Shared Commander deck
Niv-Mizzet, Ghost Counsel - Lifegain Loop Engine
Niv-Mizzet, Ghost Counsel · BW · 100 cards · 37 lands
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Bracket 3 - UpgradedCommander 1Creatures 31Instants 9Sorceries 6Artifacts 13Enchantments 3
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Strategy
This deck leverages Niv-Mizzet, Ghost Counsel's lifegain-to-card-draw ability alongside a suite of 'whenever you gain life' payoffs in Orzhov colors. The core engine stacks small, repeatable lifegain triggers (from creatures entering and from Niv-Mizzet's own tap ability) with cards that convert that lifegain into opponent life loss or card draw, grinding the table down while refilling your hand.
Early: Accelerate with Dark Ritual and mana rocks like Arcane Signet, Talisman of Hierarchy, Mind Stone, Fellwar Stone, Worn Powerstone, and Everflowing Chalice to reach your double-white, double-black commander. Deploy cheap lifegain enablers such as Soul Warden, Soul's Attendant, Lunarch Veteran, and Guide of Souls so that later creatures entering trigger incremental life. Authority of the Consuls slows opponents' boards while gaining you life when their creatures enter. Use Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, and Infernal Grasp to answer early threats.
Mid: Land Niv-Mizzet, Ghost Counsel and start tapping it each turn: each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1, which can feed its own draw ability. Pair lifegain with drain payoffs like Marauding Blight-Priest, Cliffhaven Vampire, Starscape Cleric, Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose, and Enduring Tenacity so every point of life gained becomes life loss for opponents. Rhox Faithmender doubles your lifegain, and Heliod, Sun-Crowned plus Archangel of Thune turn lifegain into +1/+1 counters across your board. Crypt Ghast's extort drains opponents whenever you cast spells. Phyrexian Arena, Night's Whisper, and Read the Bones keep cards flowing.
Late: With Niv-Mizzet out, large lifegain events become massive card draws when you pay the life back. Vizkopa Guildmage's second ability makes all your lifegain that turn double as opponent life loss. Rhox Faithmender stacked with Niv-Mizzet lets you convert a doubled lifegain into a huge draw. Gray Merchant of Asphodel drains based on your devotion to black, often for a large chunk, and you gain that life to fuel further draws. Kaya's Wrath doubles as a board wipe and a lifegain spike.
Win conditions: Primary win is draining opponents to zero via lifegain payoffs: repeatedly gaining life with Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose, Marauding Blight-Priest, Cliffhaven Vampire, Starscape Cleric, or Enduring Tenacity in play turns your lifegain engine into direct life loss for all opponents. Vizkopa Guildmage can produce a single lethal lifegain burst. Psychosis Crawler closes games as you draw through Niv-Mizzet, draining a point per card drawn. Alternatively, Gray Merchant of Asphodel provides a large one-shot drain. Flying attackers like Archangel of Thune, Exemplar of Light, and a counter-grown Karlov of the Ghost Council offer a combat backup.
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose - Turns every point of lifegain into opponent life loss, a central win payoff.
- Rhox Faithmender - Doubles all your lifegain, amplifying draws off Niv-Mizzet and drain off payoffs.
- Vizkopa Guildmage - Activated ability makes all lifegain this turn also drain opponents, enabling a lethal burst.
- Marauding Blight-Priest - Each lifegain makes every opponent lose 1 life, a repeatable drain outlet.
- Psychosis Crawler - Each card drawn drains every opponent, punishing Niv-Mizzet's heavy draws.
- Gray Merchant of Asphodel - One-shot drain scaling with black devotion that gains you life to fuel the engine.
- Heliod, Sun-Crowned - Adds +1/+1 counters on lifegain, building a board while you drain.
- Crypt Ghast - Extort drains opponents on every spell and ramps black mana.
- Guide of Souls - Cheap enabler that gains life and energy whenever your creatures enter.
~$244.91
estimated to build this deck
Commander (1)
Niv-Mizzet, Ghost Counsel
Legendary Creature — Spirit Dragon
Flying
Whenever you gain life, you may pay that much life. If you do, draw that many cards.
{T}: Each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
Group by
Creatures (31)
Crypt Ghast
Creature — Spirit
$12.41
Extort (Whenever you cast a spell, you may pay {W/B}. If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain that much life.)
Whenever you tap a Swamp for mana, add an additional {B}.
