Olivia Voltron Primer

Commander / EDH BR (Rakdos) Counters Deathtouch Vampires Voltron

Frightersplint

Land (mana) (35)

• 1x Ash Barrens
• 1x Canyon Slough
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Dragonskull Summit
• 1x Foreboding Ruins
• 1x Graven Cairns
• 1x Jund Panorama
• 1x Luxury Suite
• 6x Mountain
• 1x Path of Ancestry
• 1x Smoldering Marsh
• 18x Swamp
• 1x Tainted Peak

Removal (7)

• 1x Bedevil
• 1x Dark Impostor
• 1x Force of Despair
• 1x New Blood
• 1x Rakdos Charm
• 1x Sudden Spoiling
• 1x Terminate

Land(utility) (5)

• 1x Blast Zone
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Castle Locthwain
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Voldaren Estate

Removal - enchantments (3)

• 1x Chaos Warp
• 1x Feed the Swarm
• 1x Introduction to Annihilation

Finisher (2)

• 1x Exsanguinate
• 1x Phyresis

Voltron +1/+1 counters (12)

• 1x Blade of the Bloodchief
• 1x Bloodlord of Vaasgoth
• 1x Cordial Vampire
• 1x Drana, Liberator of Malakir
• 1x Necropolis Regent
• 1x Patron of the Vein
• 1x Rakish Heir
• 1x Stensia Masquerade
• 1x Tarrian's Soulcleaver
• 1x Uncivil Unrest
• 1x Westgate Regent
• 1x Yahenni, Undying Partisan

Draw (7)

• 1x Ancient Craving
• 1x Bloodtracker
• 1x Champion of Dusk
• 1x Damnable Pact
• 1x Night's Whisper
• 1x Phyrexian Arena
• 1x Read the Bones

Voltron deathtouch (7)

• 1x Basilisk Collar
• 1x Crossway Troublemakers
• 1x Gift of Doom
• 1x Gorgon's Head
• 1x Mer-Ek Nightblade
• 1x Vorpal Sword
• 1x Zagras, Thief of Heartbeats

Cut? (2)

• 1x Bloodline Necromancer
• 1x Sanctum Seeker

Protection (1)

• 1x Dusk Legion Sergeant

Commander (1)

Ramp (10)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Herald's Horn
• 1x Liquimetal Torque
• 1x Nirkana Revenant
• 1x Rakdos Signet
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord
• 1x Talisman of Indulgence
• 1x Thran Dynamo

Voltron (4)

• 1x Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Stromkirk Captain
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots

Boardwipe (3)

• 1x Blasphemous Act
• 1x Olivia's Wrath
• 1x Vandalblast

Token gen (1)

• 1x Bloodline Keeper  ^Flip

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Maybeboard

Counter synergy (13)

• 1x Anduril, Narsil Reforged
• 1x Astarion's Thirst
• 1x Cauldron of Souls
• 1x Drannith Ruins
• 1x Feast on the Fallen
• 1x Gix's Command
• 1x Karn's Bastion
• 1x Retribution of the Ancients
• 1x Sword of Truth and Justice
• 1x Tenured Inkcaster
• 1x Tyrite Sanctum
• 1x Unspeakable Symbol
• 1x Vampire Socialite

Deathtouch (4)

• 1x Agent of the Shadow Thieves
• 1x Archpriest of Shadows
• 1x Rune of Mortality
• 1x Void Beckoner

Boardwipe (1)

• 1x Subterranean Tremors

Ramp (1)

• 1x Wayfarer's Bauble

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Introduction

I started playing Magic when the Innistrad block was released. I loved the set's spooky theme and typal synergies, both of which continue to influence this deck. This primer is aimed at casual EDH players who prioritize thematic deck building but want an underlying consistency in the deck's strategy. Depending on your preference, you could lean more heavily into Vampire Typal or Voltron themes.

Why is Olivia a good candidate for a Voltron strategy?

Built-in evasiveness: At a casual table, a 3/3 flyer that can deal commander damage is a legitimate threat.

Built-in scalability: For the price of two mana, Olivia can give herself a +1/+1 counter.

Built-in removal: Upon reading Olivia for the first time, many players groan thinking that their creatures will be stolen. The real threat however is when Olivia gains deathtouch and can ping creatures to death for two mana each.

Vampire synergies: Many vampires can make Olivia stronger, often in the form of +1/+1 counters.

Comparison with Other Vampire Commanders

If you're reading this, you are likely interested in slamming a bunch of vampires into a deck. Here's a few other options to help you decide if Olivia is right for you.

Black {B}

Fun Picks: Timothar, Baron of Bats or Kinzu of the Bleak Coven. A deck full of random vampires amounts to a midrange flyer strategy. Both of these commanders will let you reuse your vampires with a fun reanimation effect. With a mana cost of 5+, these will be at home at a casual table.

