Big Butts Lifegain

Commander / EDH* BGW (Abzan, Junk) Lifegain

lilyhaaron

Land (37)

• 1x Blighted Woodland
• 1x Blossoming Sands
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Evolving Wilds
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 6x Forest
• 1x Golgari Rot Farm
• 1x Isolated Chapel
• 1x Jungle Hollow
• 1x Krosan Verge
• 1x Orzhov Basilica
• 1x Orzhov Guildgate
• 6x Plains
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Sandsteppe Citadel
• 1x Scattered Groves
• 1x Scoured Barrens
• 1x Selesnya Sanctuary
• 1x Sunpetal Grove
• 6x Swamp
• 1x Terramorphic Expanse

Ramp (8)

• 1x Abzan Banner
• 1x Cryptolith Fragment  ^Flip
• 1x Cultivate
• 1x Grow from the Ashes
• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Rampant Growth
• 1x Skyshroud Claim
• 1x Sol Ring

Removal (7)

• 1x Beast Within
• 1x Forsake the Worldly
• 1x Mortify
• 1x Price of Fame
• 1x Reclamation Sage
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Sylvan Reclamation

Lifegain (19)

• 1x Ajani's Welcome
• 1x Angelic Chorus
• 1x Authority of the Consuls
• 1x Blind Obedience
• 1x Blood Artist
• 1x Drana's Emissary
• 1x Fountain of Renewal
• 1x Ill-Gotten Inheritance
• 1x Impassioned Orator
• 1x Kambal, Consul of Allocation
• 1x Palace Siege
• 1x Pious Evangel  ^Flip
• 1x Resplendent Mentor
• 1x Retreat to Hagra
• 1x Retreat to Kazandu
• 1x Sangromancer
• 1x Sunscorch Regent
• 1x Verdant Sun's Avatar
• 1x Wall of Reverence

Lifegain Payoff (12)

• 1x Aetherflux Reservoir
• 1x Ajani's Pridemate
• 1x Angelic Accord
• 1x Archangel of Thune
• 1x Cliffhaven Vampire
• 1x Defiant Bloodlord
• 1x Famished Paladin
• 1x Felidar Sovereign
• 1x Regal Bloodlord
• 1x Regna, the Redeemer
• 1x Sanguine Bond
• 1x Vizkopa Guildmage

Wipes (3)

• 1x Dusk / Dawn
• 1x Fumigate
• 1x Kaya's Wrath

Commanders (2)

Big Butts (8)

• 1x Assault Formation
• 1x Behind the Scenes
• 1x Protector of the Crown
• 1x Runic Armasaur
• 1x Sight of the Scalelords
• 1x Sultai Flayer
• 1x Thorn of the Black Rose
• 1x Ulvenwald Observer

Card Advantage (4)

• 1x Abzan Beastmaster
• 1x Krav, the Unredeemed
• 1x Selvala, Explorer Returned
• 1x Well of Lost Dreams

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Description still very much WIP - bear with me

Overview

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Generating Lifegain

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Using Lifegain

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Infinite Combos

The main infinite combo is the infinite lifegain synergy with Famished Paladin and Resplendent Mentor - it doesn't close out the game right away on its own, but generating infinite life functionally shuts out any decks that aren't looking to win through commander damage or "You win the game" effects. Pair that with any effect that drains on lifegain ( Defiant Bloodlord , Vizkopa Guildmage , Sanguine Bond , etc.) and it will close out the game.

I purposefully don't use the Sanguine Bond / Exquisite Blood combo, as a) I'm not a huge fan of 2 card game-winning combos (even if it is 10 mana), b) Exquisite Blood is quite pricey and I don't feel like spending that for one card, and c) Exquisite Blood if you're not winning the game then and there puts way too big of a target on your back, actively hurting your chance to win if you're not following it up with a game-winning piece immediately.

Making the Deck Tick

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Manabase

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Future Changes and Key Additions on Wishlist

This deck is actually pretty solid when it comes to power level and it's about where I want it to be. It could definitely use a more consistent manabase with fetches and whatnot, but being Abzan that's not super cheap since that is heavier on the Zendikar fetches.

I do want to experiment more with the deck replacing one of the commanders with Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa as he does fit into the big butts theme well, and could run the deck with any combination of the 3 commanders potentially to shake things up.

Other than that the deck could use a few of the enablers that are just a tad out of the "Oh I can pick this up without a second thought since they're under a buck" range - notably Trostani, Selesnya's Voice and Venser's Journal . In the same camp there's a few payoffs as well in the form of Crested Sunmare and Karlov of the Ghost Council that would feel right at home in this deck.

Fairly out of date video I did on the deck

Date added	6 years
Last updated	5 years
Exclude colors	UR
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	2 - 0 Mythic Rares 27 - 0 Rares 34 - 0 Uncommons 17 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.68
Tokens	Angel 4/4 W, Bat 1/1 B, Beast 3/3 G, Monarch Emblem, Warrior 1/1 W
Folders	Current Decks