All the life!
Lathiel lifegain is, as you can infer, all about gaining as much life as possible. There are many cards in this deck that grant life, as well as creatures that get more powerful the more life we gain. Adding in some cards to draw cards, mana ramp, and search our library, as well as a few cards that let us win within a round or two of the card being played, and we have a solid deck to throw at people.
Those all important Win Cons
Let’s start with the best of the best. These are the bad boys that will secure the win for us, and they will do so quickly. If set up correctly, we can win the game within a round or two of them being played.
-
Angel of Destiny
: When a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you each gain that much life. If
Angel of Destiny
deals combat damage to a player and your life is 15 more than your starting life, that player loses the game.
-
Felidar Sovereign
: At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have 40 or more life, you win the game.
-
Test of Endurance
: Similar to
Felidar Sovereign
, at the beginning of your upkeep, if you have 50 or more life, you win the game.
-
Aetherflux Reservoir
: Pay 50 life to hit another player for 50 damage.
Cards that identify as Win Cons
These are our next set of top cards. Not necessarily our Win Cons, but pretty close to them. They all have insane abilities that will keep us in the game and press our opponents into a corner.
-
Serra Avatar
: If you have a lot of life, this would be a heavy hitter. There are a few cards that can give creatures trample, which would make it a menace on the battlefield if paired with this card.
-
Ajani Goldmane
: His -6 ability creates a Serra Avatar token.
-
Ajani, Strength of the Pride
: His 0 ability is if you have 15 or more life than your starting life total, exile this card as well as each artifact and creature your opponent controls. Utilizing this ability when you have a lot of creatures, or just a few heavy hitters, can almost guarantee you the win.
-
Garruk, Unleashed
: Not only can this card give a creature +3/+3 and trample until end of turn as his +1 ability, but his -7 ability gives us an emblem that allows us to search your library for any creature card and place it onto the battlefield at the beginning of each of your end steps. This will give you access to every creature card inside of your library without having to pay the mana costs of these creatures.
-
The Book of Exalted Deeds
: At the beginning of your end step, if you gained 3 or more life this turn, create a 3/3 Angel creature token with flying. This card also has an ability that allows you to exile this card and give another angel an ability that states you cannot lose the game and your opponent cannot win the game.
Mana Rampin’ it up
We don’t want to be a slow burn, we want to strike hard and fast. While we don’t have any creatures with haste, we do have a decent selection of cards that will allow us to generate mana quickly. The more mana we can generate, the more combos we can unleash onto our opponents.
-
Accomplished Alchemist
: Tap it to generate 1 mana of any color. You can also tap it to add X mana of any 1 color, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn.
-
Quirion Elves
: Tap it to generate or the mana you chose when it entered the battlefield.
-
Circle of Dreams Druid
: Allows us to add for each creature we control.
-
Nyxbloom Ancient
: Tapping a permanent for mana generates 3 times that much mana.
-
Rampant Growth
: Bring a basic land from your library onto the battlefield tapped.
-
Gift of Paradise
and
New Horizons
: Enchant a land, which when tapped adds 2 mana of any one color.
-
Arcane Signet
: Add 1 mana of any color in your commander’s color identity.
-
Sol Ring
: Adds .
-
Chromatic Lantern
: All lands can tap for any color, plus this card taps for one mana of any color.
Creatures that live for that lifegain
These cards are part of the reason we want to gain life. Besides Serra Avatar, who’s life total is equal to our total life, each one gets counters every time we gain life, making them an important staple in our deck.
-
Ajani's Pridemate
and
Celestial Unicorn
: Any time you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
-
Trelasarra, Moon Dancer
: Just like
Ajani's Pridemate
and
Celestial Unicorn
, except you also get to scry 1 any time you gain life.
-
Twinblade Paladin
: Similar to
Ajani's Pridemate
,
Celestial Unicorn
, and
Trelasarra, Moon Dancer
, except if you have 25 or more life, then this creature has double strike.
-
Ageless Entity
: Similar to
Ajani's Pridemate
,
Celestial Unicorn
,
Trelasarra, Moon Dancer
, and
Twinblade Paladin
, but it gets +X/+X where X is the total amount of life gained.
-
Serra Avatar
: Her power and toughness is equal to the total amount of life you have.
“You get a life, you get a life!”
Now we just went over creatures that get put on steroids each time we gain life. How do we gain that life? From the cards listed below! There are a plethora of cards that allow us to gain life from spells we cast, spells our opponents cast, life gain from creatures entering the battlefield, etc. The more life we gain, the more powerful we become, and these cards will do exactly that.
-
Daxos, Blessed by the Sun
: Any time a creature you control enters the battlefield or dies, gain 1 life.
