This is my second EDH deck. After building Animar, Soul of Elements, I decided I wanted to explore the other parts of the color pie. I wanted a combo-control build, and going B/W takes away control and alot of combo. Also, looking through the B/W commmanders I found none I liked too much. So, I decided to pick up the best color (blue) and run with with a filled color pie. Out came Oloro!
This deck has three win conditions, all three of which are infinite.
The first two require infinite mana, and they are Blue Sun's Zenith and Exsanguinate. Blue Sun's Zenith lets me draw my library before milling out an opponent. Once I mill an opponent out I tutor my 1-card library for Blue Sun's Zenith and repeat. Since I have my library in my hand, I only need one tutor (though I have more) because of Mnemonic Wall and Deadeye Navigator. Then, Exsanguinate with infinite mana is obviously game over.
The third win condition is Sanguine Bond and Exquisite Blood. This is an easy insta-win and even alone the cards are relevant.
Damnation is another copy of Wrath of God. Does it's job very well, efficiently wipes the board clean of threats and hurts those who overextend. Almost always card advantage.
Demonic Tutor is an easy way to grab the one missing combo piece, or the wrath you need right before you die. It is the best tutor in this deck (followed by Vampiric Tutor) because no one sees what you grab, and you don't waste a draw step. It's the perfect 1-for-1 exchange.
Diabolic Revelation is great for assembling combo pieces because as the game runs long, the relevancy of it's cost doesn't matter one bit. I can tutor for multiple combo pieces or even answers to problems with one card- and on top of that, no one gets to see them.
Diabolic Tutor
is a worse Demonic Tutor. At any rate, a 1-for-1 exchange for a card of your choice is still very powerful. The extra two mana hurts, but overall doesn't justify not running it.
Exsanguinate is a win condition as well as ridiculous. It's so good even without infinte mana, because in a four-man pod I gain loads of life to keep me in the game. It also can kill those low on life without infinite mana- it's combo potential is just icing on the cake.
Hallowed Burial is again, card advantage but has a bonus of tucking commanders and other problems. It ruins strategies like Mayael the Anima, Kaalia of the Vast, Nekusar, the Mindrazer, Rafiq of the Many, and even more. General-centered strategies are obliterated for 5-mana- and you won't see them without significant luck or wasting a tutor.
Merciless Eviction exiles problem creatures and protects me from my biggest weakness- anything that resolves! Exiling four of the five permanent types is huge in anything, and the extra flexibility with no chance of recursion is just bonkers.
Sever the Bloodline is yet another answer to problem creatures. It can hit almost any creature, and on generals the flashback will be enough of a threat to prevent them from recasting. Another efficient removal spell for controlling the board.
Supreme Verdict is yet again another sweeper, this time with the bonus of un-counterability. The implications of this are big, and stop most plans dead in their tracks. The mana is a bit intensive but is usually quite easily managed.
Terminus is another tucking sweeper, with the added bonus of ridiculousness with Liliana Vess, Vampiric Tutor, and Sensei's Divining Top. One mana to screw up everyone else's plan and get rid of EVERY creature on the board? Yes please!
Wrath of God is the OG sweeper that says "no" to regeneration and anything that isn't indestructible. It gets rid of almost everything troublesome and stops swarms and armies all around the table. Another net advantage card.
Banishing Stroke
is a tuck effect to hit generals, and the most troublesome kind of permanents there are. The 6-cost is manageable and well costed- but the miracle cost is easy to obtain with Mystical Tutor, Liliana Vess, Vampiric Tutor, and Sensei's Divining Top. Then you go from "good" to "ridiculous".
Blue Sun's Zenith is the main win condition of this deck. Not much else to say, it can be used to dig as desperate measures but it really is just a finisher.
Condemn is another powerful tuck effect. The lifegain means nothing to me since the win-cons in this deck don't take life totals into account whatsoever. The "attacking" clause is fine by me since I usually only use targeted removal at stuff swinging at me. The second their general declares aggression, he meets the cold table head first.
Counterspell is the epitome of efficiency. Two mana counterspells are ridiculous anywhere- EDH included. The efficiency contained in one card quells so much strategies, and with my draw power I can afford multiple one-for-one exchanges.
Dispel guarantees me the win in a counter-war and seals the deal elsewhere for a measly one mana. Again, efficiency is the key here. Instants are a big part of EDH and one mana to counter one is as good as it gets.
Dissolve is another counterspell to protect and control the board, but the library manipulation tacked on is gravy. Three mana counters aren't always optimal, but throwing in just one good one can't be too bad.
