can still deploy pressure after the table is slowed. Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Archon of Emeria, Blind Obedience, Grafdigger's Cage, Aven Mindcensor, or Linvala, Keeper of Silence is best when paired with Giada, Font of Hope, Youthful Valkyrie, Serra Ascendant, Angel of Vitality, or a draw/tax engine.

- Medium keep: keep stable white mana, one early play, one interaction spell, and one payoff Angel even without acceleration. Plains plus Cavern of Souls, Flagstones of Trokair, Prismatic Vista, Remote Farm, or Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire can support a slower line if the hand has Path to Exile, Swords to Plowshares, Reprieve, Soul Partition, March of Otherworldly Light, or Silence.

- Risky keep: keep colorless-heavy power only when it casts a real opening sequence. Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Crystal Vein, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Urza's Saga, War Room, Homeward Path, Strip Mine, or Geier Reach Sanitarium without reliable white mana is a mulligan unless a legal Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, Arcane Signet, or Gemstone Caverns line fixes it immediately.

- Automatic ship: ship hands with no white source, no castable spell before turn three, only expensive Angels, or no plan after a single removal spell kills Giada, Font of Hope. Also ship hands relying on Mox Amber without a legal early legendary permanent, Chrome Mox without a card you can afford to exile, or Mox Diamond without an extra land.

- Matchup-dependent keep: keep hate-first hands when the visible pod or known opponent axis makes the hate card live. Grafdigger's Cage, Drannith Magistrate, Archon of Emeria, Deafening Silence, Aven Mindcensor, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, and Blind Obedience are powerful only if they constrain likely opposing development more than they delay your Angel clock.

- Play/draw adjustment: on the play, value Esper Sentinel, Deafening Silence, Drannith Magistrate, Giada, Font of Hope, and fast mana more highly because they shape the table before opponents deploy engines. On the draw, require more interaction, card flow, or resilience from Reprieve, Path to Exile, Swords to Plowshares, Archivist of Oghma, Trouble in Pairs, Beza, the Bounding Spring, or Serra Paragon.

- Trap hand: do not keep Ancient Tomb plus multiple five-mana Angels if the only white source enters too late or the hand folds to Giada, Font of Hope being removed. Do not keep Luminarch Ascension, Trouble in Pairs, Smothering Tithe, and large Angels without early board control. Do not keep protection-only hands with Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, and Teferi-style sideboard cards absent a threat or engine.

## Turn Arc
- Turn 1 priority: deploy the card that makes every later turn better. Preferred starts are Plains or fast white source into Esper Sentinel, Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, Deafening Silence, Grafdigger's Cage, Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Mana Vault, Pearl Medallion, or Blind Obedience; use Enlightened Tutor only when the next draw must be a specific lock, mana, or payoff piece.

- Turn 1 deviation: choose Gemstone Caverns, Chrome Mox, Mox Diamond, Lotus Petal, Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, or Crystal Vein only when the resulting spell matters immediately. If the legal line merely casts a replaceable small creature while losing a card or land, preserve the resource unless the board demands speed.

- Turn 2 priority: cast Giada, Font of Hope when she is legal and likely to survive or when she enables a turn-three Angel that outscales the table. If Giada is exposed into obvious removal or a combo player must be slowed, cast Drannith Magistrate, Archon of Emeria, Aven Mindcensor, Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Cathar Commando, or removal instead.

- Turn 2 deviation: leave up Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Reprieve, Silence, Soul Partition, March of Otherworldly Light, Bovine Intervention, or Solitude when a visible opposing permanent or stack line is more dangerous than developing Giada. Card text check required for Bovine Intervention exact tactical exchange.

- Turn 3 priority: convert Giada, Font of Hope into a meaningful Angel or convert a lock piece into card advantage. Strong plays include Righteous Valkyrie, Angel of Vitality, Youthful Valkyrie, Starnheim Aspirant, Folk Hero, Chivalric Alliance, White Plume Adventurer, or a protected Serra Ascendant line; cast Lyra Dawnbringer, Archangel of Thune, Battle Angels of Tyr, or Angel of Invention early only when acceleration and board safety justify it.

- Turns 4-5 priority: decide whether the game needs pressure, a lock, or recovery before tapping out. Use Archangel of Thune, Lyra Dawnbringer, Angel of Destiny, Angel of Invention, Herald of War, Battle Angels of Tyr, Luminarch Ascension, Smothering Tithe, Trouble in Pairs, or Karn, the Great Creator as commitments only after checking open interaction, commander tax, and whether protection from Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Silence, or Reprieve is available.

- Turns 4-5 deviation: answer the card that invalidates your board before adding another Angel. Use Loran of the Third Path, Witch Enchanter, Cathar Commando, March of Otherworldly Light, Soul Partition, Unexplained Absence, Winds of Abandon, Path to Exile, Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, or Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire when the visible threat beats your next attack. Card text check required for Witch Enchanter and Unexplained Absence exact modes.

- Late game priority: rebuild with Serra Paragon, Sevinne's Reclamation, Minas Tirith, War Room, Geier Reach Sanitarium, Trouble in Pairs, Folk Hero, Chivalric Alliance, and Smothering Tithe while forcing opponents to answer one high-impact permanent at a time. Use Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Cavern of Souls, Homeward Path, Strip Mine, Urza's Saga, and Karn, the Great Creator as board-state tools, not automatic mana plays.

- Late game finish: choose attacks that preserve lethal pressure without exposing the only lifegain payoff or commander-scaling threat. Angel of Destiny, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Walking Ballista, Archangel of Thune, Righteous Valkyrie, Lyra Dawnbringer, Flowering of the White Tree, and Thraben Watcher can convert a stable board into a kill, but commit only through legal actions and visible combat math.

## Card Roles
- Commander engine: Giada, Font of Hope is the preferred early permanent when mana is stable and the table is not showing immediate removal. Cast her before Angel follow-ups when her mana and counter scaling will change the next legal play; hold or recast her only if commander tax still leaves a meaningful Angel curve.

- One-mana protection and pressure: Mother of Runes and Alseid of Life's Bounty protect Giada, Font of Hope, a lifegain payoff, or the lethal attacker. Serra Ascendant and Segovian Angel are early pressure bodies; do not spend protection on them unless they are carrying the clock or enabling lifegain thresholds.

- Cheap tax and draw permanents: Esper Sentinel, Archivist of Oghma, Deep Gnome Terramancer, Wojek Investigator, Trouble in Pairs, Folk Hero, Chivalric Alliance, and Smothering Tithe turn opponents' normal development into cards or mana. Deploy these before expensive Angels when the pod is likely to cast multiple spells, search, ramp, or attack elsewhere; Card text check required for Wojek Investigator exact clue/evidence timing.

- Rule-setting creatures and enchantments: Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Archon of Emeria, Drannith Magistrate, Aven Mindcensor, Grafdigger's Cage, Blind Obedience, and Linvala, Keeper of Silence are lock or drag pieces. Cast the piece that attacks the visible opposing axis, then develop one threat at a time; do not stack symmetrical restrictions that strand your own interaction unless the opponent is closer to winning.

- Angel cost and scaling package: Starnheim Aspirant, Pearl Medallion, Herald of War, Youthful Valkyrie, Angel of Vitality, Righteous Valkyrie, Lyra Dawnbringer, Archangel of Thune, Thraben Watcher, and Flowering of the White Tree convert small Angel entries into oversized combat. Sequence cost reducers before large Angels when the mana saved changes the same turn or next turn; avoid sending the only scaling creature into a trade when counters or lifegain can snowball.

- Big Angel commitments: Battle Angels of Tyr, Angel of Invention, Angel of Destiny, Archangel of Tithes, Angel of Jubilation, Beza, the Bounding Spring, Dazzling Angel, Exemplar of Light, and Lightstall Inquisitor are tap-out decisions, not filler. Cast them when they stabilize combat, generate resources, or threaten a fast kill; Card text check required for Beza, the Bounding Spring, Dazzling Angel, Exemplar of Light, and Lightstall Inquisitor before relying on exact triggers.

- Lifegain finishers: Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Archangel of Thune, Righteous Valkyrie, Lyra Dawnbringer, Angel of Vitality, Angel of Destiny, and Walking Ballista reward preserving life total and repeated gain events. Treat Walking Ballista as removal, mana sink, or combo-adjacent finisher only when the legal action text and visible counters support it; do not assume deterministic lethal without rules-engine confirmation.

