The aim is to gain life in as many ways possible, even when your opponent loses life.
So...
Authority of the Consuls gain life -> opponent's creatures enter tapped allowing you to attack more often. When you have one out and Ishkanah, Grafwidow enters with Delirium... and
Cliffhaven Vampire
is hanging out... you gain 4 life and your opponent loses 4 which is a harsh penalty for casting a creature and it scales.
Campaign of Vengeance
is the crux of the combo here. It's a massive surprise for the opponent when you are kind of stalling with four or more creatures each on the board. You play this main phase and swing with four creatures, for a healthy example:
Zulaport Cutthroat, 2 x Servo tokens and a
Cliffhaven Vampire
-> Swing in ->
Campaign of Vengeance
trigger -> Opponent loses 4 life you gain 4 life ->
Cliffhaven Vampire
trigger -> Opponent loses another 4 life -> No blocks? -> Opponent loses another 5 life. Obviously if any of the creatures die, Zulaport Cutthroat triggers and more life is gained and lost.
Malakir Familiar
gets pumped quite a bit due to all the life gaining in both attacking and defensive scenarios.
So, this can win you the game in the right circumstances either when
Campaign of Vengeance
drops or on the next turn, if the opponent doesn't use a sweeper.
There's lots of synergies with Shambling Vent gaining life with
Lone Rider
getting the flip. Essence Extraction can trigger the flip alone. Ob Nixilis Reignited - card draw and destroy a Gearhulk or some other nuisance. Sorin, Grim Nemesis is cool - he can get the required life to flip
Lone Rider
or just take up to 5 life with his +1. Fumigate just to clear the board and start again or to trigger Zulaport Cutthroat with a few of my creatures on board too. Finally, Westvale Abbey
to trigger Zulaport Cutthroat and swing in for the kill.
I am aware that I am very light on removal, but I don't want to cut anything as I feel I will lose the essence of the deck. Straight up destroying a creature with Grasp of Darkness, for example, doesn't advance my life gain/drain shenanigans.
