Synergizing Assets [primer]

Commander / EDH* Lifegain Primer Soul Sisters Tokens WB (Orzhov)

tbone2072

Land (36)

• 1x Agadeem's Awakening  ^Flip
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Brightclimb Pathway  ^Flip
• 1x Caves of Koilos
• 1x Command Beacon
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Concealed Courtyard
• 1x Emeria's Call  ^Flip
• 1x Fabled Passage
• 1x Fetid Heath
• 1x Forbidden Orchard
• 1x Godless Shrine
• 1x Hagra Mauling  ^Flip
• 1x Isolated Chapel
• 1x Kabira Crossroads
• 1x Malakir Rebirth  ^Flip
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 5x Plains
• 1x Radiant Fountain
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Scoured Barrens
• 1x Sejiri Shelter  ^Flip
• 1x Seraph Sanctuary
• 1x Shizo, Death's Storehouse
• 1x Silent Clearing
• 3x Swamp
• 1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1x Vault of Champions
• 1x Vault of the Archangel
• 1x War Room

Removal (4)

• 1x Anguished Unmaking
• 1x Council's Judgment
• 1x Righteous Confluence
• 1x Utter End

Management (12)

• 1x Ajani's Welcome
• 1x Auriok Champion
• 1x Authority of the Consuls
• 1x Daxos, Blessed by the Sun
• 1x Impassioned Orator
• 1x Kor Celebrant
• 1x Pious Evangel  ^Flip
• 1x Resplendent Mentor
• 1x Soul Warden
• 1x Soul's Attendant
• 1x Suture Priest
• 1x Wall of Reverence

Ramp (10)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Chromatic Lantern
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Mind Stone
• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Pristine Talisman
• 1x Smothering Tithe
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Talisman of Hierarchy
• 1x Weathered Wayfarer

Bodyguards (5)

• 1x Flawless Maneuver
• 1x Giver of Runes
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Mother of Runes
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots

Upper Management (5)

• 1x Cliffhaven Vampire
• 1x Marauding Blight-Priest
• 1x Sanguine Bond
• 1x Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
• 1x Witch of the Moors

Board Wipe (3)

• 1x Dusk / Dawn
• 1x Toxic Deluge
• 1x Winds of Abandon

Commander (1)

Human Resources (10)

• 1x Court of Grace
• 1x Crested Sunmare
• 1x Elspeth, Sun's Champion
• 1x Oketra's Monument
• 1x Ranger of Eos
• 1x Ranger-Captain of Eos
• 1x Recruiter of the Guard
• 1x Regna, the Redeemer
• 1x Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord
• 1x Thraben Doomsayer

Card Draw (7)

• 1x Arguel's Blood Fast  ^Flip
• 1x Erebos, God of the Dead
• 1x Krav, the Unredeemed
• 1x Mangara, the Diplomat
• 1x Mentor of the Meek
• 1x Twilight Prophet
• 1x Well of Lost Dreams

Karlov's stuff (4)

• 1x Shadowspear
• 1x Stoneforge Mystic
• 1x Sword of Feast and Famine
• 1x Sword of Light and Shadow

Win Cons (3)

• 1x Aetherflux Reservoir
• 1x Angel of Destiny
• 1x Exquisite Blood

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Synergizing Assets

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Karlov of the Ghost Council

EDH primer

"HEAR YE HEAR YE, THE GREAT AND BENEVOLENT KARLOV HAS BESTOWED A EXTRORDINARY OPPORTUNITY UNTO YOU ALL! SHOULD YOU MEET THE REQUIREMENTS AND AGREE TO THE TERMS YOU WILL BE TASKED WITH LEADING A NEW BRANCH OF KARLOV'S ENTERPRISE TO GREATNESS! SHOULD YOU SUCCEED YOU WILL BE REWARDED WITH GREAT RICHES! SO COME FORTH RESIDENTS OF THE SIXTH PRECINCT COME FORTH AND PROVE YOURSELVES!"