- Protection and tempo interaction: Silence, Reprieve, Soul Partition, March of Otherworldly Light, Path to Exile, Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, Bovine Intervention, Unexplained Absence, Winds of Abandon, and Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire answer threats or protect a decisive turn. Use the cheapest clean answer on the permanent or spell that beats your board; Card text check required for Bovine Intervention and Unexplained Absence exact exchange or targeting consequences.

- Permanent removal bodies: Cathar Commando, Loran of the Third Path, Witch Enchanter, and Karn, the Great Creator cover artifacts, enchantments, or utility permanents while keeping pressure. Hold sacrifice or modal removal when no visible target matters; Card text check required for Witch Enchanter exact front/back functionality and for Karn, the Great Creator sideboard-access legality under the active rules engine.

- Recovery package: Serra Paragon, Sevinne's Reclamation, Search for Glory, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Minas Tirith, War Room, Geier Reach Sanitarium, and Luminarch Ascension keep the deck relevant after removal or stalled boards. Use Serra Paragon and Sevinne's Reclamation for high-impact permanents rather than incidental value when commander tax or lock pieces are central to the current plan.

- Tutor and selection cards: Enlightened Tutor, Search for Glory, Urza's Saga, Ranger-Captain of Eos, and Karn, the Great Creator should find the card that solves the current bottleneck. Prioritize Giada support, a live lock piece, protection, or a finisher over generic value; never choose a target that is not visible as legal from the rules engine.

- Fast mana and artifacts: Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Mana Vault, Chrome Mox, Mox Amber, Mox Diamond, Lotus Petal, Pearl Medallion, Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Crystal Vein, Remote Farm, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, and Gemstone Caverns enable early Giada, Font of Hope or lock-plus-threat turns. Spend temporary mana only when it creates a real board state; avoid exiling or discarding a card to Chrome Mox or Mox Diamond unless the accelerated spell matters.

- Utility lands: Cavern of Souls protects Angel casting, Homeward Path answers stolen creatures, Strip Mine checks dangerous lands, Flagstones of Trokair cushions land loss, Prismatic Vista fixes Plains access, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire doubles as interaction, Talon Gates of Madara needs Card text check required before use, and Urza's Saga can become a tutor line. Treat colorless lands as tools, not keeps, when the hand still needs white mana.

- Combat support and initiative pressure: White Plume Adventurer, Archangel of Tithes, Thraben Watcher, Angel of Invention, Lyra Dawnbringer, Battle Angels of Tyr, and Herald of War reward attacking when the crack-back is contained. Attack to pressure life totals, trigger visible combat rewards, or protect initiative; hold back when one blocker prevents lethal or preserves a lifegain engine.

- Hatebear timing mistakes: Do not cast Drannith Magistrate, Grafdigger's Cage, Aven Mindcensor, or Linvala, Keeper of Silence into irrelevance just because mana is available. Match each hate card to a visible or known opposing axis, and pivot to Giada, Font of Hope pressure when the hate text does not affect the current board.

- Resource-denial mistakes: Do not rely on Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Archon of Emeria, Blind Obedience, or Archangel of Tithes to win alone. These cards buy turns for Angels; if the board is empty, use the window to deploy a clock, draw engine, or protected finisher.

## Interaction Priorities
- Remove combo enablers and lethal board pieces before value permanents. Spend Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Solitude, March of Otherworldly Light, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire, Bovine Intervention, or Winds of Abandon on the visible creature or permanent that creates an immediate win, removes your lock, or makes combat unwinnable; Card text check required for Bovine Intervention exact consequence.

- Use Reprieve as tempo protection for decisive turns, not as a generic answer. Prioritize Reprieve on a spell that stops Giada, Font of Hope from snowballing, clears multiple Angels, wins this turn cycle, or breaks a Rule of Law turn where returning the spell effectively consumes the opponent's only spell.

- Use Soul Partition and Unexplained Absence as tempo exile/bounce-style interaction when the delay matters. Point them at a commander, combo permanent, blocker preventing lethal, or removal aimed at Archangel of Thune, Righteous Valkyrie, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Walking Ballista, or a protected Giada, Font of Hope line; Card text check required for Unexplained Absence exact target and replacement details.

- Prioritize artifact and enchantment removal through Cathar Commando, Loran of the Third Path, Witch Enchanter, Karn, the Great Creator, March of Otherworldly Light, and Bovine Intervention only when the target changes the game. Remove fast mana, lock breakers, creature-combo engines, or protection pieces before incidental draw engines; Card text check required for Witch Enchanter exact mode and for Karn, the Great Creator legality with sideboard access.

- Treat discard as unavailable unless the rules engine exposes a legal action from an opponent effect. This deck has no registered proactive discard card, so do not plan to strip hands; instead use Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Archon of Emeria, Drannith Magistrate, Aven Mindcensor, Grafdigger's Cage, Silence, and Reprieve to constrain what opponents can do with hidden cards.

- Protect Giada, Font of Hope first when she is enabling follow-up Angels. Use Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, Silence, Soul Partition, Reprieve, or Ranger-Captain of Eos only when losing Giada, Font of Hope would strand Angel sequencing, waste a fast-mana start, or force a commander-tax turn the deck cannot afford.

- Let low-impact bait absorb removal before committing finishers. Esper Sentinel, Segovian Angel, Serra Ascendant without lifegain threshold pressure, Youthful Valkyrie before scaling, Starnheim Aspirant without a follow-up, and Pearl Medallion can bait interaction; preserve Archangel of Thune, Lyra Dawnbringer, Righteous Valkyrie, Angel of Destiny, Walking Ballista, and Luminarch Ascension when they are the actual clock or engine.

- Ignore threats that do not beat the current lock, race, or life total. Under Deafening Silence or Rule of Law, a single medium attacker may be less important than an engine permanent; against creature swarms, remove anthem, haste, sacrifice, or combat-damage multipliers before one replaceable body.

- Change priorities by archetype. Against combo, hold Silence, Reprieve, Drannith Magistrate, Grafdigger's Cage, Aven Mindcensor, and Rule of Law effects over creature removal; against creature decks, spend removal early to preserve life and attacks; against control, bait with tax/draw permanents before committing Luminarch Ascension, Archangel of Thune, or Angel of Destiny.

## Combat And Trading Rules
- Attack when the combat step advances a clock, trigger, monarch/initiative-style pressure, or lifegain threshold without exposing the engine. Giada, Font of Hope should usually stay back once she is producing mana or counters unless the legal attack is clearly free, lethal, or protected by Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, or a visible protection action.

- Preserve Angels that multiply future combat. Do not trade Archangel of Thune, Righteous Valkyrie, Lyra Dawnbringer, Youthful Valkyrie, Thraben Watcher, Angel of Invention, or Herald of War for a single blocker unless the trade prevents lethal, removes a commander-level threat, or unlocks a decisive attack next turn.

- Use Serra Ascendant and early small Angels as pressure, not sacred resources. Trade Segovian Angel, Serra Ascendant, Esper Sentinel, Archivist of Oghma, Deep Gnome Terramancer, or Wojek Investigator when the exchange protects life total, preserves a stronger Angel, or forces opponents to spend mana under tax effects; Card text check required for Wojek Investigator exact combat-adjacent value.

- Block aggressively below stabilizing life thresholds. When life total is low enough that one attack step threatens commander damage, alpha pressure, or burn follow-up, prioritize survival over preserving chip damage; Angel of Vitality, Righteous Valkyrie, Lyra Dawnbringer, Archangel of Thune, and Angel of Destiny can rebuild only if the deck survives the current turn cycle.

- Keep at least one meaningful blocker when ahead but not lethal. Archangel of Tithes, Battle Angels of Tyr, Angel of Invention tokens, Beza, the Bounding Spring material, and large Giada-enhanced Angels can make crack-backs awkward; Card text check required for Beza, the Bounding Spring exact material and for Battle Angels of Tyr exact trigger expectations.

- Use protection after blocks only when the saved creature matters more than the protection card. Mother of Runes and Alseid of Life's Bounty should save Giada, Font of Hope, a scaling Angel, or lethal attacker; do not spend them to save a replaceable tax creature after its static effect is no longer central.