Tataru Taru
Legendary Creature — Dwarf Advisor
$6.43
When Tataru Taru enters, you draw a card and target opponent may draw a card.
Scions' Secretary — Whenever an opponent draws a card, if it isn't that player's turn, create a tapped Treasure token. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Solemn Simulacrum
Artifact Creature — Golem
$0.26
When this creature enters, you may search your library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
When this creature dies, you may draw a card.
Haliya, Guided by Light
Legendary Creature — Human Soldier
$2.48
Whenever Haliya or another creature or artifact you control enters, you gain 1 life.
At the beginning of your end step, draw a card if you've gained 3 or more life this turn.
Warp {W} (You may cast this card from your hand for its warp cost. Exile this creature at the beginning of the next end step, then you may cast it from exile on a later turn.)
Exemplar of Light
Creature — Angel
$0.91
Flying
Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
Whenever you put one or more +1/+1 counters on this creature, draw a card. This ability triggers only once each turn.
The Gaffer
Legendary Creature — Halfling Peasant
$7.04
At the beginning of each end step, if you gained 3 or more life this turn, draw a card.
Welcoming Vampire
Creature — Vampire
$2.81
Flying
Whenever one or more other creatures you control with power 2 or less enter, draw a card. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Soul Warden
Creature — Human Cleric
$2.93
Whenever another creature enters, you gain 1 life.
Soul's Attendant
Creature — Human Cleric
$5.63
Whenever another creature enters, you may gain 1 life.
Suture Priest
Creature — Phyrexian Cleric
$0.58
Whenever another creature you control enters, you may gain 1 life.
Whenever a creature an opponent controls enters, you may have that player lose 1 life.
Lunarch Veteran // Luminous Phantom
Creature — Human Cleric // Creature — Spirit Cleric
$0.32
Whenever another creature you control enters, you gain 1 life.
Disturb {1}{W} (You may cast this card from your graveyard transformed for its disturb cost.)
//
Flying
Whenever another creature you control leaves the battlefield, you gain 1 life.
If Luminous Phantom would be put into a graveyard from anywhere, exile it instead.
Guide of Souls
Creature — Human Cleric
$3.62
Whenever another creature you control enters, you gain 1 life and get {E} (an energy counter).
Whenever you attack, you may pay {E}{E}{E}. When you do, put two +1/+1 counters and a flying counter on target attacking creature. It becomes an Angel in addition to its other types.
Rhox Faithmender
Creature — Rhino Monk
$1.98
Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)
If you would gain life, you gain twice that much life instead.
Heliod, Sun-Crowned
Legendary Enchantment Creature — God
$19.38
Indestructible
As long as your devotion to white is less than five, Heliod isn't a creature.
Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature or enchantment you control.
{1}{W}: Another target creature gains lifelink until end of turn.
Archangel of Thune
Creature — Angel
$18.26
Flying
Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)
Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
Marauding Blight-Priest
Creature — Vampire Cleric
$0.18
Whenever you gain life, each opponent loses 1 life.
Cliffhaven Vampire
Creature — Vampire Warrior Ally
$0.62
Flying
Whenever you gain life, each opponent loses 1 life.
Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
Legendary Creature — Vampire Cleric
$9.32
Whenever you gain life, target opponent loses that much life.
{3}{B}{B}: Creatures you control gain lifelink until end of turn.
Enduring Tenacity
Enchantment Creature — Snake Glimmer
$12.43
Whenever you gain life, target opponent loses that much life.
When Enduring Tenacity dies, if it was a creature, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control. It's an enchantment. (It's not a creature.)
Starscape Cleric
Creature — Bat Cleric
$1.01
Offspring {2}{B} (You may pay an additional {2}{B} as you cast this spell. If you do, when this creature enters, create a 1/1 token copy of it.)
Flying
This creature can't block.
Whenever you gain life, each opponent loses 1 life.
Vizkopa Guildmage
Creature — Human Wizard
$0.38
{1}{W}{B}: Target creature gains lifelink until end of turn.
{1}{W}{B}: Whenever you gain life this turn, each opponent loses that much life.
Karlov of the Ghost Council
Legendary Creature — Spirit Advisor
$11.7
Whenever you gain life, put two +1/+1 counters on Karlov.
{W}{B}, Remove six +1/+1 counters from Karlov: Exile target creature.
Voice of the Blessed
Creature — Spirit Cleric
$0.8
Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
As long as this creature has four or more +1/+1 counters on it, it has flying and vigilance.
