After Nationals I realized Justin Martyr can win games by himself with backup from Polycarp, Claudia and a few others. Not only is It Am Creator amazing to pull Angel from the Sun on turn one but also lets you use Eternal Inheritance at will, but thematically it completes the Alpha and Omega cycle!
Speaking of Claudia, Paul is another must-have to thwart chump blocking and set up a sweet D5 with two CBM with Faith of Samuel, the very same who anointed both the king of the Earth (Saul) but also the king of God's Kingdom (David), or just turning off a ring that was stopping Jesus from coming back and ending the game.
Faithful Witnesses, Fifth Seal, Resurrection of Martyrs, Gamaliel's Speech, Overcome! and Polycarp comprise the Martyr suite. These six cards give you practically unlimited power in a negate war, wide tutoring and recursion, a permanent battle winner, hand and deck disruption protection, and up to four more heroes with which to get the ball rolling (with John in the reserve). No matter what tricks and slayers of the Devil come accuse use to death, the eternal Inheritance of the saints is secure!
Speaking thematically, two additional covenants and the final victory make up the Spike pack! You Will Remain is a must, as the righteous will overcome to the end! Bouncing back from a scattered or Christian Martyr is undeniable. Speaking of which, the Triumph of our Risen Lord provides another such opportunity, and if we claim our Inheritance in God's family, the Triumph of the first fruits himself can allow for incredible salvation on one turn! Speaking of that Son of God, how many times have you been staring at the last two cards of your deck wondering why God has forsaken you? Not with the Woman with Child! Not only does she have the ability to Overcome! the enemies of the Lamb, but she give birth to the salvation of a Soul the second she sets foot in battle (so long as nobody has made a Covenant with Death and Hezekiah isn't feeling fancy). But the Dragon makes war with the woman, and she flees into the Reserve where she will remain safe from the Dragon's Wrath until the end is brought forth by the Covenant of Prayer! No confusion will cloud the minds of the Saints as we pray for our Deliverance at the hands of the now and future King! He is Risen and now sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty from whence shall he come to judge the quick and the dead! Amen!
The final cards, having now reached seventeen, are options for power, soul gen, and utility. Priests of Christ give you another opening hand Justin Martyr. They also trigger the important part of Every Tribe if you choose to go with him and Melchizedek for soul gen and initiative on a lone character protected from FA. Another great soul gen and overall speed option is The Ends of the Earth. Use it on yourself when there are tons of souls out to speed up your draw! Barnabas is another solid choice for soul gen and is guaranteed to produce results. You will have Blood of the Lamb and Word of their Testimony in your reserve at the very least, but one (Blood of the Lamb) or both can also go into your deck for extra speed. If you opt for Every Tribe and Melchizedek, an AocP in the reserve can take Woman with Child's spot if she goes main deck as a finisher with Every Tribe. Consider the Lilies is a great option for engaging with Overcome! or an in-deck Blood of the Lamb for speed to really energize that first turn Justin. Coliseum can let you attack more with Justin Marty against a chump deck and with a Claudia band against Scattered.
