Athreos - My Clerical Romance

Commander / EDH* Lifegain WB (Orzhov)

SirLag

Cleric (25)

• 1x Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim
• 1x Banisher Priest
• 1x Battletide Alchemist
• 1x Bishop of Rebirth
• 1x Children of Korlis
• 1x Doomed Necromancer
• 1x Edgewalker
• 1x Eight-and-a-Half-Tails
• 1x False Prophet
• 1x Fiend Hunter
• 1x Grand Abolisher
• 1x High Priest of Penance
• 1x Leonin Relic-Warder
• 1x Liliana, Heretical Healer  ^Flip
• 1x Pontiff of Blight
• 1x Ravos, Soultender *f-etch*
• 1x Rotlung Reanimator
• 1x Selfless Spirit
• 1x Sin Collector
• 1x Soul Warden
• 1x Soul's Attendant
• 1x Suture Priest
• 1x Tymna the Weaver *f-etch*
• 1x Weathered Wayfarer
• 1x Withered Wretch

Wipe (5)

• 1x Consulate Crackdown
• 1x Magister of Worth
• 1x Sudden Spoiling
• 1x Toxic Deluge
• 1x Wrath of God

Death (2)

• 1x Blood Artist
• 1x Dictate of Erebos

Mana (2)

• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Sol Ring

Land (34)

• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Caves of Koilos
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Concealed Courtyard
• 1x Emeria, the Sky Ruin
• 1x Fetid Heath
• 1x Godless Shrine
• 1x Isolated Chapel
• 1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• 1x Orzhov Basilica
• 9x Plains
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Shambling Vent
• 6x Swamp
• 1x Swamp
• 1x Tainted Field
• 1x Temple of Silence
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Vault of the Archangel
• 1x Westvale Abbey  ^Flip

Sacrifice (5)

• 1x Ashnod's Altar
• 1x High Market
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Starlit Sanctum
• 1x Viscera Seer

Tutor (4)

• 1x Diabolic Tutor
• 1x Increasing Ambition
• 1x Ranger of Eos
• 1x Recruiter of the Guard

God (2)

• 1x Erebos, God of the Dead
• 1x Heliod, God of the Sun

Commander (1)

Other (10)

• 1x Aetherflux Reservoir
• 1x Authority of the Consuls
• 1x Dusk / Dawn
• 1x Eerie Interlude
• 1x Gray Merchant of Asphodel
• 1x Karlov of the Ghost Council
• 1x Kaya, Ghost Assassin
• 1x Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant  ^Flip
• 1x Tablet of the Guilds
• 1x Triskaidekaphobia

Recursion (7)

• 1x Dawn of the Dead
• 1x Karmic Guide
• 1x Living Death
• 1x Phyrexian Reclamation
• 1x Rally the Ancestors
• 1x Reveillark
• 1x Whip of Erebos

Targeted (3)

• 1x Anguished Unmaking
• 1x Utter End
• 1x Vindicate

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Maybeboard

Other (5)

• 1x Bontu's Monument
• 1x Coat of Arms
• 1x Containment Priest
• 1x Mikaeus, the Lunarch
• 1x Mother of Runes

Mana (1)

• 1x Thought Vessel

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In magic, the life and death of creatures and players is an ever flowing ebb and flow, and who better to guide it than Athreos, God of Passage and his trusty clerics.

Is this deck for you?

If you enjoy life gain, graveyard shenanigans, and funny tribal decks, This deck might be the one for you. Things to watch out for is that this deck does not function too well against decks that hate on life gain, and this deck also does not have very much it can do against creatures with flying.

It is also tuned much more for casual environment, and was built with a budget, so cards like Diabolic Tutor can be swapped out for a Demonic Tutor, and other clerics from the maybeboard swapped in. The land base is also rather budget, so fetch and shocklands could be a great addition.

Primer

The goal of this deck is to use Life gain, a powerful board state, and board control to edge out above your opponents without drawing too much aggro until it is too late. Eventually you will seal your win with Aetherflux Reservoir or Karlov of the Ghost Council, who when combined with Soul Warden, Soul's Attendant and Suture Priest lead to a rather large amount of life gained, particularly when playing against a token based deck.

Gaining life is only one part, however, and the inclusion of clerics such as Banisher Priest, Leonin Relic-Warder, and Fiend Hunter let you deal with large threats on the board by removing them. And if you need a more wide spread approach Magister of Worth and Dusk/Dawn work quite well, with an added bonus of the option to bring your own stuff back.

Speaking of bringing things back, graveyard recursion is also a major theme in this deck, with Athreos, God of Passage bringing back our fallen clerics to our hand, and other cards like Phyrexian Reclimation, Karmic Guide, and Reveillark helping keep things out of your graveyard if your opponents choose to take the life. Bringing the control of our dead even further is the use of Rune-Tail, Kitsune Ascendant and Sacrifice Outlets like Westvale Abbey   and Ashnod's Altar, so cards die when I choose them to. Other Clerics like Selfless Spirit and Children of Korlis also can sacrifice themselves, providing value without other cards on the field.

Other fun stuff

There is a lot of fun stuff in here that doesn't quite fit in the primer, but deserves a mention.

• Triskaidekaphobia is a very niche win condition, but the ever present life gain/loss is powerful, and when you do win a match with it, it is very memorable.

• Pontiff of Blight provides another win condition, in the form of extorting for massive damage on every spell you play.

• Edgewalker greatly reduces the cost of all of the clerics in play, and should usually be pulled from Recruiter of the Guard when you are able to.

• Westvale Abbey   is a sac outlet that can create chump blockers (That are clerics!), and be converted into a demon when you need it, gaining the cards you sac'd into it back unless your opponents pay the life from Athreos.

• Battletide Alchemist is a lot of fun, allowing you to trade favors for preventing what can be a large amount of damage to any player.

• False Prophet is a dangerous card. That's what makes it hilarious to bring back from the graveyard over and over, until it is finally exiled. Combining Ashnod's Altar + Eerie Interlude + False Prophet helps with keeping your stuff not exiled.

If you liked the deck, don't forget to upvote, and thanks for reading this primer!

Date added	7 years
Last updated	4 years
Key combos	Ashnod's Altar + Eerie Interlude + False Prophet
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	12 - 0 Mythic Rares 45 - 0 Rares 20 - 0 Uncommons 7 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.22
Tokens	Emblem Liliana, Defiant Necromancer, Enchantment Cleric 2/1 W, Human Cleric 1/1 WB, Zombie 2/2 B
Folders	My Commander Decks, I Like Me Some Orzhov, Orzhov decks