Overview:

This Orzhov lifegain deck leverages Amalia Benavides Aguirre as its engine and primary win condition. The strategy revolves around deploying creatures and enchantments that trigger life gain on creature entry (e.g., Soul Warden, Authority of the Consuls), which fuels Amalia's explore ability. By stacking explores, Amalia grows rapidly and can wipe the board when she hits exactly 20 power. Secondary win conditions include life-drain effects (Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose, Marauding Blight-Priest) and Aetherflux Reservoir storm kills. Amalia is essential as both a board control tool and threat amplifier, though her low cost allows easy recasting. The deck exhibits strong synergy but relies heavily on maintaining a board presence.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Prioritize playing life-gain enablers like Soul Warden, Authority of the Consuls, or Esper Sentinel. Ramp with Sol Ring/Orzhov Signet and cast Amalia by turn 2-3.
2. Engine Activation (Turns 4-6): Flood the board with low-cost creatures (e.g., Suture Priest, Lunarch Veteran) to trigger life gain and Amalia explores. Use tutors (Demonic Tutor, Diabolic Intent) to find key pieces like Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose or Aetherflux Reservoir. Protect Amalia with Lightning Greaves or Teferi's Protection.
3. Win Condition Execution:
   • Amalia Wipe: Grow Amalia to exactly 20 power via explores (use counter manipulation if needed), then wipe the board and swing for commander damage.
   • Life Drain: Amplify life-gain triggers with Epicure of Blood, Cliffhaven Vampire, or Syr Konrad, the Grim to bleed opponents.
   • Reservoir Storm: Cast multiple spells in a turn to gain 50+ life, then activate Aetherflux Reservoir for lethal.
   • Recursion: Rebuild boards post-wipe with Rally the Ancestors or Karmic Guide.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including WB sources), at least one 1-2 CMC life-gain enabler, and Amalia or a tutor.
• Prioritize hands with protection (Benevolent Bodyguard, Selfless Spirit) in interactive metas.
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or oversaturated with high-CMC cards.

Key Tips:

• Amalia Precision: Track explore triggers meticulously to hit exactly 20 power. Use instant-speed life gain (e.g., Sheltered by Ghosts) to manipulate counters during combat/upkeep.
• Protection Layers: Equip Amalia with Shadowspear for lifelink/trample and ward activation. Flare of Fortitude sacrifices white creatures for full-board protection.
• Recursion Sequencing: Sevinne's Reclamation on Priest of Fell Rites enables double reanimation. Syr Konrad, the Grim punishes board wipes and fuels drain.
• Resource Acceleration: Smothering Tithe and Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff generate treasures to fund multiple spells per turn for Aetherflux.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace) cripples recursion engines like Rally the Ancestors, Karmic Guide, and Syr Konrad.
• Enchantment/artifact removal targeting key pieces (Authority of the Consuls, Aetherflux Reservoir, Smothering Tithe) disrupts the core engine.
• Board wipes reset life-gain triggers and force slow rebuilds despite protection spells.

Moderate

• Anti-life-gain effects (Erebos, God of the Dead) nullify the primary strategy and drain payoffs.
• Targeted removal on Amalia delays the board-wipe plan, though recasting is cheap.
• Fast combo decks outpace this deck's incremental setup.

Minor

• Limited stack interaction makes countering non-creature threats difficult.
• Flyers can pressure life totals if lifelink creatures are removed.

Most Important Cards:

• Amalia Benavides Aguirre (Commander, board wipe enabler)
• Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose (Life-drain amplifier)
• Aetherflux Reservoir (Alternate win condition)
• Authority of the Consuls (Early life gain, speed reduction)
• Soul Warden (Core life-gain trigger)
• Demonic Tutor (Finds critical combo pieces)
• Teferi's Protection (Board wipe protection)
• Syr Konrad, the Grim (Graveyard synergy and drain)
• Smothering Tithe (Mana acceleration)
• Rally the Ancestors (Mass recursion for recovery)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can threaten wins via Amalia board wipe + commander damage or Aetherflux storm around turns 7-9, but requires significant setup and lacks turbo ramp.

Resilience: 6/10

• Multiple protection spells and graveyard recursion mitigate disruption, but heavy reliance on board presence makes it vulnerable to wipes and targeted hate.

Consistency: 7/10

• High density of life-gain triggers and tutors (Demonic Tutor, Diabolic Intent) ensure reliable access to key pieces, though draw power is moderate.

Interaction: 5/10

• Efficient targeted removal (Swords to Plowshares, Anguished Unmaking) and board wipes (Damn), but minimal stack interaction beyond Reprieve and protection effects.

Rating Justification:

This deck demonstrates focused synergy and multiple win paths, enabling T7-9 victories through combat, drain, or storm, aligning with the "Optimized Casual" tier. Its resilience against targeted removal and solid consistency elevate it above precons, but vulnerability to graveyard hate and board wipes caps its ceiling.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5