Go for the Throat hits so many threats for two mana, and the threats it can't hit are hit by my other forms of removal. Even if my problems can't be targeted by this, the six sweepers can hit it for sure.
Hero's Downfall is unconditional killing with an extra option of nailing a planeswalker. Considering that the only other answers to them in this deck are counters and Merciless Eviction, this card's flexibility helps shore up a big weakness in this deck.
Hinder is one of the only two three-drop counterspells I have in here, simply because a tucked general out of the gates can render a player useless for the rest of the game. It also hoses graveyard strategies that just keep recurring whatever you counter or kill.
Lim-Dul's Vault is how you dig, folks. Need one card? Lim-Dul's got ya covered. Need it now? Before your next turn? Lim-Dul will take care of that. One more combo piece left? Sweeper? Efficiency? Yes, yes and yes, Lim-Dul's got it all!
Memory Lapse is a two-drop counterspell that forces players to think about shuffle effects or waste a draw step. If they sacrifice a draw step, you gain card advantage- if they shuffle it away, you just hard-countered for two mana.
Mystical Teachings is versatile enough to tutor twice, and the instants in this deck are numerous and versatile. Grab a counter, and do it again cheap! So much efficiency in one card, double-use kicks it into overdrive and it never fails to disappoint. Even if countered, you still get one more shot!
Mystical Tutor is a cheap tutor that sacrifices one draw step for a wealth of other options. End of turn tutors are the best kind of tutors!
Pact of Negation is for those pesky players who wait until you tap out to cast important spells. The five mana is a big draw-back, but when combo-ing off it is irrelevant and if you have no other options, well then I guess it's pay five or lose the game.
Path to Exile is a hyper-efficient exile spell. Who cares that they grab a land? Most of the threats I need gone are late-game threats at the point of the game where land count is near irrelevant. However, it is still outclassed by Swords to Plowshares since my opponent's life totals are NEVER relevant to me one bit.
Remand is a two-drop counterspell that can usually waste someone's turn while cantripping all the while. Another piece in the counter suite.
Return to Dust shores up our weakness to artifacts and enchantments with flying colors. Four mana to exile two artifacts or enchantments is ridiculous, and instant-speed versatility is just bonkers.
Swan Song is so efficient it's ridiculous! Since my general gives me two life per turn, a 2/2 flyer means nothing to me. One mana to hit three different card types is ridiculous, and the drawback is nothing to me. Another hyper-efficient piece of control.
Swords to Plowshares is hyper-efficiency in three words. Tell your Blightsteel Colossus to pick up a shovel, because you won't be seeing him or any other baddies soon. Instant speed, exile, one mana- BONKERS!
Vampiric Tutor is great for finding an answer at instant speed, and late game sacrificing one draw step won't hurt too badly. Two life is again nothing- I'm gaining two per turn, damnit!
Consecrated Sphinx is such a powerful draw engine if it sticks. Even if you only draw two cards off of it, it is still forcing a removal spell. If the table removes it or lets it stick, either way you're in a great spot. However, the real fun begins when someone copies it...
Deadeye Navigator is a combo piece with Palinchron and once I've drawn my library lets me bounce Mnemonic Wall to grab a tutor to get Blue Sun's Zenith again. Even if I ditch that combo plan in favor of Phantasmal Image, I can still pair him with Mnemonic Wall to get a powerful recursion engine.
Drogskol Reaver is a dope defender and if it sticks, gives me loads of card advantage. Every turn draw an extra card, or draw four per turn if it survives to the combat phase. I don't care if it dies- again, a removal spell is out of the way and we've got a 1-for-1 exchange.
Erebos, God of the Dead has a sometimes relevant first ability, but he shines with his second ability. End of the turn drawing for two life is nothing to me- remember, payments of life are always reclaimed. Two mana to draw a card is very potent, especially at instant speed.
Mnemonic Wall is a way to grab a tutor after drawing my library with Blue Sun's Zenith and is powerful if paired with Deadeye Navigator. It locks everyone out of the game if paired with Deadeye Navigator, 12 mana and Time Stretch. Powerful on it's own, bonkers when paired with other cards.
Palinchron gives me infinite mana with Deadeye Navigator as well as Phantasmal Image. It is never used as anything else, and only comes out when all the pieces are assembled. It is, however, essential to get infinite mana.