The Contract

(Primer Below)

ASSIGNMENT OF THE SIXTH PRECINCT BRANCH OF THE ORZHOV SYNDICATE TO THE ASSIGNEE HEREIN

THIS AGREEMENT made this _____ day of __________________, _______, by and between GRANDFATHER KARLOV, the GHOST COUNCIL OF ORZHOVA, and the ORZHOV SYNDICATE, hereinafter referred to collectively as “the Orzhov Syndicate”, and _______________________ , hereinafter referred to as “the Assignee”. W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, GRANDFATHER KARLOV is the legal representative of the Orzhov Syndicate and, as such, is authorized to enter into contracts on behalf of the Orzhov Syndicate;
WHEREAS both parties have agreed to enter into this contract freely, voluntarily, and with full understanding the terms contained herein are binding upon both soul and body, and said terms may continue to be enforceable and binding upon the Assignee, up to, and beyond, the death of the Assignee; and
WHEREAS, it is the desire of the parties to determine and settle all matters concerning the assignment of the Sixth Precinct Branch of the Orzhov Syndicate, hereinafter referred to as “the Branch” to the Assignee and to adjust and settle any and all other rights either party might have against the other arising out of the assignment of the Branch of the Orzhov Syndicate.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and the mutual undertakings herein contained and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties hereby agree as follows:

1. ADVICE OF COUNSEL:

The parties hereby acknowledge that they are entering into this Agreement of their own accord and without coercion or pressure of any kind. The Orzhov Syndicate is represented by in-house council, Caerwyn. The Assignee acknowledges that the Orzhov Syndicate’ in-house represents only the Orzhov Syndicate in this matter. The Assignee has been informed of his right to seek review of this Agreement and representation in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement by a member of the Azorius Senate, but has declined to exercise said right and has chosen to represent himself in the negotiating and drafting of this Agreement. The parties have been duly advised of their legal rights and reviewed all the provisions of this Agreement, and their questions pertinent thereto have been fully and satisfactorily explained to them. The settlement embodied in this Agreement is in all respects acceptable to the parties, and accordingly they assent to all of the provisions.

2. BINDING NATURE OF THIS AGREEMENT.

Each party, now and forever, hereby binds themselves or their soul, heirs, legal representatives, executors, administrators and assigns, to the terms of this Agreement, and discharges the other from all causes of action.

3. RELEASE.

The Assignee hereby releases and forever discharges the Orzhov Syndicate from all causes of action, claims or demands whatsoever, whether in law or in equity, that the Assignee has ever had, now has, or may have had, whether known or reasonably should be known as of the date of execution of this Agreement. This release shall not be construed to waive any claim the Assignee may have against the Orzhov Syndicate arising out of the requirements of this Agreement.

4. TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT OF THE BRANCH.

The Orzhov syndicate hereby agrees to the assignment of the Branch to the Assignee for a period of lasting until the death of the Assignee, or the early termination of the assignee as set forth in Paragraph 7 herein. The Assignee is hereby bound and obliged to oversee all operations of the Branch, and shall exercise all duties of candor and care, in running the operations of the Branch. As overseer of the Branch, the Assignee shall, at all times, work toward the increasing of profitability of the Branch and of the Orzhov Syndicate.

5. DEBTS AND PLEDGES OF CREDIT ON BEHALF OF THE BRANCH.

The Assignee warrants and represents that they will not enter into any future debts nor make any contracts for which the Orzhov Syndicate may be liable. If the situation arises where the Assignee determines it would be prudent, necessary, or expedient for debt to be taken on in furtherance of the operations of the Branch, the Assignee shall take on such debt as a personal liability, and shall only take out any such debt as obliged to the Orzhov Syndicate.

6. DISTRIBUTION OF PROCEEDS.

The Orzhov Syndicate shall be entitled to Fifty Percent (50%) of the gross proceeds of the Branch, which shall be paid before any other debts, liabilities, or expenses of the Branch. The Assignee shall be entitled to no more than Ten Percent (10%) of the net profits of the Branch, provided any and all debts, liabilities, or expenses of the Branch, are paid prior to the distribution of funds to the Assignee.

7. EARLY TERMINATION OF TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT AND OF THE ASSIGNEE.

In the event the Ghost Council of Orzhova, by simple majority, determines the Assignee has failed in their duties of candor and care toward the Branch and toward the Orzhov Syndicate, the temporary assignment of the Branch to the Assignee shall terminate. The Assignee shall be obligated to continue service to the Orzhov Syndicate up to, and beyond, the point of death to ensure repayment of any and all debts and liabilities owed by the Assignee to the Orzhov Syndicate, or any and all debts and liabilities owed by the Branch to the Orzhov Syndicate.

8. TAX MATTERS.

The Assignee shall be personally liable for any and all taxes the Branch may incur, including the payment of any additional tax, interest, or penalties which may be assessed or due, and all accounting and legal fees incurred to defend the audit or assessment of such taxes. The Assignee shall indemnify and hold the Orzhov Syndicate harmless from any such liability. In the event the Branch receives a refund in connection with any such filed taxes, said refund shall be payable to the Orzhov Syndicate.