Competitive Pick: Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose. If you work on this deck for long enough, you will be tempted to ditch the vampire theme and optimize the life drain strategy. I would rather include Vito in the 99. I like the low mana cost of {2}{B} and that this deck is destined to have a low curve.

Honorable Mention: Drana, Liberator of Malakir. I do not find her particularly exciting, but she fits the bill of swinging with a bunch of flying vampires. I like the low mana cost of {1}{B}{B}.

Rakdos {B}{R}

The Subject of this Primer: Olivia Voldaren. At the time when this deck was originally built, Olivia was one of few Vampire commander options. She has stood the test of time and enables Voltron strategies that can be employed alongside your motley crew of vampires.

Another Fun Pick: Strefan, Maurer Progenitor. The ability to cheat out vampires will allow you to play high mana value vampires that you would otherwise cut from your deck list. Over time, I expect that Wizards of the Coast will continue to support Blood tokens, and the options for this commander will grow.

Technically Not Rakdos: Evelyn, the Covetous. Evelyn is a Grixis commander, but her unique casting cost of {2}{UB}{B}{BR} allows her to be played as a mono-black or Rakdos commander. Other Grixis Vampire commanders veer into the spellslinger archetype.

Orzhov {W}{B}

My Second Favorite: Elenda, the Dusk Rose. Much like Olivia, Elenda has a way to make herself bigger. She also has a form of insurance. With the help of a sacrifice outlet, such as Bartolome del Presidio, Elenda can instantly be converted into tokens. She has a personality and play style beyond the usual Vampire Typal theme.

Multiple Synergies: Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher. There's a lot of directions for deck-building. The sacrifice trigger applies to all permanents, including Treasure, Clue, and Food tokens. There's life gain. There's +1/+1 tokens. There's graveyard payoffs.

Demons?!?: Clavileno, First of the Blessed. It's significant than the "reanimation" effect also draws a card. I haven't seen Clavileno played yet, but he looks fun!

Mardu {R}{W}{B}

The G.O.A.T.: Edgar Markov. He can do everything the aforementioned commanders can. At the time of writing, he is the most competitive vampire, and he likely will be for a long time. Print a proxy. Don't spend more than $100 for one card.

Not a Vampire: Shanid, Sleepers' Scourge or Dihada, Binder of Wills. I would enjoy building a deck featuring memorable legendary vampires. Many of these characters live in my storage box and wouldn't otherwise be played in a deck.

Voltron: Deathtouch, Olivia's Secret Sauce

Deathtouch applies to all damage dealt by a creature, not just combat damage. With the help of deathtouch, Olivia Voldaren's {1}{R} ability turns into a gattling gun.

Gift of Doom synergizes beautifully with Olivia, providing deathtouch and indestructible. Because turning the card face-up is a special action that doesn't use stack, the aura can be attached at "faster than instant speed." I often wait to flip it until Olivia is at risk of dying to a boardwipe. Fun fact: because the aura is not cast, this can be attached to a creature wearing Lightning Greaves, regardless of shroud.

Basilisk Collar is inexpensive to cast and equip. The lifelink is a nice bonus.

Gorgon's Head is the same as Basilisk Collar without the lifelink.

Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord can provide deathtouch and lifelink on your turn.

Zagras, Thief of Heartbeats and Crossway Troublemakers. With a cost of 6 mana each, neither of these cards are efficient ways to provide deathtouch to Olivia. I play them mostly to fit the vampire theme. Cheating them out early with Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord can make them more palatable.

Voltron: Other Components

Protection and Haste

Lightning Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots. Olivia will be a target for removal. She will also benefit from dealing an extra turn of commander damage with haste.

Gift of Doom offers indestructible, in addition to deathtouch.

+1/+1 Counters

In order to deal an appreciable amount of commander damage, Olivia must become bigger.

Blade of the Bloodchief is an efficient way to gain +1/+1 counters. If Olivia has the blade equipped and is able to kill a creature with her {1}{R} abiliy, she will gain three +1/+1 counters.

If this deck is played with a Vampire Typal deck, it is helpful to think of creatures in terms of packages that serve the Voltron theme.

This is a +1/+1 Counter package that can quickly scale Olivia: Cordial Vampire, Necropolis Regent, Bloodlord of Vaasgoth, Rakish Heir, and Stensia Masquerade.

It's notable that Stensia Masquerade and Stromkirk Captain provide first strike which synergizes well with deathtouch.

Winning the Game

This deck typically wins by eliminating players with commander damage or combat damage. A small number of vampires grow in size until they can swing for lethal.

Exsanguinate can eliminate players or buy enough time to come out on top. Draining 10 life from 3 players will give you 30 additional life to work with.

Rakdos Charm can eliminate a player who controls a large number of creature tokens.