- Force trades against faster creature decks and avoid trades against slower decks. Against go-wide or combat-heavy pods, trade small utility bodies to buy time for lifegain and large flyers; against control or combo, keep pressure in play and avoid offering Angels into removal-plus-block lines unless the clock must shorten.

- Respect Archangel of Tithes and Blind Obedience as combat tempo, not inevitability. Use their tax or tapped-entry pressure to attack safely, then commit an actual finisher; do not pass turns with only soft combat constraints while opponents draw out.

- Treat Walking Ballista combat math as rules-engine dependent. Use visible counters and legal damage actions to clear blockers, finish planeswalkers, or threaten lethal with Heliod, Sun-Crowned only when the engine exposes the exact legal sequence; never assume a combo kill without legal actions confirming it.

## Selection And Tutor Rules
- Use Enlightened Tutor at the last safe instant-speed window before the turn where the found card matters. Find Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Mox Amber, Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Pearl Medallion, Mana Vault, or Blind Obedience when mana is the bottleneck; find Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Grafdigger's Cage, Flowering of the White Tree, Luminarch Ascension, or Smothering Tithe when that permanent changes the next turn cycle; find Walking Ballista only when Heliod, Sun-Crowned or exact lethal pressure is already supported by visible mana and rules-engine actions.

- Use Search for Glory as a commitment gate, not a generic value spell. Prefer Giada, Font of Hope when commander access is delayed or tax is too high, Heliod, Sun-Crowned when lifegain/counter lines are online, Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire when interaction matters, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx when devotion turns into a decisive mana jump, or Flowering of the White Tree when the board already contains enough legendary/creature pressure; Card text check required for exact Search for Glory eligibility and life-gain condition.

- Use Ranger-Captain of Eos to find the one-drop that solves the visible problem. Get Esper Sentinel when early cards are needed, Serra Ascendant when life total and combat context make it a real threat, Mother of Runes or Alseid of Life's Bounty when Giada, Font of Hope or a finisher must be protected, or Segovian Angel when the deck needs an Angel body for Giada counters and aerial pressure.

- Use Urza's Saga searches for mana or deterministic utility before cute lines. Sol Ring, Mox Amber, Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, Mana Vault, and Grafdigger's Cage are the main artifact targets; choose mana when it unlocks Giada, Font of Hope plus follow-up Angels, choose Grafdigger's Cage only when graveyard/library-cast pressure is visible or strongly implied by public actions.

- Time draw before land drops when the draw can change the land. Esper Sentinel triggers, Archivist of Oghma triggers, Trouble in Pairs draws, Minas Tirith, War Room, Loran of the Third Path, Geier Reach Sanitarium, Chivalric Alliance, Folk Hero, and Wojek Investigator should be used before playing a land only if the engine exposes the action and the new card could alter Cavern of Souls naming, Ancient Tomb risk, Strip Mine timing, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx deployment, or whether to spend Lotus Petal/Crystal Vein/City of Traitors.

- Bottom, discard, or de-emphasize redundant lock pieces when the table is already constrained. Extra Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, or Archon of Emeria effects are lower priority once one is sticking, unless removal is likely or multiple opponents can answer it; keep one backup only when the current lock is fragile.

- Prioritize selection toward board conversion after Giada, Font of Hope is active. Angel of Vitality, Youthful Valkyrie, Righteous Valkyrie, Lyra Dawnbringer, Archangel of Thune, Angel of Destiny, Battle Angels of Tyr, Angel of Invention, and Thraben Watcher become stronger when they enter with counters, so selection should favor Angels over generic utility when mana and protection are already solved.

## Priority And Stack Rules
- Hold priority actions for spells or abilities that change the current turn cycle. Silence, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Reprieve, Soul Partition, Solitude, Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, March of Otherworldly Light, Bovine Intervention, Unexplained Absence, and Winds of Abandon should answer combo starts, lethal attacks, board wipes, removal aimed at Giada, Font of Hope or a finisher, or a spell that breaks the active Rule of Law plan.

- Cast Silence before opponents begin the decisive turn, not after the key spell is already legal. Use it in upkeep or before a known combo/combat window when public information shows one opponent is about to act; under Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, or Archon of Emeria, Silence is strongest when it turns their one allowed spell into no meaningful spell.

- Sacrifice Ranger-Captain of Eos only for a protected win, a survival turn, or a lock extension. Do not cash it in merely because an opponent has priority; use it when stopping noncreature spells preserves lethal, shields Luminarch Ascension or Archangel of Thune from a sweeper, or prevents an opponent from converting visible mana into a win.

- Use Reprieve on high-impact spells where the tempo is real. Reprieve is poor against cheap recastable interaction when opponents still have mana, but strong against a board wipe, combo spell, removal spell under Rule of Law, or commander spell whose recast cost and timing matter.

- Resolve tax and draw triggers according to visible value, then spend mana only when it protects the main line. Esper Sentinel, Smothering Tithe, Trouble in Pairs, Archivist of Oghma, Deep Gnome Terramancer, Folk Hero, Chivalric Alliance, and Blind Obedience can create optional or triggered decisions; pay optional costs such as Blind Obedience extort only when the life drain or Archangel of Thune/Angel of Vitality/Righteous Valkyrie scaling matters more than preserving mana for removal or protection.

- Activate Mother of Runes and Alseid of Life's Bounty in response to targeted removal or decisive blocks. Save Giada, Font of Hope, Archangel of Thune, Righteous Valkyrie, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Walking Ballista, Lyra Dawnbringer, or Angel of Destiny before protecting a replaceable hatebear; confirm the rules engine exposes legal protection colors and targets.

- Use Walking Ballista abilities only from visible counters and legal targets. Remove combo creatures, finish planeswalkers, shrink combat math, or complete a Heliod, Sun-Crowned line only when each damage action is legal; do not assume infinite damage unless the engine repeatedly presents the required legal actions.

- Let low-impact spells resolve under lock pressure. When Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Grafdigger's Cage, Drannith Magistrate, Aven Mindcensor, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, or Archon of Emeria already constrains the table, conserve interaction for the first spell or ability that actually escapes the lock, removes the lock, or kills through it.

## Sideboard Map

- Use sideboarding as a role correction, not as a second deck. Giada, Font of Hope still wants early mana, a protected Angel curve, and enough pressure to punish opponents slowed by Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Archon of Emeria, Drannith Magistrate, Aven Mindcensor, Grafdigger's Cage, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, and Blind Obedience.

- Rest in Peace comes in against graveyard combo, recursive value, escape, flashback, reanimation, and decks where graveyard size is a resource. It is narrow when Sevinne's Reclamation and Serra Paragon are central to the current plan, when Grafdigger's Cage already covers the relevant axis, or when the opponent is mostly creature combat and artifact mana.

- Stony Silence comes in against artifact mana, artifact combo, activated artifact engines, and tables where slowing noncreature mana matters more than using your own artifact activations. It is narrow when Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Mana Vault, Mox Amber, Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, Urza's Saga artifacts, or Walking Ballista are required to keep pace or finish the game.

- Containment Priest comes in against reanimation, blink, cheat-into-play, token-copy creature entry, and graveyard creature loops. It is narrow when opponents are casting creatures normally or when the matchup is mostly noncreature control, board wipes, or combat removal.

- Austere Command comes in when the table can create wider or more varied permanent boards than Giada, Font of Hope can race. Use it as flexible reset pressure against enchantment clusters, artifact boards, or creature-size asymmetry; avoid it when your own Angels, lock pieces, and mana artifacts are the battlefield that matters.

- Farewell comes in when one axis of hate is not enough and the game is likely to require a clean reset. It is strongest against graveyards plus creatures, artifacts plus enchantments, or recursive board states; avoid it when Giada, Font of Hope already has a protected lethal board or when exiling your own graveyard removes Sevinne's Reclamation and Serra Paragon recovery.

- Generous Gift comes in against commanders, planeswalkers, lands, artifacts, enchantments, or single permanents that the main deck cannot efficiently answer. It is narrow against low-resource creature decks where giving a 3/3 body creates a real clock and Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Solitude, March of Otherworldly Light, Bovine Intervention, Soul Partition, Unexplained Absence, or Winds of Abandon already cover the threat.

- Teferi's Protection comes in against sweepers, alpha strikes, forced sacrifice turns, and combo turns where surviving one turn cycle is decisive. It is narrow when the matchup is resource attrition and the deck needs proactive lock or pressure rather than a reactive shield.

