Life is a Resource

Commander / EDH WB (Orzhov)

unfluffable

Land (36)

• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Cabal Coffers
• 1x Castle Locthwain
• 1x Cavern of Souls
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Godless Shrine
• 1x Isolated Chapel
• 1x Kor Haven
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Opal Palace
• 8x Plains
• 1x Scrubland
• 1x Strip Mine
• 9x Swamp
• 1x Tainted Field
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Vault of the Archangel
• 1x War Room
• 1x Witch's Cottage

Instant (10)

• 1x Anguished Unmaking
• 1x Deadly Rollick
• 1x Enlightened Tutor
• 1x Fracture
• 1x Generous Gift
• 1x Mortify
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Teferi's Protection
• 1x Tithe
• 1x Vampiric Tutor

Creature (19)

• 1x Archangel of Thune
• 1x Archfiend of Despair
• 1x Archivist of Oghma
• 1x Archon of Emeria
• 1x Aven Mindcensor
• 1x Containment Priest
• 1x Deep Gnome Terramancer
• 1x Erebos, God of the Dead
• 1x Esper Sentinel
• 1x Kambal, Consul of Allocation
• 1x Kunoros, Hound of Athreos
• 1x Linvala, Keeper of Silence
• 1x Mangara, the Diplomat
• 1x Massacre Wurm
• 1x Opposition Agent
• 1x Pestilence Demon
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Suture Priest
• 1x Vilis, Broker of Blood

Enchantment (11)

• 1x Ashes of the Abhorrent
• 1x Aura of Silence
• 1x Authority of the Consuls
• 1x Blind Obedience
• 1x Bloodchief Ascension
• 1x Font of Agonies
• 1x Land Tax
• 1x Phyrexian Arena
• 1x Smothering Tithe
• 1x The Meathook Massacre
• 1x Wound Reflection

Commander (1)

Artifact (14)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Archaeomancer's Map
• 1x Bolas's Citadel
• 1x Commander's Sphere
• 1x Expedition Map
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Scroll Rack
• 1x Sensei's Divining Top
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Sword of Light and Shadow
• 1x Talisman of Hierarchy
• 1x Wayfarer's Bauble

Sorcery (9)

• 1x Damn
• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Farewell
• 1x Grim Tutor
• 1x Idyllic Tutor
• 1x Night's Whisper
• 1x Read the Bones
• 1x Toxic Deluge
• 1x Vindicate

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Maybeboard

Creature (2)

• 1x Academy Rector
• 1x Tidehollow Sculler

Land (1)

• 1x Phyrexian Tower

Artifact (1)

• 1x Whip of Erebos

Enchantment (2)

• 1x Necropotence
• 1x Painful Quandary

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Merciless Eviction

Instant (2)

• 1x Path to Exile
• 1x Utter End

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I've been away from Magic for several years, but recently had the urge to look up what's been going on and tinker with a few lists. Non-blue strategies have always interested me and Liesa immediately struck me as an appealing centerpiece for a punishing black/white shell, bypassing commander tax and being pressure on the board with an aggressive effect.

This deck uses incidental lifegain on otherwise solid cards to help keep the balance of life swung in your favor. The prison and hate cards destabilize strategies while the white/orzhov removal and black card draw and tutors keep the blood flowing. There is one combo, with Heliod and Walking Ballista, but in my playtesting I've found the pure pressure of life loss is effective enough that by the time that combo can be assembled, a win just by knocking people to zero would have been as good.

The most enjoyable aspect of this build for Liesa is, to me, how elegantly the cards come together to support the overall strategy. Massacre Wurm is reasonable mass removal, but has a deadly life-punishing effect. Mangara is card draw, but also has lifelink. The three demons each fit with Liesa's theme of making dark pacts, and finish off opponents in entirely different but satisfying ways.

I don't think this list is competitive but it's far more interesting than a traditional lifegain deck, and the aesthetic appeal of its strategy makes piloting it satisfying when you can get its internal gears ticking.

Date added	2 years
Last updated	2 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	18 - 0 Mythic Rares 42 - 0 Rares 12 - 0 Uncommons 11 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.88
Tokens	Elephant 3-3 G, Treasure