9. REPAYMENT OF DEBTS UPON DEATH OR INCAPACITY OF THE ASSIGNEE.

If the Assignee or the Branch has any debts and/or liabilities owed to the Orzhov Syndicate or to any third party to which the Orzhov Syndicate may be liable, at the time of the death of the Assignee, the Assignee’s soul shall thereto be bound to the Orzhov Syndicate for work at the Orzov Syndicate’s direction, until such time as all debts and/or liabilities have been repaid. In the event the Assignee is rendered incapacitated and unable to discharge their duties as the overseer of the Branch, the Assignee shall immediately forfeit their life and shall have their soul be bound to the Orzhov Syndicate as prescribed herein.

10. CONVERSION TO THE CHURCH OF DEALS AND TITHING.

The Assignee hereby agrees to conversion to the faith as prescribed by the Church of Deals, and agrees to follow all tenants of the Church of Deals’ teachings. The Assignee hereby agrees to tithe Twenty Percent (20%) of their personal income to the Church of Deals, which shall be paid before any debts, liabilities, or expenses. The Assignee hereby agrees to tithe Ten Percent (10%) of all gross proceeds of the Branch to the Church of Deals, which shall be paid before any other debts, liabilities, or expenses of the Branch.

11.DUTY TO PREVENT DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION AND RECORDS.

The Assignee shall take every feasible step, including, but not limited to, the hiring of attorneys, guards, and the death of the Assignee, to ensure the records of the Branch are secure and kept from the hands of the Azorius Senate, House Dimir, the Cult of Rakdos, the Gruul Clans, the Selesnya Combine, the Golgari Swarm, the Simic Combine, the Izzet League, the Boros Legion, the living Guildpact and his agents and assignees, and any other third party. The Assignee shall be personally responsible for the payment of any such fees to prevent dissemination of information and records related to the Branch and shall be personally liable for any harm, liability, or expenses incurred by the Orzhov Syndicate as a result of dissemination of any such information and information.

12. AGREEMENT TO MEDIATE.

In the event there is any dispute as to the terms of this agreement, the enforcement of the agreement, or any other dispute by and between the parties arising from said agreement, the parties agree they will attempt to resolve any and all such disputes through the use of a mediator of the Orzhov Syndicate’s choosing before pursuing any litigation. The Assignee shall be personally responsible for any and all costs and fees associated with said mediation.

13. OBLIGATIONS IN THE EVENT OF LEGAL ACTION.

In the event the Branch is involved in any legal action, or that Assignee and/or the Orzhov Syndicate are involved in any legal action from their duties and obligations arising by and from the Assignee’s duties with the Branch the Assignee shall be personally liable for any and all fees incurred in said legal action, and shall be liable for any awards, judgments, or settlements requiring payment by the Branch the Assignee, and/or the Orzhov Syndicate.

14. NON-DISCHARGE IN BANKRUPTCY.

It is mutually covenanted, warranted and understood that the financial duties and responsibilities imposed upon the Assignee by the terms of this Agreement, shall not be dischargeable in the event of bankruptcy. The Assignee’s responsibilities under this contract shall survive the filing of any petition in bankruptcy, whether voluntary or involuntary, and all proceedings taken thereunder, as well as general assignment for the benefit of creditors or other proceedings based on insolvency. And all claims by the Orzhov Syndicate hereunder shall at all times remain in full force and effect and be valid and binding on the Assignee until performed and discharged in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

15. TIME.

Time is of the essence with regard to all obligations imposed upon the parties pursuant to this Agreement.

16. MODIFICATION OR WAIVER OF TERMS OF AGREEMENT.

No modification or waiver of any of the terms of this Agreement shall be valid unless in writing and signed by both the parties. No waiver of any breach or default hereunder shall be deemed a waiver of any subsequent breach or default of the same or similar nature.

17. ENTIRE AGREEMENT.

The parties have incorporated in this Agreement their entire understanding. No oral statements or prior written matter extrinsic to this Agree¬ment shall have any force or effect. The parties are not relying upon any representations other than those expressly set forth herein.

18. SEVERABILITY.

If any of the provisions of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable, all other provisions hereof shall, nonetheless, continue in full force and effect, unless the failure of the invalid or unenforceable provision shall be so substantial as to result in a failure of consideration for the contract as a whole.

19. GOVERNING LAW.

This Agreement shall be construed and interpreted, and the terms hereof shall be enforced, in accordance with the bylaws of the Ozhov Syndicate.