- Angel's Grace comes in against deterministic lethal turns, storm-style finishers, combat alpha strikes, and life-total combo kills where one turn matters. It is narrow against grindy boards, commander damage pressure across multiple turns, or engines that win without needing one lethal event.

- Flawless Maneuver comes in against creature sweepers, damage-based combat blowouts, and removal-heavy pods when Giada, Font of Hope is expected to stay available. It is narrow when the commander is repeatedly removed before combat or when exile, bounce, sacrifice, or non-destroy answers are the opposing interaction.

- Council's Judgment comes in for protected permanents, commanders with protection or hexproof-like constraints, planeswalkers, and hard-to-target engines. It is narrow when the opponent presents many small threats and the deck needs tempo interaction rather than a sorcery-speed answer.

Graveyard combo and recursion pressure
Side in: Rest in Peace; Containment Priest; Farewell
Cut: Sevinne's Reclamation; Serra Paragon; Angel of Destiny

Artifact acceleration and artifact engine pressure
Side in: Stony Silence; Generous Gift; Council's Judgment
Cut: Walking Ballista; Mana Vault; Pearl Medallion

Board-wipe control and removal-heavy midrange
Side in: Teferi's Protection; Flawless Maneuver; Generous Gift
Cut: Bovine Intervention; Wojek Investigator; Herald of War

Go-wide creature and permanent-board pressure
Side in: Austere Command; Farewell; Council's Judgment
Cut: Deafening Silence; Esper Sentinel; Luminarch Ascension

Fast combo or lethal stack turns
Side in: Angel's Grace; Teferi's Protection; Containment Priest
Cut: Angel of Invention; Herald of War; Battle Angels of Tyr

Single protected permanent or commander engine
Side in: Generous Gift; Council's Judgment
Cut: Bovine Intervention; Dazzling Angel

- Add Rest in Peace, Containment Priest, Angel's Grace, and Teferi's Protection when opponents threaten to win before Angel combat matters. Reduce emphasis on expensive Angels and slow engines that do not affect the decisive combo turn.

- Add Stony Silence, Generous Gift, and Council's Judgment when artifacts, commanders, planeswalkers, or single engines are the table's leverage. Reduce emphasis on artifact-dependent finish plans and cards whose value depends on repeated artifact activation.

- Add Austere Command, Farewell, Teferi's Protection, and Flawless Maneuver when the game is about sweepers, creature size, and battlefield resets. Reduce emphasis on narrow one-for-one removal when opponents are presenting many permanents at once.

- Add Rest in Peace only after checking your own graveyard plan. If Sevinne's Reclamation or Serra Paragon is the visible recovery line, prefer Grafdigger's Cage or Containment Priest only when those cards answer the opponent's axis without blanking your recovery.

- Add Stony Silence only after checking your own mana texture. If the opening plan depends on Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Mana Vault, Mox Amber, Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, or Walking Ballista, treat Stony Silence as a commitment gate rather than an automatic hate piece.

- Preserve creature density when sideboarding against fair decks. Giada, Font of Hope needs enough Angels and protection creatures for counters, pressure, lifegain scaling, and Flowering of the White Tree; do not over-board into reactive cards unless the opponent's plan demands it.

## Matchup Guidance

- Aggro decks: Stabilize first with cheap interaction, lifegain bodies, and Giada, Font of Hope counters before racing. Keep hands that cast Giada, Font of Hope or a relevant early creature on time, and prioritize Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Solitude, March of Otherworldly Light, Winds of Abandon, Bovine Intervention, Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, Angel of Vitality, Righteous Valkyrie, Lyra Dawnbringer, Beza, the Bounding Spring, and Archangel of Thune when visible pressure is creature-based. Austere Command, Farewell, Flawless Maneuver, Teferi's Protection, and Council's Judgment are role cards when the opposing board grows wider than one-for-one answers can contain, but do not dilute the Angel count so far that Giada, Font of Hope stops converting stabilizing bodies into a clock. Reduce emphasis on slow draw engines and expensive Angels that do not block, remove, gain life, or immediately change combat math.

- Control decks: Apply a protected clock while forcing interaction through tax, silence, and draw-punish permanents. Lead with Esper Sentinel, Archivist of Oghma, Trouble in Pairs, Smothering Tithe, Luminarch Ascension, Folk Hero, Flowering of the White Tree, Cavern of Souls, Voice of Victory, Silence, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Reprieve, and resilient command-zone pressure from Giada, Font of Hope rather than committing every Angel into a likely sweeper. Teferi's Protection, Flawless Maneuver, Generous Gift, Council's Judgment, and Angel's Grace are role cards when the opponent wins by reset plus finisher or protects a single permanent. Reduce emphasis on narrow creature-only removal when the visible control plan is planeswalkers, enchantments, or stack-based inevitability.

- Combo decks: Mulligan toward hate plus clock rather than generic Angel curve. Prioritize Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Archon of Emeria, Drannith Magistrate, Aven Mindcensor, Grafdigger's Cage, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, Silence, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Reprieve, Soul Partition, and fast mana that deploys one of those pieces before the combo turn. Angel's Grace, Teferi's Protection, Containment Priest, Rest in Peace, Stony Silence, Generous Gift, and Council's Judgment should be matched to the proven combo axis. Reduce emphasis on Battle Angels of Tyr, Herald of War, Angel of Invention, and other slow pressure when the opponent can win before combat damage matters.

- Tempo decks: Protect the first high-impact permanent and avoid spending entire turns into obvious soft interaction unless the legal action set offers no better pressure. Giada, Font of Hope, Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, Cavern of Souls, Flowering of the White Tree, Pearl Medallion, Starnheim Aspirant, and cheap Angels help compress mana while Reprieve and Soul Partition can break an opposing tempo swing. Do not overpay into a single threat if holding Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Solitude, March of Otherworldly Light, or Bovine Intervention would keep the race stable. Flawless Maneuver and Generous Gift are role cards when the opponent uses removal plus one protected threat.

- Midrange decks: Build compounding board quality with Giada, Font of Hope, Angel density, and value engines before trading resources. Youthful Valkyrie, Segovian Angel, Angel of Vitality, Righteous Valkyrie, Archangel of Thune, Lyra Dawnbringer, Battle Angels of Tyr, Serra Paragon, Sevinne's Reclamation, Trouble in Pairs, Chivalric Alliance, Wojek Investigator, and Minas Tirith reward long games where the board is contested. Preserve Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Solitude, and Council's Judgment-style effects for commanders, snowball engines, or blockers that prevent lethal pressure. Generous Gift, Council's Judgment, Austere Command, and Teferi's Protection are role cards when midrange mirrors turn on planeswalkers, sweepers, or permanent engines.

- Big mana decks: Attack mana development and punish slow setup before large spells dominate. Strip Mine, Aven Mindcensor, Archon of Emeria, Smothering Tithe, Trouble in Pairs, Luminarch Ascension, Battle Angels of Tyr, and fast Giada, Font of Hope starts are higher priority than incremental lifegain when opponents visibly spend early turns on mana. Use Karn, the Great Creator, Stony Silence, Generous Gift, Council's Judgment, and Soul Partition when the payoff is artifact, planeswalker, land, or commander based. Reduce emphasis on removal that only answers small creatures unless those creatures are the visible acceleration engine.

- Graveyard decks: Decide early whether your own Serra Paragon and Sevinne's Reclamation plan is worth preserving or whether the opponent's graveyard axis must be shut off. Grafdigger's Cage is the main-deck starting point, while Rest in Peace, Containment Priest, Farewell, and Angel's Grace handle more dedicated recursion, reanimation, or lethal graveyard turns. Use Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Solitude, March of Otherworldly Light, and Soul Partition on enablers or payoff creatures only when the rules engine presents legal targets and graveyard hate is absent or too slow. Reduce emphasis on slow battlefield-only Angels when the opponent's graveyard already threatens a decisive turn.

- Artifact/enchantment decks: Identify whether the threat is mana, activated artifacts, prison pieces, or enchantment engines before choosing hate. Cathar Commando, Loran of the Third Path, Witch Enchanter, March of Otherworldly Light, Unexplained Absence, Soul Partition, Karn, the Great Creator, and Bovine Intervention provide main-deck interaction, while Stony Silence, Austere Command, Farewell, Generous Gift, and Council's Judgment expand coverage. Check your own reliance on Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Mana Vault, Mox Amber, Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, Urza's Saga, and Walking Ballista before committing to Stony Silence. Reduce artifact-based acceleration only when shutting off opposing artifacts is more important than your own speed.

