Calling All Angels upgrade guide, the Foundations Commander Giada precon
Calling All Angels is the white Foundations Commander deck. $29.99, out since October 2 beside Reality Fracture. Giada, Font of Hope leads it, and nearly every creature in the box is an Angel.
We ran the stock list through our bracket analyzer. Bracket 2, estimated win around turn 9.1. Zero Game Changers, zero tutors, one fast mana source (Sol Ring), zero combo lines. That is a real Bracket 2 deck, and a good place to learn the format.
Giada is not new. She came out in Streets of New Capenna, and EDHREC has 37,383 Giada decks. Every swap below comes from what those decks actually play and what they cut, and every tier was run through the same analyzer.
How the deck works
Play Angels. Make each one bigger than the last. Fly over everyone.
Giada is a 2/2 flier with vigilance for two mana. Her main line is this. Each other Angel you play enters with an extra +1/+1 counter for every Angel you already control. Giada counts herself. So your next Angel gets one counter, the one after that gets two, then three. With three Angels already out, a 3/3 Angel enters as a 6/6.
Her second ability taps for one white mana that can only be spent on an Angel spell. On turn two she is a mana rock that ramps your three-mana Angel out on turn three. Most of the deck is Angels, so that mana almost never goes to waste.
The rest of the deck backs that up. Lyra Dawnbringer and Righteous Valkyrie pump the team. Angel of Vitality, Exemplar of Light and Archangel of Tithes reward you for gaining life. Austere Command, Cleansing Nova and Day of Judgment reset the board when you fall behind. Your Angels fly, so most tables have a hard time blocking them.
The weak spot is speed. The stock list has a lot of four- and five-mana Angels that do one small thing, and a handful of removal spells that only hit big creatures. Most of the upgrades below are about better Angels and cleaner removal.
The stock decklist
Commander (1)
- Giada, Font of Hope
Creatures (33)
- Angel of Finality
- Angel of Vitality
- Angel of the Ruins
- Angelic Field Marshal
- Angelic Sleuth
- Archangel of Tithes
- Bishop of Wings
- Dazzling Angel
- Emeria Shepherd
- Exemplar of Light
- Firemane Commando
- Herald of Eternal Dawn
- Herald of War
- Inspiring Overseer
- Linvala, the Preserver
- Lyra Dawnbringer
- Merchant of Truth
- Metallic Mimic
- Metropolis Reformer
- Norn's Choirmaster
- Reya Dawnbringer
- Righteous Valkyrie
- Segovian Angel
- Sephara, Sky's Blade
- Seraph of the Sword
- Serra Avenger
- Speaker of the Heavens
- Starnheim Aspirant
- Sunblast Angel
- Thraben Watcher
- Vanguard Seraph
- Wojek Investigator
- Youthful Valkyrie
Instants (5)
- Destroy Evil
- Fateful Absence
- Invoke the Divine
- Swords to Plowshares
- Valorous Stance
Sorceries (7)
- Austere Command
- Cleansing Nova
- Cut a Deal
- Day of Judgment
- Defy Death
- Exorcise
- Secret Rendezvous
Enchantments (5)
- Always Watching
- Angelic Destiny
- Court of Grace
- Grasp of Fate
- Search the Premises
Artifacts (11)
- Arcane Signet
- Commander's Sphere
- Endless Atlas
- Heraldic Banner
- Marble Diamond
- Mind Stone
- Patchwork Banner
- Sol Ring
- Swiftfoot Boots
- Tome of Legends
- Vanquisher's Banner
Lands (38)
- Bonders' Enclave
- 32 Plains
- Radiant Fountain
- Secluded Steppe
- Seraph Sanctuary
- Temple of the False God
- War Room
Open the stock list in the analyzer.
What to cut first
EDHREC shows which stock cards Giada players are already taking out. These are the lowest inclusion rates in the deck.
| Card | In Giada decks |
|---|---|
| Angelic Destiny | 5.6% |
| Fateful Absence | 6.4% |
| Valorous Stance | 7.0% |
| Grasp of Fate | 7.1% |
| Destroy Evil | 8.0% |
| Always Watching | 8.6% |
| Defy Death | 9.9% |
| Commander's Sphere | 10.7% |
Seven more stock cards don't show up in EDHREC's Giada lists at all. Linvala, the Preserver, Merchant of Truth, Seraph of the Sword, Vanguard Seraph, Search the Premises, Exorcise and Metallic Mimic. We cut six of them. Metallic Mimic stays. Name Angel and it stacks extra counters on top of Giada's, which is exactly what this deck wants.
Fateful Absence and Destroy Evil also stay. Giada players mostly run Path to Exile and Generous Gift instead, but a new player still needs a few answers. Angelic Destiny is the clearest cut. It turns a creature into an Angel, but the deck is already all Angels.