Phantasmal Image goes infinite with Palinchron, and does nothing else. If I really needed to I could copy something else, but rarely will I ever give up hope to combo off and try to win another way. Maybe if I had Deadeye Navigator in hand I would cast it to copy another creature, but that case is rare.
Rune-Scarred Demon is good on it's own, broken with Deadeye Navigator. It's usually used to grab the last combo piece before going off. After it hits the field it serves as a good clock if my opponent has no fliers.
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir is how I protect my combo on the turn I go off and choke-hold my opponents otherwise. He grants me unhindered combo turns, and he limits my opponents severely. A great control card all around.
Vesner, Shaper Savant is great for stalling "uncounterable" things like a spell cast with Boseiju, Who Shelters All, or Banefire. He also bounces generals who might otherwise finish me off, since Oloro's biggest issue is general damage. He wins me the game if I have him, Deadeye Navigator and infinite mana.
Weathered Wayfarer thins my deck and sets up my manabase exactly how I want it. The clause is almost always met because of those pesky green decks. This will get cut if I can ever afford fetches.
Liliana Vess is currently the only planeswalker in here, but her -2 is so potent it's crazy. Her +1 is rarely used but when it is, it's good to hate on one troublesome player. Ultimate is never reached or attempted to be reached, so it's not even relevant.
Detention Sphere is a one-way ticket to exile for anything I find trouble-some. It is just an efficient Vindicate-esque effect that gives no chance of recursion without enchantment removal. It is a great tool to decks that can't answer it and a hindrance to those that can.
Exquisite Blood wins me the game with it and Sanguine Bond out at the same time. Even if it doesn't go infinite, I can use it to gain loads of life if one player is dominating the game. Just hold a wrath, watch Krenko, Mob Boss desecrate a Kaalia of the Vast, gain buttloads of life and drop the wrath when one player is out. This is a very common play and works like a charm.
Leyline of Anticipation helps protect my combo pieces by flashing them in EoT and lets me drop threats EoT and generally just use trickery to gain an advantage. The "free" clause also helps very much.
Leyline of Sanctity stops lots of good effects in EDH like Blue Sun's Zenith and Banefire with infinite mana, Even things that aren't win conditions are stopped, and it's just a pain to deal with because layered threats are annoying. It's another line of defense for me to sit gaining life until we combo off.
Luminarch Ascension is a GREAT way to turn the game in our favor. Calling an army to our side in seconds is just ridiculous, and gathering counters early game is very easily done. It lets us overpower in the air if we're losing on the ground and lets us leave blockers up to stop general damage.
Mystic Remora helps draw late-game, since nobody ever pays four. The cumulative upkeep is a bit of a nuisance, but this isn't played until I have more than enough mana for it so it doesn't matter. If it ever does become troublesome I can always opt not to pay it.
Necropotence is bonkers. Let me just say there's a reason it's banned in legacy and restricted in vintage. Without Reliquary Tower, it basically keeps my hand at seven no matter what- with the tower out, I draw my library and win VERY quickly. The life payment is nothing to get such card advantage, and triple black is a problem but met easily sometimes.
Phyrexian Arena is just another way to draw more than I should be- Oloro's effect gives me only one life in exchange for another card? Sure! The life loss is as usual, outweighed by Oloro and the advantages are great.
Rhystic Study helps draw early game and late-game can still help draw, it's just more conditional. This on turn three will leave me with constant card draw throughout the game and will tip the scales in my favor.
Sanguine Bond goes infinite with Exquisite Blood, and even then ping two per turn isn't the worst thing. Alright, it is pretty bad, but the insta-win combo is great.
Chromatic Lantern fixes all my lands to Command Towers, and even ramps me on it's own. Great for fixing for Necropotence and double blue on counters.
Gilded Lotus is just crazy. If I can drop it on turn five, I'm pretty much set on mana for the entire game. I can tap out for it on turn five and use the mana it grants me for counters as well.
Mana Vault is super-ramp, and helps me get advantage early on. The one life if I choose to leave it tapped is absolutely nothing to me.
Sensei's Divining Top helps me get miracle costs as well as rearrange my deck to let me draw what I want. Pretty much one of the most powerful deck manipulation tools ever printed, it shines especially with extra draws.
Sol Ring is early ramp just like Mana Vault. Casting my draw engines early one helps lots, and who doesn't like mana?
Well of Lost Dreams lets me draw three per turn in exchange for two mana per turn. Hello guys, that's absolutely friggin' nothing! Pay one and draw a card is so unbelievably broken, and that happens twice per turn with Oloro!