- Go-wide decks: Prioritize flyers, lifegain scaling, taxation, and sweepers over narrow one-for-one exchanges. Archangel of Tithes, Blind Obedience, Angel of Invention, Thraben Watcher, Lyra Dawnbringer, Righteous Valkyrie, Archangel of Thune, Winds of Abandon, Austere Command, Farewell, and Flawless Maneuver are the key tools when many attackers or blockers matter. Use Giada, Font of Hope counters to make even small Angels block profitably, but do not attack with needed blockers under a short clock unless the legal attack is clearly lethal or backed by protection. Reduce emphasis on Deafening Silence and single-target removal when the visible problem is already on board.

- Single-threat decks: Hold premium removal for the commander, protected finisher, or engine permanent rather than spending it on small support creatures. Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Solitude, Soul Partition, Unexplained Absence, March of Otherworldly Light, Bovine Intervention, Generous Gift, Council's Judgment, and Karn, the Great Creator are priority answers depending on permanent type. Mother of Runes and Alseid of Life's Bounty should protect the clock only when removal is already covered or when losing the key Angel would collapse the race. Generous Gift and Council's Judgment are role cards against hard-to-answer permanents.

- Burn decks: Treat life total as the core resource and force burn to answer lifegain bodies instead of your face. Serra Ascendant, Angel of Vitality, Righteous Valkyrie, Lyra Dawnbringer, Archangel of Thune, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Blind Obedience, Beza, the Bounding Spring, and Angel of Destiny are the most important stabilizers, while Ancient Tomb, Mana Vault, City of Traitors, Crystal Vein, and unnecessary pain or tempo costs require extra scrutiny. Angel's Grace, Teferi's Protection, and Flawless Maneuver are role cards when the opponent can assemble one lethal turn or damage-based wipe. Reduce emphasis on slow nonlifegain engines that do not affect the next combat or burn window.

- Removal-heavy decks: Diversify threats and save protection for the permanent that actually wins the next exchange. Giada, Font of Hope, Flowering of the White Tree, Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, Voice of Victory, Serra Paragon, Sevinne's Reclamation, Luminarch Ascension, Trouble in Pairs, and Folk Hero are the cards that keep pressure flowing through spot removal. Teferi's Protection, Flawless Maneuver, Generous Gift, and Council's Judgment are role cards when removal-heavy opponents also play sweepers or sticky engines. Reduce emphasis on creature-only answers when the opponent has few creatures and is trying to exhaust threats instead.

## Specific Matchup Notes

- General/archetype-only note: Exact opponents are absent, so revealed cards, commander identity, public zones, and legal actions override these assumptions. Use this section as matchup slicing guidance, not as permission to infer hidden cards or force illegal actions.

- Fast combo: Prioritize rule effects and silence windows before extra Angel pressure. Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Archon of Emeria, Drannith Magistrate, Aven Mindcensor, Grafdigger's Cage, Silence, Ranger-Captain of Eos, and Reprieve are the main pressure points; priority targets are visible engines, commanders, graveyard access, or stack pieces that enable the current turn. Angel's Grace, Containment Priest, Rest in Peace, Council's Judgment, Generous Gift, and Teferi's Protection are role cards depending on whether the opponent wins through graveyard, battlefield permanent, or one lethal turn.

- Creature combo: Stop the enabling creature before spending removal on value bodies. Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Solitude, March of Otherworldly Light, Bovine Intervention, Soul Partition, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, Loran of the Third Path, Cathar Commando, and Unexplained Absence should answer visible combo pieces, not incidental attackers. Containment Priest, Generous Gift, Council's Judgment, Farewell, and Flawless Maneuver are role cards when the opponent can force a board exchange.

- Artifact acceleration or artifact combo: Decide whether Stony Silence harms the opponent more than it harms your own Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Mana Vault, Mox Amber, Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, Urza's Saga, Karn, the Great Creator, and Walking Ballista. Priority targets are artifact engines, activated artifacts, mana rocks powering a decisive turn, or commanders that convert artifacts into wins. Stony Silence, Austere Command, Farewell, Generous Gift, and Council's Judgment are role cards.

- Graveyard recursion: Shut off the graveyard before trying to out-grind it with Serra Paragon or Sevinne's Reclamation. Grafdigger's Cage is the main-deck hate, while Rest in Peace, Containment Priest, Farewell, Angel's Grace, and Council's Judgment cover deeper recursion, reanimation, or delayed lethal turns. Priority targets are visible reanimation targets, sacrifice loops, graveyard-casting permissions, and permanents that repeatedly stock or use graveyards.

- Control and removal-heavy decks: Present sticky, diverse threats while protecting only the permanent that changes the clock or card economy. Giada, Font of Hope, Flowering of the White Tree, Folk Hero, Trouble in Pairs, Luminarch Ascension, Serra Paragon, Sevinne's Reclamation, Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, Voice of Victory, and Cavern of Souls are important. Teferi's Protection, Flawless Maneuver, Generous Gift, Council's Judgment, and Angel's Grace are role cards when sweepers or protected finishers are visible.

- Creature swarms: Stabilize first with flying blockers, lifegain, taxation, and selective sweepers. Archangel of Tithes, Blind Obedience, Angel of Invention, Lyra Dawnbringer, Righteous Valkyrie, Archangel of Thune, Winds of Abandon, Beza, the Bounding Spring, and Giada, Font of Hope counters matter more than small chip attacks. Austere Command, Farewell, Flawless Maneuver, Teferi's Protection, and Generous Gift are role cards, but keep enough creatures to rebuild and pressure after a reset.

- Big mana and permanent-heavy midrange: Attack mana or payoff permanents before committing slow closers. Strip Mine, Aven Mindcensor, Archon of Emeria, Smothering Tithe, Trouble in Pairs, Battle Angels of Tyr, Karn, the Great Creator, Soul Partition, and Unexplained Absence are priority tools. Generous Gift, Council's Judgment, Austere Command, Farewell, and Stony Silence are role cards when public permanents are the engine.

- Enchantment-heavy boards: Keep Cathar Commando, Loran of the Third Path, Witch Enchanter, March of Otherworldly Light, Unexplained Absence, and Soul Partition in mind before moving into sweepers. Austere Command and Farewell are strongest when several enchantments matter at once; Generous Gift and Council's Judgment are better when one commander, shrine-style engine, or protection piece is the actual problem.

- Single protected commander or finisher: Preserve premium answers until the relevant permanent appears or until the legal action window would be lost. Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Solitude, Soul Partition, Unexplained Absence, March of Otherworldly Light, Bovine Intervention, Generous Gift, and Council's Judgment should line up with the permanent type and protection profile. Do not spend protection from Mother of Runes or Alseid of Life's Bounty on low-impact pressure if the opponent's commander will demand removal next turn.

## Risk Summary

- Mana risk: The deck has explosive but fragile mana from Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Crystal Vein, Chrome Mox, Mox Diamond, Lotus Petal, Mana Vault, Gemstone Caverns, Remote Farm, and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. Avoid keeps that require sacrificing too many resources unless Giada, Font of Hope, a rule piece, or a protected payoff is already castable.

- Matchup risk: Rule effects can be low-impact against fair creature boards. Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Archon of Emeria, and Drannith Magistrate should not delay stabilization when the visible problem is attackers, commander damage, or a battlefield engine.

- Draw risk: White card advantage is conditional, so do not trade Esper Sentinel, Archivist of Oghma, Trouble in Pairs, Chivalric Alliance, Folk Hero, Wojek Investigator, Minas Tirith, War Room, or Geier Reach Sanitarium too casually. Card text check required for Wojek Investigator and Lightstall Inquisitor; use their tactical roles only when the rules engine exposes legal text or actions.

- Over-sideboarding risk: Stony Silence, Rest in Peace, Containment Priest, Farewell, and Austere Command can undercut your own artifact mana, Serra Paragon, Sevinne's Reclamation, creature board, or Walking Ballista. Add them only when the opponent's revealed axis is more important than the self-damage.