20. ENFORCEMENT OF PROVISIONS OF AGREEMENT.

The Assignee shall be personally responsible for any expenses, including, but not limited to, counsel fees, court costs, and travel, incurred in any enforcement action by and between the parties arising from this Agreement.

21. FURTHER ASSURANCES.

The parties expressly covenant that they will, at all times in the future, upon request of the other, execute and deliver to the other any and all further documents as may be necessary or desirable to consummate the intent of this Agreement, unless such there is a determination by the Orzhov Syndicate against deliverance of any such documents.

22. ENTIRE AGREEMENT AND DUPLICATE ORIGINAL:

This Agreement contains the parties' entire understanding, there being no representations, promises, warranties, covenants or undertakings ("side agreements") other than those expressly set forth herein. The parties are not relying upon any representations other than those expressly set forth herein. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, any one of which may be deemed the original.

___________________________________
GRANDFATHER KARLOV
On behalf of the GHOST COUNCIL OF
ORZHOVA, and the ORZHOV SYNDICATE

CITY OF RAVNICA, to-wit:

I, the undersigned, a Notary Public in and for the City of Ravnica, do hereby certify that this day personally appeared before me in my said County, GRANDFATHER KARLOV, appearing in his official capacity as a representation of the GHOST COUNCIL OF ORZHOVA and the ORZHOV SYNDICATE, whose name is signed to the foregoing and hereunto annexed Agreement, and acknowledged the same.

GIVEN under my hand this _____ day of ________, _____________.


___________________________
Notary Public

My commission expires: _________________________.



___________________________________

___________________________________
The Assignee (Please print name)

CITY OF RAVNICA, to-wit:

I, the undersigned, a Notary Public in and for the City of Ravnica, do hereby certify that this day personally appeared before me in my said County, ____________________________ , whose name is signed to the foregoing and hereunto annexed Agreement, and acknowledged the same.

GIVEN under my hand this _____ day of ________, _____________.

Sign

“So your the one who has passed the test and signed the contract, hmm well at least you look more capable than the last…. Applicant. The branch is at your command, at least for now. Well, I’m sure you have questions about what everything does and how different groups of the branch work together, so ask away. You can never know too much. And believe me, when you begin the trials that Karlov has planned you will need every bit of knowledge to avoid being, shall we say…. let go in a similar manner to your predecessor.”

History of the branch

History of the branch

Back when I started to play standard one of my first decks what orzhov lifegain with Ajani's Pridemate . The deck was one of my favorite decks to play and I had a lot of fun with it until most of the parts for it rotated out. This deck is my attempt at recreating that standard deck in EDH as new and more powerful version of itself.

Running the branch

Running the branch

This deck is all about gaining life but we don't want to just gain life any old way, we want to gain life through tons of separate triggers. The reason for this is that most of our lifegain payoffs like Marauding Blight-Priest and Karlov of the Ghost Council himself don't care how much life we gain and instead only care abought how many times we gain it. To this end, I have chosen soul sister effects as the main method of lifegain in the deck. Soul sister effects like Soul Warden , Soul's Attendant , Auriok Champion have the ability to provide massive amounts of separate life gain triggers and they are also very easy to trigger.

This leads us to the next section of the deck, Token production. Soul sister effects trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield so in the effort to get even more lifegain triggers I have added token producers like Elspeth, Sun's Champion , Thraben Doomsayer , and Oketra's Monument to the deck. The tokens that we create don't just gain us some life from soul sister effects and then become pointless though, they have all sorts of uses once they have entered the battlefield. Tokens can chump block big creatures, provide sac fodder so you don't have to get rid of something you actually care about if you opponent has a Grave Pact on the field, and they can gain EVEN MORE LIFE for you if you have Resplendent Mentor or Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord on the battlefield.

Now that how the deck gains life has been established let's take a look at what the deck does with it. The most obvious payoff is Karlov of the Ghost Council but there are a lot of other lifegain payoffs in the deck that are just as good. The payoff can be broken up into four different categories damage, card draw, token production, and misc. The damage category includes cards like Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose , Marauding Blight-Priest , and Sanguine Bond . Cards in this category all cause our opponents to lose life when we gain life and if we build up a big enough board we could get to a point where we are draining our opponents for 6 to 8 life every time a creature comes into play. The cards in this category also have the ability to go infinite with Exquisite Blood . The card draw category is currently very small only containing Well of Lost Dreams . The category used to be bigger but I cut the other cards in it because they are not the best when you have them on the board together. Token production is another self-explanatory category it contains cards like Crested Sunmare and Regna, the Redeemer that create tokens at the end of a turn if we gained life. The interesting thing to notice about these cards is that they check if you gained life at the end of every turn so if you have a good way to gain life or trigger your soul sister effects on each turn ( Resplendent Mentor for instance) then you can amass a lot of token very quickly. The Misc section contains two cards Witch of the Moors and Angel of Destiny both of these cards benefit from us gaining life but they don't have an effect that really fits anywhere in the other categories.

