Morning has broken,
Like the first morning…
—Eleanor Farjeon, “Morning Has Broken”
The fifth antiphon, “O Oriens,” is sung on this day of deepest darkness. In the carol “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” the adapted lyrics plead: “O Come, thou Dayspring! Come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here! Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight!” Thus, today’s pack takes its inspiration from a few of Magic’s dawn-themed cards.
There are a vast number of dawn-themed cards, and this might have just as well been a Selesnya pack, with Lathiel, the Bounteous Dawn, Congregation at Dawn, and so on. This time I went lighter on theme and stronger on mechanics, choosing just a few cards that directly reference the theme: Daybreak Chaplain, Dawn of Hope, and Resplendent Angel (with gorgeous art inspired by Reya Dawnbringer). And I built the pack to synergize around those cards: gaining life and bringing forth more angels to join their voices to the unending hymn.
Advent 21: Dawnbringer
| Creatures (7) 1 Archangel of Thune 1 Daybreak Chaplain 1 Impassioned Orator 1 Resplendent Angel 1 Soul Warden 1 Soul's Attendant 1 Speaker of the Heavens Spells (4) 1 Angelic Accord 1 Angelic Chorus 1 Angelic Edict 1 Dawn of Hope Artifacts (1) 1 Prismatic Lens | Lands (8) 1 Seraph Sanctuary 7 Plains |
Our hope for this pack is that we can resolve the Soul Sisters and Angelic Chorus early, dropping Resplendent Angel and Angelic Accord soon after, to start filling the skies with the heavenly host. Dawn of Hope can help us to keep cards in our hand, and Archangel of Thune can push our smaller creatures with lifelink to the level where they begin to trigger our angel-making permanents.
The previous angel-themed pack, Guardian Angels, synergizes well here—as does Lawgiver, which can gain us life helps us dominate the skies. Token producers, like those found in Wassail! Are not to be underestimated, either, as the tokens they produce will trigger Soul Sisters[/mtg_card. Any pack that keeps our heavenly host in the skies and growing will help us to drive away the dark of night and greet a victorious dawn!
Jacob Torbeck is a researcher and instructor of theology and ethics. He hails from Chicago, IL, and loves playing Commander and pre-modern cubes.