Olivia Voldaren: Gala of Gore

Commander / EDH Forkbeard

SCORE: 55 | 24 COMMENTS | 12661 VIEWS | IN 28 FOLDERS


Zendikar Rising aka Needs More Drana —Sept. 27, 2020

A few cool additions from Zendikar Rising that have barged their way into the gala:

  • In: Drana, the Last Bloodchief, Feed the Swarm & Zagras, Thief of Heartbeats
  • Out: Gatekeeper of Malakir, Hero's Downfall & Malakir Bloodwitch
  • Tough cuts to make but we'll see how it goes. I'm particularly excited about Feed the Swarm for that sweet, sweet colour pie bustin' enchantment removal.


    Gala of Gore
    Artist credit: Vampire, Nabetse Zitro, Digital, 2020

    +1. I like this a lot. XD

    November 12, 2014 7:05 p.m.

    Caskaziom says... #6

    I can see that you are using vampire creatures almost exclusively. perhaps Coat of Arms?

    i know they're not vampires, but maybe Gray Merchant of Asphodel or Mikaeus, the Unhallowed

    also. Basilisk Collar turns olivia into a gattling gun, and has terrific synergy with blade of the bloodchief

    November 12, 2014 7:19 p.m.

    Forkbeard says... #7

    Thanks Caskaziom. Although I'm a big fan of Gary & zombie Mikaeus + their effects, I'm trying to stay totally vampire creature focused (the one exception being Mogis, God of Slaughter because I wanted to try him out...I'll be swapping him out soon as he hasn't been that effective). Both the Coat & the Collar would definitely be strong in here, good call.

    November 12, 2014 8:27 p.m.

    Forkbeard says... #8

    Right on pko9000, thanks.

    November 12, 2014 8:29 p.m.

    Caskaziom says... #9

    What else can i suggest...

    maybe a sac outlet like Ashnod's Altar that you can trigger on a whim if olivia were destroyed, if you're using her to take other people's creatures (gain control as long as you control her)

    when it comes to staying totally vampire focused, don't forget that you can play creatures of other types, and olivia can turn them into vampires if you want

    hilariously enough, you can equip olivia with Wooden Stake or Blazing Torch, and turn your opponents creatures into vampires for goofy effects

    maybe Sword of Kaldra?

    overall, it looks like a great deck. +1

    November 13, 2014 12:38 p.m.

    Caskaziom says... #10

    also, since it's so tribal:

    Patriarch's Bidding to get all your vamps back and Urza's Incubator i would highly recommend.

    Cryptic Gateway could be great too

    November 13, 2014 12:49 p.m.

    Forkbeard says... #11

    Caskaziom - Definitely! Those would all be really solid in here, thanks for the suggestions.

    November 13, 2014 1:52 p.m.

    Forkbeard says... #12

    Also, clever & hilarious suggestions re. Wooden Stake & Blazing Torch. I've always focused on stealing creatures rather than using her ability to be extra tricksy. I like it! I'm going to try it out.

    November 13, 2014 1:59 p.m.

    Robotoken says... #13

    Love the deck and a fan of vampire tribal myself. Cards I would add are Illusionist's Bracers to copy Olivia's abilities. Also Door of Destinies to pump up all your vamps. Take a look at my version. It's called She's a Killer Queen

    November 28, 2014 11:01 p.m.

    Forkbeard says... #14

    Thanks Robotoken, much appreciated. Both of those cards would go well in here for sure, especially the Bracers. Mana permitting, slaying or steal 2 instead of 1? Zoiks!

    I checked out your Olivia build, looks very awesome indeed.

    November 29, 2014 1:15 p.m.

    gobucks says... #15

    Might I suggest looking into Braid of Fire? It becomes a glorious red mana machine that can be dumped into Olivia in your upkeep.

    March 12, 2015 10:24 p.m.

    Forkbeard says... #16

    Heck yes you can suggest it gobucks, that's a great idea. Cheers!

    March 12, 2015 11:08 p.m.

    griffstick says... #17

    July 23, 2015 12:06 a.m.

    RubyOrzhov says... #18

    Any of the new Vamps that you can put in from SOI?

    April 17, 2016 1:01 p.m.

    Forkbeard says... #19

    Sadly, not really. I was really hoping for 1 or 2 vampire bombs in SOI but they're all fairly low powered & centred around discard + madness which I'm not a fan of. New-school Olivia is probably decent if you're basing your deck on that strategy but I'm just not feeling it. Here's hoping there's some EDH playable vamps in Eldritch Moon. Thanks for stopping by RubyOrzhov!

    April 17, 2016 2:23 p.m. Edited.

    Forkbeard says... #20

    August 31, 2016 9:12 p.m.

    Forkbeard says... #22

    Thanks for the ideas CaptSillva, but please refer to comment #19 for my thoughts on the SOI vamps. In general they tend to rely on madness, self discard, self sac or are just plain bad. If I ran Olivia, Mobilized for War as my general, these cards might have merit. Likewise with Yahenni, Undying Partisan - very cool general in his own right, just doesn't fit in this build. Taurean Mauler is just red tribal good stuff - not a bad card, just not sure he's worth including.

    June 19, 2017 12:57 p.m.

    CaptSillva says... #23

    Fair enough I suppose, though I personally feel like they released enough discard synergy to warrant the splash even if Mobilized for War isn't the commander.

    On another note since you're already running Vampire Hexmage and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth. Have you considered running the Dark Depths and Thespian's Stage combo? With both Hexmage and Stage that doubles your chances of getting the token and even if it doesn't pan out for some reason, Urborg would allow it to still be of use.

    Also have you put any thought into running a more flushed out equipment package? Olivia is the type of creature that can get out of control really quickly and your opponent's are going to want to kill her fast. So the protection and extra value cards like Sword of Body and Mind, Sword of Feast and Famine, Sword of Fire and Ice, Sword of Light and Shadow, and Sword of War and Peace can grant you would make her quite formidable. Also Darksteel Plate is also an option for more budgeted decks.

    June 19, 2017 11:14 p.m.

    Forkbeard says... #24

    Love the idea of Dark Depths in here, the Thespian's Stage combo is also pretty funny. If I ever get my hands on a copy of DD I'll definitely slot it in.

    The sword cycle is great, but I hadn't really intended this to be a voltron deck (I have 3 other voltron decks, 1 of which includes all 5 swords). Basilisk Collar turns Olivia into a removal machine, Quietus Spike has theme/flavour and Blade of the Bloodchief + the boots are in here for obvious reasons. That said, I would consider 1 or 2 of the swords in place of a couple of non-theme good stuff cards I have in here such as No Mercy or Painful Quandary.

    Interesting food for thought, cheers CaptSillva.

    June 20, 2017 12:21 p.m.