Category Explanations

Human Resources

This category contains all of the creature tutors in the deck as well as all of the decks token producers.

Management

This category contains all of the soul sister effects in the deck as well as some of the other creatures that can gain life.

Upper Management

This category contains all of the cards that do something when you gain life.

Karlov's stuff

This category contains the equipment tutors of the deck and the equipment that provides Karlov with evation.

Utility

This category contains all the ramp, removal, card draw, boardwipes, and most of the protection for Karlov.

Win Cons

This category contains all the win conditions in the deck.

Notable Lands

This category contains all the utility lands in the deck.

Card Selection

Human Resources

Human Resources

"The Branch has an evergrowing need for people and the employees with this job sate that demand"

- Crested Sunmare : This card has the potential of creating an indestructible 5/5 every turn, that's amazing.

- Court of Grace : Originally I had Elspeth, Knight-Errant in this spot but I think that the court is much better because where Elspeth only created a token Court of Grace provides tokens as well as card advantage in the form of the monarch.

- Elspeth, Sun's Champion : Being able to get three 1/1 on each of your turns is great because that creates enough triggers to get Karlov ready to kill something with just on soul sister effect on your board. The board wipe that she can activate is also very useful even if it will kill Karlov most of the time.

- Oketra's Monument : Ramp and token creation in one card, amazing.

- Ranger of Eos : This card is able to get protection for Karlov and one of the soul sisters for just 4 mana.

- Ranger-Captain of Eos : The Ranger-Captain gives up the normal Ranger's ability to get an extra one mana creature in return for costing one less and gaining the ability to make our opponents unable to interact with us via non-creature spells for a turn. This is a good trade because you will feel a lot better about yourself if you don't have to worry about counterspells when casting one of your win cons.

- Recruiter of the Guard : The best tutor in the deck. You need lifegain no problem get Resplendent Mentor , you need token generation no problem get Thraben Doomsayer , you need card draw no problem get Mentor of the Meek , you need soul sister effects no problem get Ranger of Eos , you need equipment no problem get Stoneforge Mystic . you have a problem no problem there is a creature in the deck that can help.

- Regna, the Redeemer : This is the best token producer out of the ones that make a token if we gain life in a turn because it gives us two bodies instead of just one and it also fetches Krav, the Unredeemed .

- Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord : While Sorin does not create creature he has the very useful ability to bring creatures onto the battlefield from the graveyard, and with a lot of the creatures in the deck having a relatively low mana cost it won't even cost him a lot of loyalty to do so.

- Thraben Doomsayer : This isn't the best token producer in the deck and its Faithful hour ability will not be relevant all that often but he is the only token producer that can be fetched by Recruiter of the Guard so he gets in the deck.

Management

Management

"Without proper direction our workers are not very useful. The employees with this job give the workers that direction and cause them to produce life"

- Ajani's Welcome : One of the best soul sister effects in the deck. It only costs one mana and while it cant trigger the other soul sister effects because it is not a creature it is much harder for your opponents to remove it for the same reason.

- Auriok Champion : Double white can be a bit of a problem, especially when you want to cast it as soon as turn 2 but being able to gain life for every creature entering the battlefield and being immune to boardwipes like Blasphemous Act as well as having protection from a lot of removal spells makes the card worth the double white.

- Authority of the Consuls : Only caring about opponents creatures can make the effectiveness of the card change from game to game but when you're facing three opponents it's pretty likely that one of them will be playing a creature-based deck. the card also has the beneficial effect of making it easier to attack with Karlov.

- Daxos, Blessed by the Sun : Daxos has the same mana cost as Auriok Champion with a lot worse benefits but what the card does have is not... terrable. Daxos's toughness can get relatively high with all the white cards in the deck and his gain of one life whenever another creature dies lets us gain a decent chunk of life if the board is wiped.

- Impassioned Orator : The card is decently costed and the generic mana symbol in the cost makes it benefit from the cost reduction of Oketra's Monument as well as making it easier to get out on turn 2 than Daxos, Blessed by the Sun or Auriok Champion .

- Kor Celebrant : Being three mana makes this card cost more than most of the other soul sister effects in the deck but in return for the extra mana that we have to spend to cast the card it triggers itself when it enters the battlefield.

