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The basic strategy of the deck is sort of a 'death by a thousand cuts' sort of approach; most of the cards end up having some way of making the opponent lose life bit by bit.I like the Orzhov because they're more or less the evil coin counters and tax collectors, for all that I don't have much of the Extort mechanic in the deck (for all that I love that in any multiplayer format). Instead, I filled the deck with all sorts of things that bleed the opponent dry bit by bit as a consequence of a variety of actions; I tax them to death.Long story short, the Orzhov is the IRS, and they're coming to repossess your life total.
Most of the early game has a fair bit of the Exalted mechanic at work; the Knights of Glory and Infamy are a great pair for bashing up the opposition, especially if they're running black or white. (And, fortunately, neither one dies to Doom Blade!) Mixed together with the Duty-Bound Dead, and you can keep up some pressure, or narrow down their life total while you set up things like Blood Reckoning, Grim Guardian and Blood Seeker; with those you can keep a steady stream of 1-Life-losses to keep the enemy life total low. From there, there's a number of ways to try and shoot for a victory; the Viz-Kopa Guildmage is an incredible card, and can do all manner of combat tricks; from turning Sorin's +1 to a potential finisher, to using Wall of Essence to more or less reflect the damage of an enemy creature back to your opponents. If she never hits the field, however, Harsh Sustenance or Debt to the Deathless both work as a means of taking out that last bit of life, or keeping your own life total going. All the while, Athreos either speeds up the life loss or offers some defense against removal and boardwipes, while Heliod, worst case, can keep up a steady stream of enchantment-creatures to activate the constellation abilities of the Coinsmith and the Guardian. All of which works -very- well with Sphere of Safety.Meanwhile, Ashen Rider meshes rather enjoyably with Gift of Immortality, either as a prohibitive blocker, or an attacker which the opponent has to choose to block or not due to that exiling effect on her death. The creature is a good way to lock down the board a little later on, as well as serving to kick in the devotion for the two gods in conjunction with the enchantments that should be on the field.
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Have you thought about running Wall of Limbs in this? I think it would make a good addition.
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I have! I only have one copy though, unfortunately, and I run it in a Golgari build. It's a fun finisher with Death's Presence if my hydras can't break through an opponent's defenses.