Arna Kennerüd's Aura & Equipment Voltron Combo

Why Play This Deck

Arna Kennerüd, Skycaptain is one of the most explosive and uniquely powerful voltron commanders in Brawl. Her attack trigger is a genuine geometric engine: whenever a modified creature attacks, she doubles every counter on it AND creates token copies of every nontoken permanent attached to it. A single Sword of Fire and Ice becomes two on the first attack, four on the second, eight on the third. She enters the battlefield with flying and lifelink already built in, making her a natural self-equip target who gains life, dodges ground blockers, and closes games fast. Her ward — discard a card — is among the most punishing protection abilities in the format, taxing opponents heavily for every removal spell they aim at her. If you want a commander that rewards tight sequencing, punishes reactive decks, and can win from nowhere in a single combat step, Arna is your pick.

Play Summary

The deck operates in three clean phases. In the early game (turns 1–3), the priority is hand disruption, mana acceleration, and deploying cheap protection creatures. Thoughtseize strips counterspells and removal before you commit resources. Mox Amber and Mox Opal provide free mana acceleration. Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, and Skrelv, Defector Mite hit the board early and stand ready to protect Arna the moment she lands. Esper Sentinel and Rhystic Study begin taxing opponents and generating card advantage immediately. In the mid-game (turns 3–5), cast Arna and suit her up as fast as possible. The haste-granting equipment — Lightning Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots — are the highest-priority attachments, letting Arna attack the same turn she enters. Stoneforge Mystic and Heliod's Pilgrim tutor the exact equipment or aura you need. Sigarda's Aid lets you attach equipment at flash speed and cast auras with flash, enabling surprise attacks. Halvar, God of Battle moves equipment for free at the start of combat, ensuring nothing is stranded on the wrong creature. Kor Spiritdancer grows massive as you cast auras and draws extra cards. Sram, Senior Edificer draws a card for every aura, equipment, or vehicle you cast — keeping your hand full throughout the engine phase. In the late game, a single attack with Arna holding two Swords and an All That Glitters can generate four Swords, double the aura's bonus, and often deal lethal damage in one swing. Anointed Procession doubles every token Arna creates on attack, turning two Sword copies into four. Cyclonic Rift and the board wipe suite (Wrath of God, Damn, Supreme Verdict) reset boards that get out of hand, while Teferi's Protection and Akroma's Will protect your permanents during the critical attack window. Kaya's Ghostform ensures Arna survives even exile-based removal by returning her to the battlefield.

Key Synergies

Opening Hand

The ideal opening hand contains 3 lands with at least two different colors represented, one piece of early disruption (Thoughtseize is premium), one protection creature (Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes, or Skrelv), and either a haste-granting equipment (Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots) or Stoneforge Mystic to find one. Hands with Stoneforge Mystic are the strongest possible openers — she finds Lightning Greaves on turn 2, enabling a turn-4 Arna that attacks immediately. Sram, Senior Edificer in the opener is also excellent, as he guarantees you draw into auras and equipment quickly. Mulligan any hand with fewer than 3 lands, no colored sources for white (Arna's primary color), or no way to protect Arna in the first two turns. Avoid keeping hands that are all equipment and no creatures — you need Arna or a secondary threat like Invisible Stalker or Kor Spiritdancer to wear the gear. A hand with Sigarda's Aid plus two auras and no way to cast them early is also a mulligan — the flash enabler is only valuable once your threat is on board.