Sudden Spoiling can cause huge blowouts. Because of split second, opponents have no way to respond.

Rogue's Passage can enable crucial attacks.

Phyresis will not endear you to your fellow players. Do not play this until you are prepared to deal with unwanted attention.

Removal - Enchantments

An essential part of building Olivia and other Rakdos commanders is having a plan to deal with enchantments. Without this ability, some games will be unwinnable without help from another player.

Chaos Warp will be your versatile, best friend. It should really only be played in mono-red and Rakdos decks that have few other options for removal.

Feed the Swarm is one of few black options for targeted enchantment removal.

Blast Zone is a necessary utility land given the lack of other enchantment removal options.

Introduction to Annihilation is expensive to cast, but it is a versatile answer, both in what it can target and its ability to exile rather than destroy.

Liquimetal Torque can cause an enchantment to become an artifact, making it easier to target and destroy.

Mana Base

You need red mana

This deck list is nearly mono-black. It may be tempting to proportionally assign swamps to match the casting cost of each card. When deciding how many red-producing lands to put in the deck, consider the cost of Olivia's {1}{R} ability. Although most of the cards are black, red mana is still needed for Olivia to ping. For example, it's not uncommon to finish the game by pinging 5 times, which requires 5 red mana sources.

Budget lands

Ash Barrens and Jund Panorama do not come into play tapped, yet have the potential to fetch a colored land. If you do not play these, I challenge you to try these instead of Evolving Wilds and Terramorphic Expanse. Also see the functionally equivalent cards Grixis Panorama and Shire Terrace.

Notable Exclusions

Vampires

These are creatures that I have played and removed from the deck.

Vampire Nighthawk, Nighthawk Scavenger, Gifted Aetherborn, Vampire of the Dire Moon, and Knight of the Ebon Legion have strong keywords, but they do not offer any utility. Use vampires that do something when they enter or provide repeated, incremental value.

Anowon, the Ruin Sage draws unwanted attention and offers no immediate effect. He is a political liability.

Butcher of Malakir is expensive to cast and draws unwanted attention.

Bloodghast. I love the mechanics, but it never seems to do much.

Indulgent Aristocrat. Much better in Edgar Markov or Elenda, the Dusk Rose where tokens are plentiful.

Sangromancer. Not useful in a deck that doesn't emphasize a "gain to drain strategy" e.g. Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose and Sanguine Bond.

Removal - Enchantments

Debt to the Kami or Pharika's Libation. These allow the opponent to choose which enchantment to remove. This is ineffective against a player who controls multiple enchantments.

Removal - Other

Dreadbore or Molten Collapse. Don't settle for sorcery speed creature removal. Black has better instant speed options.

Power Level Considerations

I opt not to run any tutors or infinite combos, the most popular of which is Exquisite Blood and Sanguine Bond

Deathtouch

Quietus Spike. The cost to cast and equip is prohibitively high. It has drawn unwanted attention every time I've played it.

Cards I Might Consider

Removal - Enchantments

Ratchet Bomb. Similar to Blast Zone and can be detonated at instant speed. Unlike Blast Zone, no mana is necessary to detonate.

Removal - Everything else

Any low-cost black kill spell will be alright. Go for the Throat is thematically appropriate.

Any low-cost red artifact removal spell will be alright. I happily played Shattering Pulse for a long time. Abrade is becoming popular. With a limited number of slots in the deck, versatile cards like Rakdos Charm and Bedevil shine.

Budget Considerations

Let's review the cards in the deck that have the highest price tag and decide if they are necessary

Not Required

Sorin, the Imperious Bloodlord is fun to play and synergizes well with Olivia, but is not worth the $40 price tag at time of writing. I could only recommend this card if you love vampires and want to optimize a vampire decklist.

Expensive lands such as Luxury Suite and Graven Cairns will not dramatically increase your enjoyment of the deck. It's possible to create a functioning mana base without them. If you find that you love the deck, add these later.

Bloodline Keeper   is strong, but it does not align closely with this primer. This decklist does not go wide, but rather buffs a small number of creatures.

Captivating Vampire could be replaced by any number of cards with a greater noticable impact. Again, the play style described in this primer doesn't aim to have many vampires on the field at any one time, and if there are that many vampires, they should probably be swinging for damage at any given time.

Highly Recommended

Lightning Greaves is important to my enjoyment of the deck and can enable explosive early-game lines of play. I would not recommend cutting this card. If anything, I'm tempted to purchase additional, similarly expensive cards like Mithril Coat.

Date added	4 years
Last updated	1 week
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	6 - 0 Mythic Rares 37 - 0 Rares 20 - 0 Uncommons 13 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.23
Tokens	Blood, Morph 2/2 C, Vampire 2/2 B
Folders	EDH Current Build
Based on	Vampire Tribal EDH PompousPenguin EDH