This deck, and it's earlier formulations have taken me to Diamond Tier 2, on MTG Arena, with a 66% win rate. So, I figure it's got good bones.
I'm wanting to join FNM and this might be the deck I do it with. So I'm looking to know what cards I need to add/change to optimize the deck. And I have no idea what to do about the sideboard. So, any help on that would be welcome.
The goal of the deck is to heal with damage and damage with healing.
I imagine it's pretty demoralizing watching my life go by exactly the same amount that yours goes down. Watching your own life total decrease every time I block.
Deck Strategy: Attack with cheap 1/1 creatures with lifelink in order to gain life and pump up other creatures, then beat down with said pumped creatures. When you get bored, drop a Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose.
Key Mechanics: Lifelink, Deathtouch, +1/+1 counters
Life Gain Engines:
- Impassioned Orator + any creature in the deck
- Inspiring Commander + any creature in the deck
- Lifelink creatures
- Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord + any creature in the deck
Creature Pumps:
- Impassioned Orator + any creature in the deck pumps up Bloodthirsty Aerialist and/or Ajani's Pridemate.
-Lifelink (incl. Sorin) + Bloodthirsty Aerialist and/or Ajani's Pridemate
-Light of Promise This card is insane. By itself, on a Vampire of the Dire Moon, Child of Night or Healer's Hawk, the Lifelink will double the power of the creature every hit. When you have an army of lifelink creatures, you could be swinging for 15 points the next turn. When you put it on a Bloodthirsty Aerialist and/or Ajani's Pridemate, the pump gets ridiculous.
Draw Engines
- 2x Inspiring Commander + any creature in the deck *I need a replacement for this, since Inspiring Commander is Arena Only.
- 2x Dawn of Hope + Summoning and/or attacking, as well as blocking or instant heal
Reanimation Engine:
- 2x Idol of Endurance An amazing card. Every creature is 3 mana or less, and if they die again, they don't get exiles, so you can just use another Idol to bring them back again. But the important thing is, that the creatures are free to cast and they trigger life gain for the Orator.
- 1x Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord (I only have one of these, I'm thinking I should get a full set.)
Direct Damage:
- 3x Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose Best card in the deck. This is the card that put me over the Platinum Hump in MTG Arena. Vito matches any amount of healing to you with direct damage to your opponent. With all the Lifelink there is in this deck, it may as well read "Double the damage of all your creatures." A 2/1 with Lifelink will swing for 2, heal you for 2, then Vito will deal 2 dmg to the face...EVEN IF IT'S BLOCKED! There's no way to escape the damage during combat.
Tech Cards:
- 3x Conclave Tribunal Super versatile permanent removal.
- 1x Consecrate / Consume Graveyard hate and creature hate w/card draw or lifegain
- 2x Revitalize 3/1 effect card - Imagine a Lightning Bolt with heals and card draw.
Minor Combos
Consecrate / Consume combos well with Vito for direct damage and with Light of Promise for creature pump. If both are on the field, it could be game over. Let's say your opponent has 20 life and he just play an 8/8 Kraken. You have Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose and a 1/1 Healer's Hawk w/ Light of Promise, Consume the Kraken, heal for 8 and Vito does damage for 8 (12 life). The hawk gets pumped by +8 (9/9 Healer Hawk) and then swings for 9 (3 life), you gain 9 life and Vito deals 9 damage to the face to finish the job.
My questions are:
1) What cards make the deck better?
2) What cards belong in the sideboard?
Thanks