- Pious Evangel  : Almost exactly the same as Kor Celebrant but this card gives us the ability to flip the card and turn it into a Zulaport Cutthroat like effect in response to a boardwipe.

- Resplendent Mentor : Five mana is a lot but with all the token producers and soul sister effects in the deck you will most likely get at least three additional life gain triggers. Giving your white creatures the ability to tap to gain a life makes it very easy to trigger cards like Regna, the Redeemer and Crested Sunmare each turn.

- Soul Warden and Soul's Attendant : The first two soul sister effects and like most original things in Magic they are better than their successors in almost every way.

- Suture Priest : Exactly the same as Impassioned Orator only in addition to the lifegain it gives us we can also deal damage to opponents whenever they have creatures enter the battlefield, this can be very effective against token decks.

- Wall of Reverence : Not a soul sister effect but it can be capable of gaining huge amounts of life once Karlov is set up. The card also has the wall creature type which allows it to block creatures equipped with Prowler's Helm , this combined with its flying keyword and high toughness makes the card an excellent blocker.

Upper Management

Upper Management

"Even managers need managers"

- Cliffhaven Vampire : If you can get enough soul sister effects on the board this card can start to chew through your opponent's life totals very quickly.

- Marauding Blight-Priest : The same as Cliffhaven Vampire except for it trading the ability to survive Dusk / Dawn and benefit from Resplendent Mentor for costing one less mana and being able to be found by Recruiter of the Guard .

- Sanguine Bond : This card costs a bit more than Marauding Blight-Priest and Cliffhaven Vampire but Forcing opponents to lose life equal to the life that you gain instead of making them just lose one life is very good when there are cards like Wall of Reverence and Righteous Confluence in the deck.

- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose : The creature version of Sanguine Bond . Being a creature makes the card more vulnerable to removal but it also makes the card trigger the soul sister effects when it enters the battlefield.

- Witch of the Moors : Most of the creatures in this deck are very small. The creatures being small comes with bennifits like allowing us to use cards like Mentor of the Meek and Dusk / Dawn to gain value as well as detraments like making it very easy for our opponents to kill them. This card helps make up for our creatures being so easy to kill by giving us a way to take them out of the graveyard and put them into our hand.

Karlov's stuff

Karlov's stuff

"Hitting people with bare hands is not befitting of someone like Karlov."

- Stoneforge Mystic : While not as good of a tutor as Recruiter of the Guard it is still very useful in the deck. The card is able to find protection in the form of Swiftfoot Boots as well as Lightning Greaves , evasion in the form of Sword of Feast and Famine as well as Sword of Light and Shadow , and protection removal in the form of Shadowspear .

- Shadowspear : Are you tired of wanting to kill something with Karlov but being unable to because of silly mechanics like hexproof? Are you tired of opponents making their creatures indestructible in response to a boardwipe? Do you believe that Karlov should have had the trample and lifelink keywords printed on him? If you answered yes to any of these questions then Shadowspear may be for you. Shadowspear effortlessly removes any problem relating to hexproof or indestructible and it does so for the low low cost of just one mana. But that's not all, for just two mana you can equip Shadowspear onto a creature and give it +1/+1, trample, and lifelink. So get your Shadowspear today and never worry about hexproof or indestructible again!

DISCLAIMER

Shadowspear Inc. is not responsible for any misplays resulting from mistaking hexproof (which Shadowspear can remove) and shroud (which Shadowspear cannot remove).

- Sword of Feast and Famine : Having mana open in order to activate Karlov is critical as opponents will often try to remove him when you don't have the ability to start exiling their creatures in response to any shenanigans they attempt. However, keeping two mana open is a lot harder than it sounds when you have so many spells you want to cast. This sword gets around that problem by effectively doubling the mana you get from your lands.

- Sword of Light and Shadow : Like I said earlier with Witch of the Moors most of our creatures die very easily so it is good to have ways of getting them back.

Utility

Utility

"The Branch has a solution to every problem"

Bodyguards

Bodyguards

"Karlov has many enemies and as such needs protection"

- Flawless Maneuver : Having the ability to make all your creatures indestructible at any time for free lets you breathe a lot easier on your opponents turns.

- Giver of Runes : Being one mana allows Giver of Runes to get onto the battlefield the turn before you play Karlov and it also allows it to be found by both Ranger of Eos and Ranger-Captain of Eos . Once Giver of Runes is on the battlefield it can be used for two things. The main thing that you will be using her for is protecting Karlov but if you have another piece of protection for Karlov you can use her to help Karlov get past blockers.