- Graveyard risk: Rest in Peace and Farewell can erase your recursion plan, while relying on Serra Paragon or Sevinne's Reclamation into opposing graveyard hate can waste tempo. Prefer battlefield pressure when graveyards are contested or locked.

- Sweeper/removal risk: Giada, Font of Hope encourages committing multiple Angels, but sweepers punish overextension. Hold Teferi's Protection, Flawless Maneuver, Alseid of Life's Bounty, Mother of Runes, or a recursion follow-up when the opponent signals mass removal.

- Closer risk: Angel of Destiny, Luminarch Ascension, Walking Ballista, Archangel of Thune, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Lyra Dawnbringer, Battle Angels of Tyr, and large Giada, Font of Hope boards close differently. Do not chase a slow closer when combat math, commander tax, or a single removal spell makes the line fragile.

- Interaction risk: Spending Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Solitude, March of Otherworldly Light, Soul Partition, Reprieve, Silence, or Ranger-Captain of Eos too early can leave no answer for the decisive turn. Use visible priority, stack contents, and known public resources to separate nuisance plays from lethal or engine plays.

- Sequencing risk: Cast Giada, Font of Hope before Angels when safe, but cast hate first when the opponent can win before Giada matters. Sequence Cavern of Souls, Pearl Medallion, Starnheim Aspirant, Flowering of the White Tree, and mana rocks around rule effects so your own one-spell turns still advance the board.

## Test Feedback Checklist

- Deciding factor: Identify whether the game was won or lost by early Giada, Font of Hope pressure, rule effects, lifegain scaling, card velocity, protected combat, or one decisive interaction window. Record the turn where the outcome became hard to reverse.

- Mulligans: Check whether the opener had castable mana, a reason to keep explosive mana, and a realistic first permanent. Flag hands that kept Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Crystal Vein, Chrome Mox, Mox Diamond, Lotus Petal, Mana Vault, or Gemstone Caverns without enough follow-up material.

- Mana: Record whether white sources, fast mana, commander tax, and one-spell rule effects aligned. Note games where Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Pearl Medallion, Starnheim Aspirant, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Remote Farm, or Cavern of Souls changed sequencing.

- Velocity: Ask whether Esper Sentinel, Archivist of Oghma, Trouble in Pairs, Chivalric Alliance, Folk Hero, Minas Tirith, War Room, Geier Reach Sanitarium, or Wojek Investigator produced enough cards to keep pace. Card text check required for Wojek Investigator before assigning blame or credit.

- Engine timing: Review whether Giada, Font of Hope entered before Angels when safe, or whether Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Archon of Emeria, Drannith Magistrate, Grafdigger's Cage, Blind Obedience, Linvala, Keeper of Silence, or Aven Mindcensor should have come first.

- Removal discipline: Check whether Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Solitude, March of Otherworldly Light, Winds of Abandon, Soul Partition, Reprieve, Silence, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Bovine Intervention, Witch Enchanter, Loran of the Third Path, Cathar Commando, or Unexplained Absence answered the decisive threat instead of a nuisance.

- Combat: Ask whether flying attacks advanced the clock without exposing needed blockers. Review Angel of Invention, Lyra Dawnbringer, Archangel of Thune, Righteous Valkyrie, Angel of Vitality, Archangel of Tithes, Battle Angels of Tyr, Serra Ascendant, Segovian Angel, Youthful Valkyrie, and Thraben Watcher for attack/block impact.

- Closing: Record whether Angel of Destiny, Luminarch Ascension, Walking Ballista, Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Archangel of Thune, Flowering of the White Tree, Herald of War, or a wide Giada, Font of Hope board actually closed before opponents recovered.

- Protection: Review whether Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, Flowering of the White Tree, Voice of Victory, Teferi's Protection, Flawless Maneuver, or Angel's Grace protected a decisive board or was held too long.

- Sideboard: Check whether Rest in Peace, Stony Silence, Containment Priest, Austere Command, Farewell, Generous Gift, Teferi's Protection, Angel's Grace, Flawless Maneuver, or Council's Judgment addressed the opponent's revealed axis without damaging Serra Paragon, Sevinne's Reclamation, artifact mana, or creature pressure more than it helped.

- Stranded cards: List every card that stayed uncast or unused because of mana, timing, rule effects, missing targets, or low impact. Pay special attention to Karn, the Great Creator, Search for Glory, Enlightened Tutor, Beza, the Bounding Spring, Dazzling Angel, Exemplar of Light, Lightstall Inquisitor, and Angel of Jubilation; Card text check required where runtime text was unavailable.

- Mistakes: Mark any pass into a known lethal turn, missed land drop, missed commander recast, unnecessary commander tax exposure, premature tutor, low-impact graveyard hate, or removal spent before a more dangerous public permanent appeared.

- Overperformers and underperformers: Separate cards that were powerful because of this matchup from cards that were generally strong. Record whether the pilot's role choice made a card look better or worse.

## First Tuning Questions

- Mana density: Does the deck need more stable white mana, or are losses mostly from hands that misuse fast mana? Compare games involving Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Crystal Vein, Remote Farm, Gemstone Caverns, Chrome Mox, Mox Diamond, Lotus Petal, Mana Vault, Mox Amber, Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Pearl Medallion, and Starnheim Aspirant.

- Early setup: Is the deck too dependent on resolving Giada, Font of Hope early, or can Serra Ascendant, Esper Sentinel, Mother of Runes, Archivist of Oghma, Deafening Silence, Drannith Magistrate, Grafdigger's Cage, and Blind Obedience create enough pressure or disruption without the commander?

- Rule package: Are Deafening Silence, Rule of Law, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Archon of Emeria, Drannith Magistrate, Aven Mindcensor, Grafdigger's Cage, and Linvala, Keeper of Silence winning time, or are they conflicting with the deck's need to build a lethal Angel board?

- Angel threat mix: Are Angel of Destiny, Angel of Invention, Angel of Jubilation, Angel of Vitality, Archangel of Thune, Archangel of Tithes, Battle Angels of Tyr, Beza, the Bounding Spring, Dazzling Angel, Exemplar of Light, Herald of War, Lyra Dawnbringer, Righteous Valkyrie, Thraben Watcher, and Youthful Valkyrie the right spread of payoff, stabilization, and closing power?

- Card velocity: Are Trouble in Pairs, Chivalric Alliance, Folk Hero, Esper Sentinel, Archivist of Oghma, Wojek Investigator, Minas Tirith, War Room, and Geier Reach Sanitarium enough, or do losses show the deck emptying its hand before closing?

- Interaction balance: Does the main deck have enough universal answers before sideboarding, or are Generous Gift, Council's Judgment, Austere Command, and Farewell needed too often? Track whether Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Solitude, March of Otherworldly Light, Winds of Abandon, Soul Partition, Bovine Intervention, Witch Enchanter, Loran of the Third Path, Cathar Commando, and Unexplained Absence cover the real threats.

- Protection slots: Are Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, Voice of Victory, Silence, Ranger-Captain of Eos, Reprieve, Flowering of the White Tree, Teferi's Protection, Flawless Maneuver, and Angel's Grace preventing decisive losses, or are they stranded when the deck is behind on board?

- Graveyard plan: Does Rest in Peace solve more problems than it creates with Serra Paragon and Sevinne's Reclamation? Decide from games where graveyard hate was drawn early, drawn late, or unavailable.

- Artifact conflict: Is Stony Silence worth sideboard space when it can shut down Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Mana Vault, Mox Amber, Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, Walking Ballista, and Urza's Saga lines? Use only games against artifact engines to answer.

- Closer quality: Are Angel of Destiny, Luminarch Ascension, Walking Ballista with Heliod, Sun-Crowned, Archangel of Thune lifegain scaling, Battle Angels of Tyr, and tall Giada, Font of Hope combat enough to end games, or does the deck stabilize without finishing?

- Role conflicts: Is the deck trying to be hatebears, Angel tribal midrange, lifegain combo-pressure, or prison-control in too many games at once? Tune only after identifying which role actually wins the most post-board games.

