Lifegain has long been one of the most popular archetypes in MTG. While it easily creates a snowbally board state, this strategy rarely ends up becoming competitive due to its fragility. Because of that, when Lifegain does put up a notable result, like winning a Standard Challenge, it can be quite exciting.
Standard Orzhov Lifegain
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MTGO user bBelcampo’s challenge-winning Orzhov list offers a completely dedicated lifegain list and, frankly, it’s surprising that this strategy hasn’t popped up in Standard sooner. With four different lifegain enablers, like Hinterland Sanctifier available, you should have no trouble triggering your lifegain synergies even through removal.
Some of these lifegain enablers go above and beyond just gaining life. Haliya, Guided by Light, for example, will typically draw you a card each turn, while Case of the Uneaten Feast can recast an army of creatures after a board wipe.
Speaking of recursion, many of the lifegain payoffs, like Moseo, Vein’s New Dean and Zoraline, Cosmos Caller help you survive Standard’s onslaught of removal by resurrecting your creatures. Throw Lunar Convocation into the mix as a token generator and mana sink, and you’re fully equipped to keep up with Standard’s ridiculous value engines.
That said, this deck also includes aggressive tools like Starscape Cleric to deal a lot of damage in the early game. Voice of Victory is surprisingly powerful here too, stopping countermagic and gaining tons of life with Mobilize. Throw in some interactive elements, like Deep-Cavern Bat and Erode, and this lifegain deck should be able to take on many of Standard’s current pillars.
An Interesting Mix
Between lifegain’s resilience to aggressive strategies and its ability to grind, this list, in theory, offers a particularly unique matchup spread. As demonstrated in its top eight performance, this deck has an extremely strong matchup against Izzet Prowess, outlasting its aggressive starts with all of its lifegain. The deck also managed to beat Jeskai Lessons in the top eight, showcasing its resilience against slow decks.
With a lack of interaction, Orzhov lifegain is likely to struggle against Standard’s various green decks. A powered-up Mightform Harvester can easily one-shot this strategy, while Simic Rhythm can easily go over the top if Badgermole Cub survives. Clarion Conqueror can help slow these decks down, but it’s unlikely to be enough to swing the matchup.
Should you expect green to be a less popular color at your event, then this Orzhov lifegain deck might be a fantastic metagame choice to try. Even if that’s not the case, however, this offers a way for lifegain enthusiasts to try the archetype competitively, making it a great choice for your next weekly MTG event.
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