Death Taxes

Format: Commander

Commander: Teysa Karlov

Bracket: 3

Deck overview

Teysa Karlov is an Orzhov aristocrats engine that doubles every creature-death trigger the deck can generate. The strategy is built on a dense pack of drain creatures - Blood Artist, Zulaport Cutthroat, Cruel Celebrant, and Bastion of Remembrance - plus token producers like Ministrant of Obligation, Pawn of Ulamog, and Oketra's Monument to keep the sacrifice fodder flowing. The primary finish is an infinite lifegain/lifeloss loop: Sanguine Bond paired with Exquisite Blood or Bloodthirsty Conqueror turns any single point of life loss into a table-wide kill, and Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose, Enduring Tenacity, and Starscape Cleric act as redundant Bond effects. A secondary plan wins through a Teysa-boosted board wipe or a large token sacrifice chain. Teysa, Orzhov Scion in the 99 functions as a hidden supporting engine, adding exile-removal and Spirit generation.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Afterlife Insurance
  • 1 Al Bhed Salvagers
  • 1 Anguished Unmaking
  • 1 Arnyn, Deathbloom Botanist
  • 1 Ashes of the Abhorrent
  • 1 Bastion of Remembrance
  • 1 Benediction of Moons
  • 1 Blasphemous Edict
  • 1 Blood Artist
  • 1 Bloodletter of Aclazotz
  • 1 Bloodthirsty Conqueror
  • 1 Bojuka Bog
  • 1 Bolas's Citadel
  • 1 Bontu's Monument
  • 1 Braids, Arisen Nightmare
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Cruel Celebrant
  • 1 Crypt Ghast
  • 1 Curious Farm Animals
  • 1 Damn
  • 1 Daxos, Blessed by the Sun
  • 1 Demonic Tutor
  • 1 Drivnod, Carnage Dominus
  • 1 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
  • 1 Elenda, the Dusk Rose
  • 1 Enduring Tenacity
  • 1 Exquisite Blood
  • 1 Fetid Heath
  • 1 Grim Tutor
  • 1 Hallowed Spiritkeeper
  • 1 Jet Medallion
  • 1 Lightning Greaves
  • 1 Luminous Broodmoth
  • 1 Ministrant of Obligation
  • 1 Mirkwood Bats
  • 1 Oketra's Monument
  • 1 Orzhov Basilica
  • 1 Orzhov Enforcer
  • 1 Path to Exile
  • 1 Pawn of Ulamog
  • 1 Pearl Medallion
  • 15 Plains
  • 1 Reanimate
  • 1 Reassembling Skeleton
  • 1 Rebuff the Wicked
  • 1 Reliquary Tower
  • 1 Rhox Faithmender
  • 1 Sanguine Bond
  • 1 Skullclamp
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Solemn Simulacrum
  • 1 Sothera, the Supervoid
  • 1 Starscape Cleric
  • 1 Suture Priest
  • 1 Suture Spirit
  • 17 Swamp
  • 1 Swords to Plowshares
  • 1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
  • 1 Teysa Karlov
  • 1 Teysa, Orzhov Scion
  • 1 The Darkness Crystal
  • 1 The Wind Crystal
  • 1 Vigilant Martyr
  • 1 Vito, Fanatic of Aclazotz
  • 1 Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
  • 1 Vizkopa Guildmage
  • 1 Wrath of God
  • 1 Wriggling Grub
  • 1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
  • 1 Zulaport Cutthroat