## Veles Tactical Policy

### Policy: Opening Keep Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: mulligan; pregame; mana
- Cards: Giada, Font of Hope; Plains; Ancient Tomb; City of Traitors; Crystal Vein; Gemstone Caverns; Sol Ring; Arcane Signet; Mox Diamond; Chrome Mox; Lotus Petal; Mana Vault
- Phase windows: opening hand, pregame, mulligan decisions
- Runtime cues: prompt:mulligan; action:keep; action:mulligan
- Use when: the opening hand decision is pending with visible lands, fast mana, commander access, and early action count known.
- Avoid when: the hand has no reliable white source and no legal path to cast an early setup card.
- Instructions: Keep hands that cast Giada, Font of Hope or a disruptive one- or two-mana permanent quickly while retaining follow-up pressure. Mulligan hands that only make colorless mana, hands that spend all resources without a second spell, or hands that cannot affect the table before faster decks develop.
- Pilot skill floor: intermediate
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: First Giada Setup
- Priority: High
- Decision families: mana; priority
- Cards: Giada, Font of Hope; Cavern of Souls; Mother of Runes; Alseid of Life's Bounty; Voice of Victory
- Phase windows: main phase, early turns, commander recast windows
- Runtime cues: action:cast Giada, Font of Hope
- Use when: Giada, Font of Hope is legally castable and the visible board does not show a higher-priority survival action.
- Avoid when: casting Giada, Font of Hope walks into a visible tax, silence, combat loss, or removes mana needed for known interaction this turn.
- Instructions: Treat Giada, Font of Hope as the default early engine because later Angels scale with her counters and mana. Prefer protection first only when Mother of Runes, Alseid of Life's Bounty, or Voice of Victory is already legal and the table shows immediate targeted removal pressure.
- Pilot skill floor: intermediate
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Fast Mana Deployment
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: mana; priority
- Cards: Sol Ring; Mana Vault; Arcane Signet; Pearl Medallion; Mox Amber; Mox Diamond; Chrome Mox; Lotus Petal; Ancient Tomb; City of Traitors; Crystal Vein; Remote Farm
- Phase windows: precombat main phase, early turns, commander recast turns
- Runtime cues: action:cast Sol Ring; action:cast Arcane Signet; action:play Ancient Tomb
- Use when: a legal mana action increases available mana this turn or enables Giada, Font of Hope, a rule piece, or a protected Angel next turn.
- Avoid when: the action consumes the only white card, sacrifices the only stable land, or exposes City of Traitors before its mana is needed.
- Instructions: Convert burst mana into board position, not empty acceleration. Preserve Lotus Petal, Crystal Vein, and City of Traitors when they are the only bridge to interaction or a protected commander recast.
- Pilot skill floor: intermediate
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Prison Commitment Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: priority; interaction
- Cards: Deafening Silence; Rule of Law; Eidolon of Rhetoric; Archon of Emeria; Drannith Magistrate; Grafdigger's Cage; Blind Obedience; Linvala, Keeper of Silence; Aven Mindcensor
- Phase windows: main phase before opponents' explosive turns, priority with stack empty
- Runtime cues: action:cast Deafening Silence; action:cast Rule of Law; action:cast Drannith Magistrate
- Use when: a legal rule permanent constrains an opponent's visible or archetype-implied development more than it constrains this deck's one-threat-per-turn plan.
- Avoid when: the rule permanent prevents the pilot's necessary catch-up line, shuts off current recursion, or delays lethal pressure while behind on board.
- Instructions: Commit prison pieces before large Angels when stopping multiple spells, graveyard casting, activated abilities, or search effects is the reason the current hand wins. Do not treat all hate as interchangeable; match the permanent to the opponent's public axis.
- Pilot skill floor: advanced
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Angel Curve After Giada
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: mana; priority; combat
- Cards: Youthful Valkyrie; Segovian Angel; Angel of Vitality; Righteous Valkyrie; Lyra Dawnbringer; Archangel of Thune; Battle Angels of Tyr; Angel of Invention; Archangel of Tithes; Herald of War; Thraben Watcher
- Phase windows: main phase, post-Giada development, precombat planning
- Runtime cues: action:cast Youthful Valkyrie; action:cast Righteous Valkyrie; action:cast Lyra Dawnbringer
- Use when: an Angel spell is legal and board development is more important than holding mana for interaction.
- Avoid when: a visible sweeper, lethal attack, or must-answer permanent requires protection or removal first.
- Instructions: Sequence Angels to maximize Giada, Font of Hope counters and immediate stabilization. Prefer lifelink, anthem, or tax bodies when under pressure; prefer scaling threats when opponents are constrained by rule pieces.
- Pilot skill floor: intermediate
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Lifegain Payoff Commitment
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: priority; combat; selection
- Cards: Heliod, Sun-Crowned; Archangel of Thune; Righteous Valkyrie; Angel of Vitality; Angel of Destiny; Serra Ascendant; Lyra Dawnbringer; Walking Ballista
- Phase windows: main phase, combat, end step, lethal setup turns
- Runtime cues: action:cast Heliod, Sun-Crowned; action:cast Walking Ballista; action:attack with Angel of Destiny
- Use when: visible life totals, lifelink attackers, counters, and mana make a lifegain payoff materially advance a kill or stabilize a short clock.
- Avoid when: the payoff does not affect the board before opponents can untap with known pressure.
- Instructions: Use lifegain as a clock and counter engine, not just a buffer. Check whether Heliod, Sun-Crowned plus Walking Ballista is actually legal and sufficient from visible counters and mana before treating it as a finish.
- Pilot skill floor: advanced
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Deterministic Ballista Damage
- Priority: High
- Decision families: interaction; combat
- Cards: Walking Ballista
- Phase windows: priority with Walking Ballista ability legal, combat damage prevention windows, end-step lethal windows
- Runtime cues: action:target opponent Walking Ballista
- Use when: a legal Walking Ballista action explicitly targets an opponent and visible damage from the action is enough to reduce that opponent's life to 0 or less.
- Avoid when: visible prevention, protection, redirection, tax, or insufficient counters makes the action nonlethal.
- Instructions: Choose the opponent-targeting Walking Ballista damage action only when the legal action text and visible life total establish lethal damage.
- Pilot skill floor: beginner
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Removal Triage Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: interaction; priority
- Cards: Swords to Plowshares; Path to Exile; Solitude; March of Otherworldly Light; Winds of Abandon; Soul Partition; Bovine Intervention; Unexplained Absence; Witch Enchanter; Loran of the Third Path; Cathar Commando
- Phase windows: opponent combo turn, combat, end step, own main phase for sorcery-speed options
- Runtime cues: action:cast Swords to Plowshares; action:cast Path to Exile; action:cast Solitude
- Use when: a public permanent, attacker, stack object, or activated engine threatens lethal, invalidates the Angel board, or breaks the rule-lock plan.
- Avoid when: the target is a low-impact nuisance and a more dangerous visible card is likely to require the answer before the next untap.
- Instructions: Spend premium exile on commanders, combo creatures, and attackers that change the race. Use temporary exile or bounce-style answers when tempo is enough or when permanent removal must be saved.
- Pilot skill floor: advanced
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Permission And Silence Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: interaction; priority
- Cards: Silence; Reprieve; Ranger-Captain of Eos; Voice of Victory
- Phase windows: upkeep, precombat main phase, opponent combo setup, stack interaction windows
- Runtime cues: action:cast Silence; action:cast Reprieve; action:activate Ranger-Captain of Eos
- Use when: a legal permission or silence action stops a decisive opposing turn, protects a lethal attack, or forces through a critical permanent.
- Avoid when: the opponent has already spent the relevant spell for the turn under a rule effect or the action only delays an insignificant spell.
- Instructions: Use Silence effects proactively when the deck is about to commit a fragile board or lethal combat. Use Reprieve on the spell that matters now, not merely the first legal spell.
- Pilot skill floor: advanced
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Protection Commitment Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: interaction; combat; priority
- Cards: Mother of Runes; Alseid of Life's Bounty; Flowering of the White Tree; Teferi's Protection; Flawless Maneuver; Angel's Grace
- Phase windows: targeted removal, sweeper turns, combat, lethal stack windows
- Runtime cues: action:activate Mother of Runes; action:cast Teferi's Protection; action:cast Flawless Maneuver; action:cast Angel's Grace
- Use when: a legal protection action preserves lethal pressure, prevents losing this turn, or saves Giada, Font of Hope plus multiple invested Angels.
- Avoid when: protection only saves a replaceable creature and leaves the pilot unable to answer the actual threat.