As long as this creature has ten or more +1/+1 counters on it, it has indestructible.
Elenda's Hierophant
Creature — Vampire Cleric
$2.29
Flying
Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
When this creature dies, create X 1/1 white Vampire creature tokens with lifelink, where X is its power.
Daxos, Blessed by the Sun
Legendary Enchantment Creature — Demigod
$0.25
Daxos's toughness is equal to your devotion to white. (Each {W} in the mana costs of permanents you control counts toward your devotion to white.)
Whenever another creature you control enters or dies, you gain 1 life.
Kambal, Consul of Allocation
Legendary Creature — Human Advisor
$7.7
Whenever an opponent casts a noncreature spell, that player loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
Creeping Bloodsucker
Creature — Vampire
$5.02
At the beginning of your upkeep, this creature deals 1 damage to each opponent. You gain life equal to the damage dealt this way.
Twilight Prophet
Creature — Vampire Cleric
$1.87
Flying
Ascend (If you control ten or more permanents, you get the city's blessing for the rest of the game.)
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have the city's blessing, reveal the top card of your library and put it into your hand. Each opponent loses X life and you gain X life, where X is that card's mana value.
Gray Merchant of Asphodel
Creature — Zombie
$0.81
When this creature enters, each opponent loses X life, where X is your devotion to black. You gain life equal to the life lost this way. (Each {B} in the mana costs of permanents you control counts toward your devotion to black.)
Psychosis Crawler
Artifact Creature — Phyrexian Horror
$0.69
Psychosis Crawler's power and toughness are each equal to the number of cards in your hand.
Whenever you draw a card, each opponent loses 1 life.
Bloodthirsty Conqueror
Creature — Vampire Knight
$34.4
Flying, deathtouch
Whenever an opponent loses life, you gain that much life. (Damage causes loss of life.)
Instants (9)
Swords to Plowshares
Instant
$1.01
Exile target creature. Its controller gains life equal to its power.
Path to Exile
Instant
$0.71
Exile target creature. Its controller may search their library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
Generous Gift
Instant
$0.87
Destroy target permanent. Its controller creates a 3/3 green Elephant creature token.
Sorceries (6)
Feed the Swarm
Sorcery
$0.21
Destroy target creature or enchantment an opponent controls. You lose life equal to that permanent's mana value.
Kaya's Wrath
Sorcery
$0.45
Destroy all creatures. You gain life equal to the number of creatures you controlled that were destroyed this way.
Read the Bones
Sorcery
$0.2
Scry 2, then draw two cards. You lose 2 life. (To scry 2, look at the top two cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom and the rest on top in any order.)
Artifacts (13)
Relic of Legends
Artifact
$0.75
{T}: Add one mana of any color.
Tap an untapped legendary creature you control: Add one mana of any color.
Arcane Signet
Artifact
$0.35
{T}: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity.
Commander's Sphere
Artifact
$0.19
{T}: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity.
Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.
Fellwar Stone
Artifact
$0.57
{T}: Add one mana of any color that a land an opponent controls could produce.
Chromatic Lantern
Artifact
$0.56
Lands you control have "{T}: Add one mana of any color."
{T}: Add one mana of any color.
Talisman of Hierarchy
Artifact
$0.43
{T}: Add {C}.
{T}: Add {W} or {B}. This artifact deals 1 damage to you.
Mind Stone
Artifact
$0.27
{T}: Add {C}.
{1}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.
Decanter of Endless Water
Artifact
$3.26
You have no maximum hand size.
{T}: Add one mana of any color.
Everflowing Chalice
Artifact
$0.27
Multikicker {2} (You may pay an additional {2} any number of times as you cast this spell.)
This artifact enters with a charge counter on it for each time it was kicked.
{T}: Add {C} for each charge counter on this artifact.
Venser's Journal
Artifact — Book
$9.01
You have no maximum hand size.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain 1 life for each card in your hand.
Ivory Tower
Artifact
$0.24
At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain X life, where X is the number of cards in your hand minus 4.
Enchantments (3)
Phyrexian Arena
Enchantment
$1.59
At the beginning of your upkeep, you draw a card and lose 1 life.
Authority of the Consuls
Enchantment
$3.76
Creatures your opponents control enter tapped.
Whenever a creature an opponent controls enters, you gain 1 life.
Words of Worship
Enchantment
$22.33
{1}: The next time you would draw a card this turn, you gain 5 life instead.
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