Karlov of the Ghost Council

Commander / EDH Casual Counters Exile Lifegain Lifelink Soul Sisters WB (Orzhov)

difascio

Lands (38)

• 1x Brightclimb Pathway  ^Flip
• 1x Caves of Koilos
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Concealed Courtyard
• 1x Fetid Heath
• 1x Godless Shrine
• 1x Isolated Chapel
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Orzhov Basilica
• 1x Orzhova, the Church of Deals
• 9x Plains
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Scoured Barrens
• 1x Shadowy Backstreet
• 1x Shambling Vent
• 1x Shattered Sanctum
• 1x Shineshadow Snarl *f-pre*
• 1x Silent Clearing
• 1x Snowfield Sinkhole
• 1x Sunlit Marsh
• 6x Swamp
• 1x Tainted Field
• 1x Temple of Silence *f-pre*
• 1x Vault of Champions
• 1x Vault of the Archangel

Lifegain Beneficiaries (4)

• 1x Amalia Benavides Aguirre
• 1x Archangel of Thune
• 1x Heliod, Sun-Crowned
• 1x Sunscorch Regent

Ramp (4)

• 1x Crypt Ghast
• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Smothering TitheGC
• 1x Talisman of Hierarchy

Lifegain (17)

• 1x Ajani, Strength of the Pride
• 1x Angel of Destiny
• 1x Blood Artist
• 1x Divinity of Pride
• 1x Indulging Patrician
• 1x Kambal, Consul of Allocation
• 1x Lurrus of the Dream-Den
• 1x Nighthawk Scavenger
• 1x Obzedat, Ghost Council
• 1x Reluctant Role Model
• 1x Serra Ascendant
• 1x Shadowspear
• 1x Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord *pp*
• 1x Vizkopa Guildmage
• 1x Vona, Butcher of Magan
• 1x Wall of Reverence
• 1x Whip of Erebos

Targeted Removal (7)

• 1x Abstruse Appropriation
• 1x Anguished Unmaking
• 1x Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
• 1x Damn
• 1x Path to Exile
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Vindicate

Card Advantage (4)

• 1x Dawn of Hope
• 1x Necropotence
• 1x Twilight Prophet
• 1x Tymna the Weaver

Board Wipes (3)

• 1x Day of Judgment
• 1x Farewell
• 1x Hour of Revelation

Tutors (1)

• 1x Grim Tutor

Commander (1)

Soul Sisters Effects (9)

• 1x Auriok Champion
• 1x Authority of the Consuls
• 1x Daxos, Blessed by the Sun
• 1x Distinguished Conjurer
• 1x Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
• 1x Guide of Souls
• 1x Soul Warden
• 1x Soul's Attendant
• 1x Suture Priest

Win Conditions (6)

• 1x Aetherflux Reservoir
• 1x Exquisite Blood
• 1x Felidar Sovereign
• 1x Sanguine Bond
• 1x Test of Endurance
• 1x Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose

Protection (4)

• 1x Flawless Maneuver
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Teferi's Protection
• 1x Whispersilk Cloak

Extort (2)

• 1x Blind Obedience
• 1x Tithe Drinker

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This is my pet deck. Every time I sit down to play Commander, I try to play this at least once. Karlov can get big and out of control, fast.

Plenty of Soul Sisters and their ilk in the deck (Soul Warden, Soul's Attendant, etc.) as well as the creatures that benefit fron life gain (Ajani's Pridemate, Archangel of Thune, Crested Sunmare, etc.). A couple extort cards that add utility (Crypt Ghast and Blind Obedience).

For card draw, I focused on cards that deal with lifegain or loss of life (such as Tymna the Weaver *f-etch*, Cosmos Elixir, Necropotence, etc.).

For targeted removal, we have the lifelinker, Vona, Butcher of Magan as well as a suite of instants/sorceries (Anguished Unmaking, Vindicate, etc.).

For planeswalkers, we're running Ajani, Strength of the Pride for his token creation and Sorin, Grim Nemesis for his card draw and targeted removal.

I run a lot of utility lands. Most notably Arcane Lighthouse for creatures I can't target with Karlov's ability, Rogue's Passage for my big creatures to swing through, Vault of the Archangel for the lifelink/deathtouch, and Witch's Clinic for massive lifegain from Karlov.

As for artifacts, you can't go wrong with Bolas's Citadel. Casting cards off the top of your library in a deck with lifegain is a no brainer. Swiftfoot Boots and Lightning Greaves for Karlov protection as well as Whispersilk Cloak for added unblockability. Shadowspear for trample/lifelink and Whip of Erebos for the lifelink but on all your creatures.

For enchantments, I run both Authority of the Consuls and Blind Obedience for their tapdown/lifegain effects. Smothering Tithe for the ramp.

All sorceries are board wipes, except for one targeted removal spell and one Grim Tutor.

There are a few win conditions in the deck. You have the obvious combat damage strategy from the commander or any of the other creatures that get larger from lifegain. Then we have the "win at X life cards" such as Felidar Sovereign and Test of Endurance. Next, the CLASSIC Sanguine Bond/Exquisite Blood combo (with bonus Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose). If you manage to gain enough life, Aetherflux Reservoir is also a good game ender, even better paired with Exquisite Blood.

The deck has been foiled (as much as it can be) as of 06/11/2021. I am open to critiques and/or suggestions.

Date added	7 years
Last updated	3 months
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	12 - 0 Mythic Rares 54 - 0 Rares 13 - 0 Uncommons 4 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.03
Tokens	Ajani's Pridemate, City's Blessing, Companion Zone, Energy Reserve, Soldier 1/1 W w/ Lifelink, Treasure
Folders	Decks to think about, Current Decks, Commander, Next in line to print