- Instructions: Protect board states that are winning or necessary to survive. Do not spend broad protection before checking whether a narrow Mother of Runes or Alseid of Life's Bounty action covers the visible problem.
- Pilot skill floor: advanced
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Combat Attack Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: combat
- Cards: Angel of Destiny; Battle Angels of Tyr; Serra Ascendant; Lyra Dawnbringer; Archangel of Thune; Archangel of Tithes; Angel of Invention; Thraben Watcher; Segovian Angel
- Phase windows: declare attackers, precombat main phase planning
- Runtime cues: prompt:declare attackers; action:attack with
- Use when: attackers are legal and visible blockers, crack-back damage, lifegain triggers, and commander damage race can be evaluated.
- Avoid when: attacking removes the only blocker against visible lethal or exposes a key Angel to a public combat trick.
- Instructions: Attack to shorten the game when flying bodies are favored and lifelink stabilizes the race. Hold back when Archangel of Tithes taxes attacks better than extra damage.
- Pilot skill floor: intermediate
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Combat Block Gate
- Priority: High
- Decision families: combat; interaction
- Cards: Mother of Runes; Alseid of Life's Bounty; Angel of Invention; Lyra Dawnbringer; Righteous Valkyrie; Archangel of Thune; Beza, the Bounding Spring
- Phase windows: declare blockers, before combat damage, lethal combat
- Runtime cues: prompt:declare blockers; action:block with
- Use when: legal blocks can prevent lethal, preserve a key engine, or trade expendable material for a threatening attacker.
- Avoid when: blocking sacrifices Giada, Font of Hope or the only payoff without preventing a decisive amount of damage.
- Instructions: Prioritize survival first, then preserve Giada and scaling Angels, then trade small creatures for tempo. Recheck protection abilities before accepting unfavorable combat.
- Pilot skill floor: intermediate
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Tutor And Selection Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: selection; priority
- Cards: Enlightened Tutor; Search for Glory; Ranger-Captain of Eos; Urza's Saga; Karn, the Great Creator
- Phase windows: upkeep, main phase, end step before untap, search resolution prompts
- Runtime cues: action:cast Enlightened Tutor; action:cast Search for Glory; prompt:search
- Use when: a legal selection action can find a missing engine, lock piece, protection piece, mana piece, or closer from visible needs.
- Avoid when: the tutor target is speculative and current board survival requires spending mana elsewhere.
- Instructions: Let the visible problem choose the search role: rule piece against spell chains, protection before committing Angels, mana when stuck, payoff when the lock is active. Card text check required for any runtime target not shown by Forge.
- Pilot skill floor: advanced
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Draw Engine Timing
- Priority: Low
- Decision families: priority; selection
- Cards: Esper Sentinel; Archivist of Oghma; Trouble in Pairs; Chivalric Alliance; Folk Hero; Minas Tirith; War Room; Geier Reach Sanitarium; Wojek Investigator
- Phase windows: main phase, end step, low-pressure priority windows
- Runtime cues: action:activate War Room; action:activate Geier Reach Sanitarium; action:cast Trouble in Pairs
- Use when: legal card-advantage actions do not compromise survival, commander development, or needed interaction.
- Avoid when: drawing or looting spends mana required for a known tax, protection action, or removal spell.
- Instructions: Develop passive draw before expensive Angels when the hand lacks follow-up. Use War Room and Minas Tirith in windows where mana would otherwise go unused. Card text check required for Wojek Investigator.
- Pilot skill floor: intermediate
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Recursion Commitment Gate
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: selection; priority
- Cards: Serra Paragon; Sevinne's Reclamation; Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire; Witch Enchanter
- Phase windows: main phase, graveyard selection prompts, recovery after removal
- Runtime cues: action:cast Sevinne's Reclamation; action:cast Serra Paragon
- Use when: a legal recursion action returns a land, protection piece, rule piece, or threat that directly addresses the visible game state.
- Avoid when: Rest in Peace is active, graveyard access is blocked, or the recursion target is lower impact than casting from hand.
- Instructions: Rebuild from the graveyard only when the returned card matters this turn or next turn. Preserve Sevinne's Reclamation for multi-permanent recovery when a single land is not urgent.
- Pilot skill floor: intermediate
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Deterministic Commander Cast
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: mana; priority
- Cards: Giada, Font of Hope
- Phase windows: main phase with stack empty
- Runtime cues: action:cast Giada, Font of Hope
- Use when: Giada, Font of Hope is the only legal nonland cast action and the pilot is not facing visible lethal before the next priority window.
- Avoid when: any legal removal, protection, block, or life-saving action is also present in the legal action list.
- Instructions: Submit the legal cast action for Giada, Font of Hope when it is the sole spell development action and no visible survival action competes.
- Pilot skill floor: beginner
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Sideboard Role Selection
- Priority: High
- Decision families: sideboard
- Cards: Rest in Peace; Stony Silence; Containment Priest; Austere Command; Farewell; Generous Gift; Teferi's Protection; Angel's Grace; Flawless Maneuver; Council's Judgment
- Phase windows: sideboard lock, between games
- Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard; action:submit sideboard
- Use when: sideboarding is legal and opponent strategy, public game log, or matchup label identifies graveyard, artifact, creature-combo, sweeper, protected-permanent, or one-turn survival needs.
- Avoid when: a sideboard role card attacks the opponent weakly while disabling this deck's stronger active plan.
- Instructions: Bring in only role cards that answer the opponent's proven axis. Respect conflicts: Rest in Peace weakens Serra Paragon and Sevinne's Reclamation, Stony Silence weakens artifact mana plus Walking Ballista, and Farewell can erase your own recovery if chosen too early.
- Pilot skill floor: advanced
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Exact Sideboard Lock Submission
- Priority: High
- Decision families: sideboard
- Cards: Rest in Peace; Stony Silence; Containment Priest; Austere Command; Farewell; Generous Gift; Teferi's Protection; Angel's Grace; Flawless Maneuver; Council's Judgment
- Phase windows: sideboard submission after a plan is selected
- Runtime cues: action:submit sideboard
- Use when: the selected sideboard plan exactly matches the legal registered sideboard inventory and every removed card is an exact registered main-deck card.
- Avoid when: any card name, count, or zone differs from the registered inventory.
- Instructions: Submit the validated sideboard action without inventing alternate swaps. If validation fails, request light-model review rather than altering names or counts.
- Pilot skill floor: beginner
- No-API allowed: yes
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Narrow Hate Commitment Check
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: sideboard
- Cards: Rest in Peace; Stony Silence; Containment Priest; Angel's Grace
- Phase windows: sideboard lock, between games
- Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard; opponent_axis:graveyard; opponent_axis:artifact; opponent_axis:cheat_creature; opponent_axis:lethal_turn
- Use when: the public game record proves that one narrow hate card materially changes the opponent's primary path to winning.
- Avoid when: the hate card is only generally useful, conflicts with Serra Paragon, Sevinne's Reclamation, Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Mana Vault, Mox Amber, Mox Diamond, Chrome Mox, Lotus Petal, Urza's Saga, or Walking Ballista, or leaves Giada, Font of Hope without enough pressure.
- Instructions: Prefer the least self-damaging hate that answers the proven axis, and keep enough Angels and protection creatures for Giada, Font of Hope to end the game after the opponent is slowed.
- Pilot skill floor: advanced
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes

### Policy: Protection And Reset Balance
- Priority: Medium
- Decision families: sideboard
- Cards: Austere Command; Farewell; Teferi's Protection; Flawless Maneuver; Generous Gift; Council's Judgment
- Phase windows: sideboard lock, between games
- Runtime cues: prompt:sideboard; opponent_axis:sweeper; opponent_axis:go-wide; opponent_axis:permanent_engine; opponent_axis:protected_commander
- Use when: public boards or game logs show that one-for-one interaction is not enough, or that the opponent's key permanent must be answered through protection, hexproof-like constraints, or sweeper pressure.
- Avoid when: the matchup is a pure race where adding expensive reactive cards makes Giada, Font of Hope slower without improving survival.
- Instructions: Choose reset effects for wide or multi-permanent boards, protection for sweeper-heavy games, and flexible exile or removal for single protected engines. Do not overload on reactive cards in fair matchups unless the opponent's battlefield plan has already beaten the main deck's Angel pressure.
- Pilot skill floor: intermediate
- No-API allowed: no
- Light-model allowed: yes