-
Essence Warden
,
Soul Warden
, and
Soul's Attendant
: Any time another creature enters the battlefield, gain 1 life.
-
Ajani's Welcome
: Any time a creature enters the battlefield under your control, gain 1 life.
-
Authority of the Consuls
: Creatures your opponents control enter the battlefield tapped. Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under an opponent’s control, you gain 1 life.
-
Sunscorch Regent
: Whenever an opponent casts a spell, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature and gain 1 life.
-
Cosmos Elixir
: At the beginning of your end step, draw a card if your total life is greater than your starting life. Otherwise, gain 2 life.
-
Silent Attendant
,
Braidwood Cup
, and
Marble Chalice
: Tap this card and gain 1 life.
-
Diamond Mare
: Choose a color. Any time you cast a spell of the chosen color, you gain 1 life.
-
Leonin Vanguard
: At the beginning of combat on your turn, if you have 3 or more creatures, this creature gets +1/+1 and you gain 1 life.
-
Froghemoth
: After this creature deals combat damage to a player, exile up to that many target cards from their graveyard. Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature for every creature card exiled this way. You gain 1 life for each noncreature card exiled this way.
-
Sylvan Shepherd
: Every time you attack with this creature, roll a d20 and gain life based on the number rolled.
-
Ajani Goldmane
: His +1 ability allows you to gain 2 life.
-
Ajani, Strength of the Pride
: His +1 ability allows you to gain life equal to the number of creatures you control plus the number of planeswalkers you control.
-
Ajani, the Greathearted
: His +1 ability allows you to gain 3 life.
-
Bond of Flourishing
: Look at the top 3 cards of your library and choose a permanent card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order. You gain 3 life.
-
Planewide Celebration
: You can choose 4, and each can be chosen more than once. Two of these modes are proliferate, which allows you to add another counter to each card that has one already, and the other mode worth discussing with our strategy gives you 4 life.
-
Primal Command
: Choose 2: Target players gains 7 life, and the other one worth noting for our strategy is to search your library for a creature card, reveal it and put it into your hand.
-
Cursebreak
: Destroy target enchantment. You gain 2 life.
-
Invoke the Divine
: Destroy target artifact or enchantment. You gain 4 life.
-
Revitalize
: You gain 3 life. Draw a card.
Buffs for da friends
These cards will buff up our creatures in a variety of ways. Are you afraid of attacking because your creatures stay tapped? Well, not any more! A couple cards grant other creatures vigilance! What about a few of your creatures that are powerful hitters, but keep getting blocked by smaller creatures, not allowing your bad boys to hit for their full power? Great news! A few cards grant creatures trample, so you can push past the small fries and obliterate your opponents! There are also a multitude of cards that grant counters to other cards, allowing you to put your creatures on steroids!
-
Aggressive Mammoth
: Gives other creatures trample.
-
Blossoming Bogbeast
: As long as this creature attacks, gain 2 life. Then creatures you control gain trample and get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the amount of life you gained this turn.
-
Talons of Wildwood
: Enchant a creature, which gives it +1/+1 and has trample.
-
Garruk, Unleashed
: His +1 ability allows you to give a creature +3/+3 with trample until end of turn.
-
Ajani, the Greathearted
: Creatures you control have vigilance.
-
Squire's Devotion
: Enchant a creature, giving it +1/+1 and it has lifelink. Create a 1/1 Vampire creature token with lifelink.
-
Ajani Goldmane
: His -1 ability allows you to put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control. Those creatures gain vigilance until end of turn.
-
Planewide Celebration
: Allows you to proliferate, meaning you can add a counter to each card that already has a counter.
-
Lathiel, the Bounteous Dawn
(our gracious leader): At the beginning of each end step, if you gained life this turn, distribute up to that many +1/+1 counters among any number of other target creatures.
Heavy hitters without steroids
I know we just talked about steroids, but let’s step away from that for a second. Do you not care for drugs? Do you worry about the potential drawbacks steroids can have on your precious creatures? Well, look no further! These 3 creatures are the best of the best right from the get go! No need to inject them with steroids, as they’re already powerful and ready to crush your enemies for you in a clean, no drug-inducing manner!
Tokens, tokens, and more tokens
When regular creatures aren’t enough to satisfy you, why not rely on other means to achieve that all important bliss! These cards will help you generate token after token, bolstering your defenses, and granting you the sort of satisfaction only you yourself can give!
-
Crested Sunmare
: Other Horses you control have indestructible. At the beginning of each end step, if you have gained life this turn, create a 5/5 Horse creature token.
-
Speaker of the Heavens
: Tap this card to create a 4/4 Angel creature token with flying. Activate this ability only if you have at least 7 life more than your starting life total and only any time you could cast a sorcery.
