This article is going to be the first part of a short series where I go over some budget-friendly card options in each color for Oathbreaker. To be clear, I’m going to be talking about singles to put in the main-deck, and not any particular decklists or Oathbreakers. This first part will be focusing on mono-white cards, but I will make posts later on for the other colors, as well as multicolored cards, colorless cards, and lands. As far as my definition of “budget-friendly”, I will be talking about cards that can be bought for $5 or less (as of the writing of this article of course).
Mother of Runes and Giver of Runes are two one-drops that offer a lot utility. Similar to their roles in other formats, they can be used to protect creature-based combo pieces, or just protect your biggest threat from spot removal. Their abilities can also help your creatures get around blockers, making it easier to pressure opposing Oathbreakers or to go in for a kill. Brave the Elements is a bit more limited since it only affects white creatures, but it has the advantage of being a one-mana instant that your opponents won’t see coming.
Rootborn Defenses is the perfect card to defend your creatures from board wipes, damage-based or not. Although it’s more commonly used as protection against board wipes, Rootborn Defenses is also a decent combat trick. On top of making your creatures indestructible, it can also create an extra blocker for you if you have any creature-tokens to populate. Even if your deck isn’t built around creature-tokens, the populate half of this card pairs nicely with any Oathbreaker that makes creature-tokens, such as Gideon, Ally of Zendikar or Sorin, Grim Nemesis.
Brought Back doesn’t exactly protect your board-state from board wipes, but it does make them a bit less devastating. This card can also be useful after an unprofitable combat step, or after your board gets hit by multiple targeted-removal spells. What I like most about Brought Back is its ability to get back any kind of permanent, meaning it could even be used to get back your Oathbreaker if needed, if you choose to let your Oathbreaker go to the graveyard instead of the command zone.
Loyal Unicorn protects your creatures in a way that lets you be more offensive without leaving yourself open to attacks. Preventing combat damage to your creatures isn’t quite as good as making them indestructible, but the effect still makes it impossible for your opponents to block in a way that isn’t favorable to you. All of this text is also just stapled onto a 3/4 with vigilance for four mana, which is already a decent rate for a creature.
It may be no Ghostly Prison, but Blind Obedience is an enchantment that’s still very effective at slowing down your opponents. In addition to slowing down any hasty threats (I’m looking at you, Questing Beast), Blind Obedience also slows down any artifact-based ramp your opponents may be using. The extort on this card can be deceivingly powerful as well, especially in a multiplayer format like Oathbreaker. Incidental lifegain in general is much better in this format than in EDH because life totals are so much smaller, and Blind Obedience can skyrocket your life total pretty quickly.
Thalia, Heretic Cathar is similar to Blind Obedience, in that she forces your opponents’ creature to enter the battlefield tapped. She also slows down your opponents’ nonbasic lands, an effect that is particularly devastating against Fetchlands and 3-color decks. Baird, Steward of Argive is defensive in a different way, acting as a mini Ghostly Prison that protects your planewalkers in addition to your life total. Having vigilance also means Baird can be offensive and defensive at the same time.
Intangible Virtue and Always Watching are two efficiently costed anthem effects, for tokens and nontoken-creatures respectively. Even more importantly, these enchantments grant vigilance to all of your creatures. Angelic Field Marshal also grants vigilance to your entire team, though it only buffs itself. It’s also a decent threat on its own since it has flying, and as long as it’s a 5/5, it’s actually a more cost-efficient threat than Serra Angel. I think vigilance may be a bit of an underrated mechanic in Oathbreaker. I really think one of the most powerful things you can do in this format is to be able to play offense and defense simultaneously. With a starting life total of 20, it is a bit easier to take out a player in Oathbreaker than it usually is in EDH; however, that also means it’s easier for you to be taken out, and attacking an opponent can leave you open to your other opponents.
Board wipes are just as effective a tool in Oathbreaker as they are in EDH, and lower CMC board wipes are even better given the format is a bit faster. Day of Judgment isn’t flashy, but it is cost-effective at only four mana. Fumigate costs one more mana, but has the additional upside of a little incidental lifegain. Hour of Revelation’s cost reduction requirement is very easy to meet in a multiplayer format like Oathbreaker, and the ability to destroy opposing planeswalkers is particularly relevant.
Swords to Plowshares is a go-to choice for white spot removal in pretty much every format it’s legal in, Oathbreaker included. Declaration in Stone has the downside of being a sorcery and sometimes giving your opponents some Clue tokens, but the ability to exile multiple creatures for just two mana makes up for it, in my humble opinion. Facing down a bunch of 2/2 wolves from Garruk, Cursed Hunstman? Or 3/3 elks from Oko, Thief of Crowns? Declaration in Stone is the next best option, after a board wipe, for those kinds of scenarios.
Generous Gift is an odd yet flexible removal spell. Giving an opponent a free 3/3 doesn’t feel great, but this downside can be mitigated in a few ways, such as playing a prison-style deck that’s already trying to lock down the board, or simply running creatures that are bigger than a 3/3 elephant. In a tight spot, you can even target one of your own permanents to give yourself an extra creature. Both Generous Gift and Faith’s Fetters can be used to keep opposing Oathbreakers in check. Faith’s Fetters is particularly effective in this way since it neutralizes the planewalker’s abilities, but keeps it in play, thereby preventing its owner from replaying it from the command zone. The little bit of added lifegain doesn’t hurt either.
I hope you found this article to be helpful! If there are any good budget white cards you think I missed, make sure to tell me in the comments or on Twitter. As always, feedback/criticism is welcome.
About the author: My name is Alex Enders. I am a college student that’s been playing MTG for almost eight years, though I only recently began experimenting with writing content. My personal formats of choice are Oathbreaker, EDH, and draft. My other interests include music, education, and most things nerdy. You can find me on Twitter (@AAAEnders) or email me at aenders2112@gmail.com