- Mother of Runes : The same as Giver of Runes except for two things. The first is that Mother of Runes can target herself with her ability making her more resistant to removal spells. Her ability to target herself comes at a cost however, she can't give protection from colorless.

- Lightning Greaves : Only two mana for both protection and haste is very good. The only bad thing about this card is that the shroud prevents you from equipping additional equipment to Karlov.

- Swiftfoot Boots : The same as Lightning Greaves except it allows us to target Karlov with our own spells and abilities in return for costing one more to equip.

Removal

Removal

"The branch has many ways to make sure that those who oppose us are properly dealt with."

- Anguished Unmaking : Paying 3 life is that big a deal in a lifegain deck especially when you get the ability to exile almost anything at instant speed in return.

- Council's Judgment : This card can be somewhat unpredictable, but if you are good at politics then you can exile multiple threatening permanents.

- Righteous Confluence : while this card is only able to target enchantments it makes up for this with its ability to gain us lie through triggering soul sister effects by making knights or by just gaining us five life three times.

- Utter End : An Anguished Unmaking but instead of paying 3 life you have to pay an extra mana.

Ramp

Ramp

"You have to spend mana to make mana."

- Arcane Signet : A commander staple.

- Chromatic Lantern : Having the correct color of mana to activate Karlov's ability is important and this mana rock helps with that.

- Fellwar Stone : Depending on your opponents this mana rock could be very good and function as a extra Arcane Signet or if none of your opponents are playing your colors it could just be a worse Mind Stone .

- Mind Stone : Not the best mana rock out there but with so few ramp options in Orzhov we sometimes have to settle for cards like Mind Stone .

- Orzhov Signet : A commander staple.

- Pristine Talisman : The lifegain rock goes in the lifegain deck.

- Smothering Tithe : I am unsure abought how good Smothering Tithe actually is in the deck. Four mana is a lot but once you get it onto the boards you can get a lot of mana from it especially if your opponents are drawing multiple cards a turn.

- Sol Ring : A commander staple.

- Talisman of Hierarchy : A commander staple.

- Weathered Wayfarer : I chose to include Weathered Wayfarer over Land Tax for two main reasons. The first reason is that the Wayfarer is a creature, being a creature is normally seen as a downside due to the fact that it makes the card more vulnerable to removal but this deck has so many cards that synergies with creatures that being a creature becomes a benefit. For example being a creature allows the Wayfarer to be found by Ranger of Eos and Ranger-Captain of Eos , trigger soul sister effects when entering the battlefield, trigger Oketra's Monument when cast, and much more. The second reason is that the Wayfarer can find non basic lands. This ability lets it get the right land for the right situation whether you need a Bojuka Bog to exile someones graveyard, Shizo, Death's Storehouse to help get Karlov past blockers, or Seraph Sanctuary to get more lifegain triggers.

Card Draw

Card Draw

"Having an adequate supply of resources is important and The Branch has many ways to procure them."

- Arguel's Blood Fast  : You will most likely never get to flip this card because in my experience in commander you are not ever on 5 life you are either one 15ish or greater life or your dead but the card is good enough in the deck as a 2 mana Greed .

- Erebos, God of the Dead : Preventing your opponents from gaining life works very well with Angel of Destiny as it prevents them from gaining life from the angle and lets you deal damage to them like normal. This card can also completely stop an opponent in their tracks if they are playing a lifegain deck.

- Krav, the Unredeemed : Krav is mainly here because I also have Regna, the Redeemer in the deck and Krav is basically just a free card you get when you play her but he does work well with the tokens that the deck makes.

- Mangara, the Diplomat : Most turns you will be drawing a card because its commander, and a lot of your opponents are going to play more than one spell a turn.

- Mentor of the Meek : Most of the creatures in this deck have low power and mana cost so you will trigger the Mentor a lot and most of the time you will have the mana you need to pay in order to draw a card.

- Twilight Prophet : Combines card draw and lifegain, the only downside is that you need to have ten permanents for it to start drawing cards.

- Well of Lost Dreams : With how much life the deck gains this is capable of drawing a lot of cards.

Board Wipes

Board Wipes

"The branch has the resorses to clear the way for our victory"

- Dusk / Dawn : Almost all of the creatures in this deck have 2 or less power and so this card functions as a mostly one-sided boardwipe with an extra spell stapled onto it.

- Toxic Deluge : Having to pay life for this spell is not much of a problem with how much life the deck can gain and oftentimes Karlov is big enough that we can kill all the other creatures on the board and still have Karlov survive.