-
Storm Herd
: Create X 1/1 Pegasus creature tokens, where X is your life total. This will pair well with
Essence Warden
,
Soul Warden
,
Soul's Attendant
, and
Ajani's Welcome
because you'll gain a life for each Pegasus that enters the battlefield. Since each life is gained individually, if you have
Ajani's Pridemate
,
Celestial Unicorn
,
Trelasarra, Moon Dancer
,
Twinblade Paladin
,
Ageless Entity
, and/or
Lathiel, the Bounteous Dawn
, you can use the life gained to also generate counters to buff up your creatures, making you an insane powerhouse with only playing a single card.
-
Ajani Goldmane
: His -6 ability creates a Serra Avatar token.
-
Ajani, Strength of the Pride
: His -2 ability allows you to create an
Ajani's Pridemate
token.
-
Dawn of Hope
: Whenever you gain life, you may pay . If you do, draw a card. Tap : Create a 1/1 Soldier creature token with lifelink.
-
The Book of Exalted Deeds
: At the beginning of your end step, if you gained 3 or more life this turn, create a 3/3 Angel creature token with flying. This card also has an ability that allows you to exile this card and give another angel an ability that states you cannot lose the game and your opponent cannot win the game.
Cards that bring up the search bar
Tired of the randomness of drawing cards, without getting the one card you so desire? Don’t you worry, these cards will cure your random card blues! Being able to search your library for specific cards will help you obtain your Win Cons and crush your opponents in no time flat!
-
Bond of Flourishing
: Look at the top 3 cards of your library and choose a permanent card from among them and put it into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in any order. You gain 3 life.
-
Instrument of the Bards
: At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put a harmony counter on this card. You can then tap as well as this card and search for a card with a mana value equal to the number of harmony counters on this card. Reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
-
Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
: Similar to
Instrument of the Bards
. Tap and then tap this card. Place a verse counter on this card, then search your library for a creature card with converted mana cost equal to the number of verse counters on this card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library.
-
Garruk, Unleashed
: His -7 ability gives you an emblem that allows you to search your library for a creature card and place it onto the battlefield at the beginning of each of your end steps without paying its mana costs.
-
Eladamri's Call
: Search your library for a creature card, reveal that card, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
-
Defense of the Heart
: During your upkeep, if one of your opponents controls 3 or more creatures, sacrifice this card, search your library for up to 2 creature cards, and put those creatures into play. Shuffle your library afterward.
-
Primal Command
: Choose 2: Target players gains 7 life, and the other one worth noting for our strategy is to search your library for a creature card, reveal it and put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
-
Long Rest
: Return X target cards with different mana values from your graveyard to your hand. If 8 or more cards were returned to your hand this way, your life total becomes equal to your starting life total. Exile this card.
Why draw one card per turn when you can draw them all?
Tired of searching through your deck for a single card or two? How about you just draw an extra card per turn! Or two! Or ten! Whatever the amount you want, these cards will do just the trick, allowing you to rest your brain while it creates the serotonin you need in order to plan out your opponents murder! Or defeat, completely your choice!
-
Esper Sentinel
: Whenever an opponent casts their first noncreature spell each turn, draw a card unless that player pays , where X is this creatures power.
-
Rishkar's Expertise
: Draw cards equal to the greatest power among creatures you control. You may cast a card with converted mana cost 5 or less from your hand without paying its mana cost.
-
Revitalize
: Gain 3 life. Draw a card.
-
Colossal Majesty
: At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control a creature with power 4 or greater, draw a card.
-
Dawn of Hope
: Whenever you gain a life, you may pay . If you do, draw a card.
-
Cosmos Elixir
: At the beginning of your end step, draw a card if your life total is greater than your starting life total. Otherwise, you gain 2 life.
-
Well of Lost Dreams
: Whenever you gain life, you may pay , where X is less than or equal to the amount of life you gained. If you do, draw X cards.
List of tokens and emblem that might be generated (not including lands that temporarily turn into tokens)
- 1/1 Pegasus w/ Flying
- 1/1 Soldier w/ Lifelink
- 1/1 Vampire W/ Lifelink
- 2/2 Ajani's Pridemate
- 2/2 Citizen
- 3/3 Beast Creature Token
- 3/3 Angel w/ Flying
- 4/4 Angel w/ Flying
- 5/5 Horse Creature Token
- X/X Creature Avatar
- Emblem that says: At the beginning of your end step, you may search your library for a creature card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library.
The purpose of this deck is generate a lot of life and buff up our creatures while having multiple cards that can help us win the game. Trying to keep this deck under $300, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know!
