That which is dead will kill you quickly (Karlov)

Commander / EDH Combo Lifegain

Denthrass

Creature (25)

• 1x Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
• 1x Blood Artist
• 1x Bruna, the Fading Light  ^Meld
• 1x Crypt Ghast
• 1x Cryptbreaker
• 1x Gisela, the Broken Blade  ^Meld
• 1x Hanweir Militia Captain  ^Flip
• 1x Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
• 1x Kambal, Consul of Allocation
• 1x Lone Rider  ^Flip
• 1x Mother of Runes
• 1x Nyx-Fleece Ram
• 1x Obzedat, Ghost Council
• 1x Pious Evangel  ^Flip
• 1x Serra Avatar
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Soul Warden
• 1x Soul's Attendant
• 1x Sun Titan
• 1x Sunscorch Regent
• 1x Suture Priest
• 1x Thalia, Heretic Cathar
• 1x Thalia's Lancers
• 1x Tree of Perdition
• 1x Vizkopa Guildmage

Planeswalker (7)

• 1x Ajani, Caller of the Pride
• 1x Ajani Steadfast
• 1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant
• 1x Elspeth Tirel
• 1x Kaya, Ghost Assassin
• 1x Sorin, Grim Nemesis
• 1x Sorin, Lord of Innistrad

Instant (5)

• 1x Anguished Unmaking
• 1x Blessed Alliance
• 1x Erase
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Unmake

Land (34)

• 1x Barren Moor
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Caves of Koilos
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Concealed Courtyard
• 1x Evolving Wilds
• 1x Geier Reach Sanitarium
• 1x Isolated Chapel
• 1x New Benalia
• 1x Orzhov Basilica
• 1x Orzhov Guildgate
• 7x Plains
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Scoured Barrens
• 1x Secluded Steppe
• 1x Seraph Sanctuary
• 1x Shambling Vent
• 5x Swamp
• 1x Temple of Silence
• 1x Terramorphic Expanse
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Windbrisk Heights

Enchantment (7)

• 1x Authority of the Consuls
• 1x Blind Obedience
• 1x Exquisite Blood
• 1x Oath of Liliana
• 1x Palace Siege
• 1x Phyrexian Arena
• 1x Sanguine Bond

Commander (1)

Artifact (11)

• 1x Aetherflux Reservoir
• 1x Dragon Throne of Tarkir
• 1x Expedition Map
• 1x Loxodon Warhammer
• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Pristine Talisman
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Sun Droplet
• 1x Sword of the Animist
• 1x Tainted Sigil

Sorcery (10)

• 1x Debt to the Deathless
• 1x Demonic Collusion
• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Fumigate
• 1x Languish
• 1x Lingering Souls
• 1x Merciless Eviction
• 1x Night's Whisper
• 1x Spectral Procession
• 1x Vindicate

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Sideboard

Creature (2)

• 1x Aerial Responder
• 1x Tithe Drinker

Instant (1)

• 1x Congregate

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Diabolic Tutor

Enchantment (2)

• 1x Eternal Thirst
• 1x Triskaidekaphobia

Artifact (2)

• 1x Ivory Tower
• 1x Norn's Annex

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Maybeboard

Land (4)

• 1x Fetid Heath
• 1x Flagstones of Trokair
• 1x Godless Shrine
• 1x Scrubland

Planeswalker (1)

• 1x Sorin, Solemn Visitor

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At its core this deck is very simple: Gain life, Grow Karlov of the Ghost Council, and kill your opponents with commander damage. If that doesn't work, you can fall back on Exquisite Blood plus either Sanguine Bond or Vizkopa Guildmage to end the game.

Karlov and what works with him

Karlov, unsurprisingly, is the central focus of this deck. Therefore, there are a few cards in this deck that exclusively buff, or work the best with, Karlov.

Sunbond has quite a bit of versatility, serving as both a threat or deterrent when paired with Lifelink as this combo will cause Karlov to more than double in size every time he attacks or blocks. It can also turn your burst healing into pseudo damage. As well as serving a good removal bait, to more reliability get combo out.

Ajani Steadfast can give Karlov lifelink, vigilance and first strike. this not only allows you to gain exorbitant amounts of life from your (probably huge Karlov, but vigilance means that Karlov can still protect Ajani on the ground.

Elspeth, Knight-Errant will give Karlov flight, often allowing you to sneak in that last bit of commander damage.

The combos

Firstly there is the obvious Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond combo, however, Vizkopa Guildmage will do the same thing as Sanguine Bond meaning you have two combo enablers in this deck, instead of one.

Vizkopa Guildmage and Sanguine Bond can turn all your healing into damage. often allowing you to kill people outright with giant heals like Congregate.

Tainted Sigil is another MVP of this deck. when used in conjunction with the combo above it will double your damage in the case of Sanguine Bond however, if you have Vizkopa Guildmage out it will multiply the damage dealt by the amount of opponents you are facing. getting even more insane if you bring a Sun Titan into the equation. the other function of Tainted Sigil is allowing you to ignore most any swing at you (granted it wont kill you outright).

One thing i have noticed with that deck is that although it can be insanely fast one on one, you need to really slow down your game-plan in most multiplayer games. you can easily kill a single person early, but doing so paints such a huge target on your chest that you will hardly ever survive the resulting onslaught.

Any suggestions to improve the deck are appreciated.

Date added	8 years
Last updated	7 years
Key combos	Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	15 - 1 Mythic Rares 35 - 2 Rares 20 - 3 Uncommons 18 - 2 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.24
Tokens	Cat 2/2 W, Emblem Ajani Steadfast, Emblem Elspeth, Knight-Errant, Emblem Sorin, Lord of Innistrad, Human Cleric 1/1 BW, Soldier 1/1 W, Spirit 1/1 W, Vampire 1/1 B w/ Lifelink, Vampire Knight 1/1 B, Zombie 2/2 B
Folders	Deck Ideas