Art by Greg Staples
Commander deckBW
Ghost Council of Orzhova
Utilize one of the most obscure and forgotten Orzhov commanders to trigger recursive lifegain and drain engines. Sacrifice disposable creatures to flicker your commander, stacking death and lifegain triggers to drain opponents to zero.
Asked for“I want a deck built around a card that less than five people play on ADH rack as a commander I would prefer that card to be black and white as I enjoy life gain and life drain Make it go crazy, but this must be a card that nobody plays the closer to zero people who use this card as a commander the better the commander is in my opinion”
Deck anatomy
What this list actually runs on: how cheaply it casts things, and whether it has enough ramp, card draw and interaction to keep up at the table. Each block is one card — hover for its name.
Mana curve · 62 nonland cards
The working parts
Counted from Scryfall’s community card tags, not from the builder’s own labels. A card that does two jobs counts twice, so these add up to more than the deck. The hatched band is a common rule of thumb, not a law — combo decks run leaner, battlecruiser decks heavier.
Colored mana symbols
Commander
1Ghost Council of Orzhova
WWBBLegendary Creature — Spirit
Chosen commander for the requested strategy.
Ramp
9
Smothering Tithe
3WEnchantment
explosive treasure generation from opponents drawing
Card Draw
11
Morbid Opportunist
2BCreature — Human Rogue
draws cards on each turn a creature dies
Midnight Reaper
2BCreature — Zombie Knight
rewards creature deaths with fresh cards
Removal
11
Cleansing Nova
3WWSorcery
modal sweep for creatures or artifacts and enchantments
Heliod's Intervention
XWWInstant
blows up problem permanents or provides massive lifegain
Threats/Wincons
23
Zulaport Cutthroat
1BCreature — Human Rogue Ally
drains all opponents on your creature deaths
Cruel Celebrant
WBCreature — Vampire
drains each opponent on creature and planeswalker deaths
Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
WBLegendary Creature — Phyrexian Kor Cleric
gains life on ETB and drains on death
Corpse Knight
WBCreature — Zombie Knight
drains opponents whenever your creatures enter
Kambal, Consul of Allocation
1WBLegendary Creature — Human Advisor
punishes opponents for casting noncreature spells
Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
2BLegendary Creature — Vampire Cleric
converts every point of lifegain into opponent life loss
Marauding Blight-Priest
2BCreature — Vampire Cleric
weaponizes lifegain into board-wide life loss
Karlov of the Ghost Council
WBLegendary Creature — Spirit Advisor
grows massive from lifegain and provides creature exile
Syr Konrad, the Grim
3BBLegendary Creature — Human Knight
heavy drain trigger on creature movement zones
Gray Merchant of Asphodel
3BBCreature — Zombie
huge lifegain and drain swing based on devotion
Voice of the Blessed
WWCreature — Spirit Cleric
scales rapidly with repeated lifegain triggers
Crested Sunmare
3WWCreature — Horse
spits out 5/5 indestructible horses on lifegain
Ophiomancer
2BCreature — Human Shaman
endless snake tokens for your commander to sacrifice
Bitterblossom
1BKindred Enchantment — Faerie
reliable flying fodder every single upkeep
Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia
1BLegendary Creature — Human Wizard
constant free decay zombie for sacrifice fodder
Reassembling Skeleton
1BCreature — Skeleton Warrior
repeatable sacrifice fuel that recurs from the graveyard
Nether Traitor
BBCreature — Spirit
hasty recurring creature fueled by death triggers
Bolas's Citadel
3BBBLegendary Artifact
casts cards off your inflated life total and provides a win condition
Aetherflux Reservoir
4Artifact
exponential lifegain that turns life into a 50-damage laser
Debt to the Deathless
XWWBBSorcery
multiplied drain spell that decisively closes games
Utility
8
Bastion of Remembrance
2BEnchantment
enchantment-based drain effect resilient to board wipes
Blind Obedience
1WEnchantment
slows opponent tempo while providing extort drain triggers
Sanguine Bond
3BBEnchantment
burns opponents whenever you gain life and combos with Exquisite Blood
Exquisite Blood
4BEnchantment
gains life from opponent damage and forms an infinite drain loop
Lightning Greaves
2Artifact — Equipment
gives key creatures haste and shroud protection
Swiftfoot Boots
2Artifact — Equipment
provides hexproof protection to essential combo engines
Phyrexian Reclamation
BEnchantment
rebuys fallen value creatures using spare life
Teleportation Circle
3WEnchantment
repeatedly flickers your commander to drain each turn cycle