- Winds of Abandon : most of the time you will use this as a boardwipe but being able to function as single-target removal when it is needed is nice.

Win Cons

Win Cons

"We have many weapons that are sure to cause your foes to fall before you"

- Aetherflux Reservoir : The Deathstar itself. Aetherflux Reservoir is a very strong card in the deck with it both gaining life for you and providing an outlet for your life again that will most likely instantly kill one of your opponents however there are some things to be wary of when using this card. The first thing to be wary of is spells that can change to targets of abilities like Deflecting Swat and Deflecting Palm unless you have more than 100 life spells like these will cause you to die to your own laserbeam. The second thing to be aware of is the fact that Aetherflux Reservoir is a scary card that will most likely attract a lot of removal the second that it hits the board.

- Angel of Destiny : This card is capable of killing people out of nowhere if we have a haste giver like Swiftfoot Boots or Lightning Greaves . The card is also capable of gaining us a lot of life if Karlov is big enough and can function as a way to give our creatures double lifelink.

- Exquisite Blood : An infamous combo piece that can go infinite with anything that does damage to your opponents when you gain life. This card has the same problem as Aetherflux Reservoir with it most likely being destroyed by removal soon after you play it so it is best to only play it when you are able to win with it.

Notable Lands

Notable Lands

"Every new location is important to the branch however some are more valuable than others"

- Forbidden Orchard : At first glance this might seem like a bad card in the deck, after all giving our opponents blockers for karlov is not the best. However when you look closer you will see that giving our opponent creatures can actually work to our benefit. The first and main way that this card can work to our benefit is its interaction with our soul sister effects that care about when a creature enters the battlefield under an opponent's control, these creatures can turn the card into a land with tap gain one life and add one mana of any color. The second way that the card can help the deck is the political good will that can come from giving a creature to someone. This may not seem like that much of a benefit but if someone is on the fence over who they want to attack, offering them a token can make them decide to turn their creatures towards one of your opponents rather than you.

- Command Beacon : Karlov is often targeted by our opponents removal so having a way to get around paying his commander tax when it starts getting expensive is very useful.

- Radiant Fountain , Kabira Crossroads , Seraph Sanctuary , and Scoured Barrens : these lands are all very good to play after we get Karlov out on the board because they provide us with a free lifegain trigger for just playing a land.

- Shizo, Death's Storehouse and Rogue's Passage : Both of these lands provide some form of evasion to our commander with Rogue's Passage giving very good evasion to Karlov and Shizo, Death's Storehouse giving slightly worse evasion but also costing 3 less mana to activate.

- Vault of Champions : The ability of the land is very expensive and you will probably not use it very often but if you get into the right situation it can be very useful.

- Agadeem's Awakening  : Our deck is very vunerable to board wipes with all the creatures that we have so a land with a good way to recover from boardwipes stapled onto it is a very good inclution in the deck.

- Emeria's Call  : This is not the most useful spell but the opportunity cost of adding the card is very low.

- Hagra Mauling  : A removal spell tacked onto a land is really good even if the removal spell itself is not the best.

- Sejiri Shelter  : Karlov tends to draw a lot of hate, something about our opponents not liking the fact that we can pay to exile any of their creatures and so they will try to kill him very frequently. This card stops any and all targeted removal that our opponents try and throw at him.

- Malakir Rebirth  : This card is also a piece of protection for Karlov. The card does have two problem though. The first problem is that this card will not protect Karlov from being exiled, the card needs the creature you use it on to go to the graveyard and if Karlov gets exiled that doesn't happen. The second and main problem is that using this to protect Karlov will not let us keep his counters. Thankfully the card does have some benefits as well mainly the fact that this is one of the few cards in the deck that can protect Karlov from boardwipes.

Branch Locations

Tracking visitor locations, starting from 11/20/2020

Top Ranked	Achieved #13 position overall 3 years ago Achieved #9 position in Commander / EDH 3 years ago Achieved #8 position in Commander / EDH Primer 4 years ago
Date added	4 years
Last updated	3 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	15 - 0 Mythic Rares 45 - 0 Rares 18 - 0 Uncommons 13 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.13
Tokens	Angel 4/4 W, Angel Warrior 4/4 W, City's Blessing, Emblem Elspeth, Sun's Champion, Horse 5/5 W, Human 1/1 W, Knight 2/2 W w/ Vigilance, Soldier 1/1 W, Spirit 1/1 C, Spirit 1/1 W, The Monarch, Treasure, Warrior 1/1 W, Warrior 1/1 W w/ Vigilance
Folders	EDH Decks