Ayara by zombiebrawl84

Format: Commander

Commander: Ayara, First of Locthwain

Bracket: 4

DeckCheck Threat Index: 55

Deck overview

This deck is a high-power mono-black aristocrats combo deck led by Ayara, First of Locthwain. The primary game plan accelerates mana through fast artifacts and dark rituals to establish Ayara alongside recursive sacrifice engines. The main win condition uses Gravecrawler looped indefinitely through Warren Soultrader or Phyrexian Altar, triggering Ayara to drain all three opponents to zero life in a single turn. Nine premier tutors ensure consistent access to combo pieces or high-impact backup lines like Professor Onyx paired with Chain of Smog and Bolas's Citadel storms. Defensive capabilities rely on heavy creature removal and asymmetric attrition engines such as Grave Pact and Dauthi Voidwalker, which suppress opposing creature strategies and graveyards. While the deck lacks stack countermagic and enchantment removal, its exceptional speed, tutoring density, and redundant recursion allow it to threaten decisive same-turn table kills reliably by Turn 4.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Abhorrent Overlord
  • 1 Agadeem's Awakening // Agadeem, the Undercrypt
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Ashnod's Altar
  • 1 Ayara, First of Locthwain
  • 1 Beseech the Mirror
  • 1 Bitterblossom
  • 1 Bloodghast
  • 1 Bloodstained Mire
  • 1 Bolas's Citadel
  • 1 Butcher Ghoul
  • 1 Cabal Coffers
  • 1 Cabal Ritual
  • 1 Carnival of Souls
  • 1 Carrion Feeder
  • 1 Chain of Smog
  • 1 Chittering Witch
  • 1 Chrome Mox
  • 1 Chthonian Nightmare
  • 1 Crypt Ghast
  • 1 Culling the Weak
  • 1 Dark Ritual
  • 1 Dauthi Voidwalker
  • 1 Deadly Rollick
  • 1 Demonic Consultation
  • 1 Demonic Tutor
  • 1 Diabolic Intent
  • 1 Dictate of Erebos
  • 1 Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
  • 1 Geralf's Messenger
  • 1 Grave Pact
  • 1 Gravecrawler
  • 1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
  • 1 Grim Tutor
  • 1 Gwenom, Remorseless
  • 1 Imperial Seal
  • 1 Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia
  • 1 K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
  • 1 Lazotep Reaver
  • 1 Liliana, Dreadhorde General
  • 1 Malicious Affliction
  • 1 Mana Vault
  • 1 Marsh Flats
  • 1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
  • 1 Mox Amber
  • 1 Necropotence
  • 1 Nether Traitor
  • 1 Nim Deathmantle
  • 1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
  • 1 Ophiomancer
  • 1 Orcish Bowmasters
  • 1 Peer into the Abyss
  • 1 Phyrexian Altar
  • 1 Phyrexian Tower
  • 1 Pitiless Plunderer
  • 1 Plague of Vermin
  • 1 Polluted Delta
  • 1 Priest of Gix
  • 1 Professor Onyx
  • 1 Putrid Goblin
  • 1 Scheming Symmetry
  • 1 Sedgemoor Witch
  • 1 Sengir Autocrat
  • 1 Sensei's Divining Top
  • 1 Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER // Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel
  • 23 Snow-Covered Swamp
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 South Wind Avatar
  • 1 Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools
  • 1 The Ghoul, Gunslinger
  • 1 The Meathook Massacre
  • 1 Toxic Deluge
  • 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
  • 1 Vampiric Tutor
  • 1 Verdant Catacombs
  • 1 Warren Soultrader
  • 1 Wishclaw Talisman
  • 1 Yawgmoth, Thran Physician