Tier 1. About $10, the day-one swaps
Seven swaps for $9.69. Every add is under $4.
| Cut | Add | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Exorcise | Path to Exile | One mana, instant speed, hits any creature. In 75% of Giada decks. |
| Grasp of Fate | Generous Gift | Three mana, destroys any permanent. They get a 3/3 Elephant, you get rid of their best card for good. In 45% of decks. |
| Seraph of the Sword | Lyra, Archangel of Dawn | Three-mana Angel. Every time you gain life, every Angel gets a counter. In 48% of decks. |
| Always Watching | Angelic Accord | Gain 4 life in a turn and get a free 4/4 flying Angel. This deck gains 4 life easily. |
| Vanguard Seraph | Serra's Emissary | Name creature. Your team and you get protection from creatures, so nothing blocks you and nothing hits you. Fifty cents. |
| Merchant of Truth | Baneslayer Angel | A 5/5 flier with lifelink and first strike for five. Feeds Lyra and Angelic Accord. |
| Secluded Steppe | Myriad Landscape | Fetches two Plains. Ramp that doesn't cost a card slot. |
The analyzer still says Bracket 2, now around turn 9.0. The speed barely moves. The deck just stops getting stuck with removal that can't hit the threat in front of it.
Open the tier 1 list in the analyzer.
Tier 2. About $25 more, the Giada package
Six more swaps. These are the Angel cards Giada decks run most that the box left out.
| Cut | Add | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Commander's Sphere | Pearl Medallion | Every white spell costs one less. In 77% of Giada decks, the most-played card the precon is missing. |
| Tome of Legends | Herald's Horn | Name Angel. Angels cost one less, and some upkeeps it puts a free Angel in your hand. |
| Angelic Destiny | Valkyrie Harbinger | A lifelink flier that makes a 4/4 Angel token on any turn you gain 4 life. In 64% of decks. |
| Defy Death | Bruna, the Fading Light | When you cast her, return an Angel from your graveyard to the battlefield. Two Angels for one card. |
| Search the Premises | Folk Hero | Giada draws you a card the first time you cast an Angel each turn. Card draw for 48 cents. |
| Cut a Deal | Steel Seraph | Three mana for a 3/3 flying Angel, or six for a 5/4. Hands out lifelink, flying or vigilance every combat. |
Pearl Medallion and Herald's Horn stack. With both out, a four-mana Angel costs two.
Folk Hero is a Background. You can't pair it with Giada as a second commander, but it is legal in your 99 and it still gives Giada the draw trigger.
The analyzer still says Bracket 2, around turn 8.9. You get card flow and cheaper Angels. The kill turn barely moves.
Open the tier 2 list in the analyzer.
Tier 3. About $59 more, the serious-but-casual upgrade
Four swaps for $58.81. Avacyn is $32.50 of that.
| Cut | Add | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Linvala, the Preserver | Avacyn, Angel of Hope | Everything you control is indestructible. Your own Day of Judgment and Austere Command become one-sided. In 64% of decks. |
| Secret Rendezvous | Resplendent Angel | Three mana. Gain 5 life in a turn and make a 4/4 Angel. In 70% of Giada decks. |
| Radiant Fountain | Emeria, the Sky Ruin | With seven Plains out, return a creature from your graveyard every upkeep. This deck has 32 Plains. |
| Valorous Stance | Angel of Jubilation | Four-mana Angel that gives the rest of your team +1/+1. |
Secret Rendezvous goes because it draws an opponent three cards too. Linvala only does something when you are behind, and Avacyn makes sure you don't fall behind.
Still Bracket 2, now around turn 8.3. That is almost a full turn faster than the box, with zero Game Changers and zero combos. This is the list we would bring to a casual table.
Open the tier 3 list in the analyzer.
Take it to Bracket 3
Outgrowing the precon means Game Changers. The three Giada players run most are Smothering Tithe (37.7%), Teferi's Protection (35.5%) and Farewell (34.0%).
| Cut | Add | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Heraldic Banner | Smothering Tithe | A Treasure every time an opponent draws, unless they pay 2. Ramps into Avacyn and Reya. |
| Invoke the Divine | Teferi's Protection | Your life and your board can't be touched until your next turn. Saves you from a wipe or a combo. |
| Day of Judgment | Farewell | Pick which card types to exile. Exile their artifacts and enchantments and keep your Angels. |
That is $108.88 more, almost all of it Tithe and Teferi's Protection.
The analyzer now says Bracket 3, estimated win around turn 7.0. It flags all three as Game Changers, which means pre-game disclosure at a Bracket 3 table. Three is the Bracket 3 limit. Add a fourth and the deck is Bracket 4 by the rules.
Open the Bracket 3 list in the analyzer.
The numbers
| List | Bracket | Est. win turn | Game Changers | Added cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock | 2 | 9.1 | 0 | - |
| Tier 1 | 2 | 9.0 | 0 | $9.69 |
| Tier 2 | 2 | 8.9 | 0 | +$24.90 |
| Tier 3 | 2 | 8.3 | 0 | +$58.81 |
| Bracket 3 | 3 | 7.0 | 3 | +$108.88 |
Analyzer runs and prices come from our app and Scryfall on October 13, 2026. EDHREC inclusion rates from the same day, out of 37,383 Giada decks.
The other Foundations Commander decks
- Keen Engineering, Sai
- Wretched Ranks, Ghoulcaller Gisa
- Reign of Dragons, Lathliss
- Tramplesaurus Rex, Ghalta
Upgrade yours
Your copy probably doesn't look exactly like ours by week two. Paste your list into the bracket checker and it tells you where you landed. If you link your collection, you can tell our upgrade and build tools to use cards you already own first.
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