Introduction
This deck is part of the Pauper Decks, which are made from only common cards. The great thing about Pauper is the majority of the cards are cheap to buy, and are still strong as there are quite a lot of good common cards over Magic's history.
Key Strategy
The Orzhov Aggro deck is a midrange strategy that combines aggressive creatures, removal, and value-generating effects to apply pressure while maintaining board control. The deck leverages the power of small, efficient creatures and potent removal spells to outpace opponents while gaining life and controlling the battlefield.
Kor Skyfisher + Thraben Inspector / Spirited Companion: Kor Skyfisher pairs well with creatures that have enter-the-battlefield effects, such as Thraben Inspector and Spirited Companion. Bouncing these creatures back to your hand allows you to reuse their abilities, generating more card draw and clues, which in turn keeps your hand full and provides more resources to outlast your opponents.
Ephemerate + Inspiring Overseer / Goliath Paladin: Ephemerate is a powerful tool in this deck, allowing you to blink creatures like Inspiring Overseer and Goliath Paladin for extra value. Inspiring Overseer gains you life and draws cards, while Goliath Paladin provides vigilance and the initiative mechanic, which can help you maintain momentum and control the game.
Vampire Sovereign + Ephemerate: Vampire Sovereign is another great target for Ephemerate, as it drains your opponent for 3 life while gaining you 3 life. This repeated drain effect can put your opponent on a fast clock, especially when combined with the deck’s aggressive creatures and removal.
Cast Down / Chainer's Edict / Vendetta: The deck includes a suite of removal spells like Cast Down, Chainer's Edict, and Vendetta to deal with opposing threats. Chainer's Edict can be especially useful against decks that rely on a single large creature, and it has flashback for additional value. Vendetta is an efficient one-mana removal spell, though it requires careful timing to avoid losing too much life.
Dawnbringer Cleric: Dawnbringer Cleric offers flexibility by providing options to exile a card from a graveyard, destroy an enchantment, or gain 2 life. This versatility makes it useful against a variety of strategies, whether it's dealing with graveyard decks, problematic enchantments, or aggressive opponents.
Bojuka Bog / Suffocating Fumes: Bojuka Bog provides mainboard graveyard hate, which can be critical against decks that rely on the graveyard as a resource. Suffocating Fumes is an effective sweeper against small creature decks, and it can be cycled when not needed, making it a versatile inclusion.
The deck has multiple paths to victory:
Aggressive Creatures: The deck's aggressive creatures like Thraben Inspector, Kor Skyfisher, and Vampire Sovereign can chip away at your opponent’s life total while also providing value. The repeated drain effects from Vampire Sovereign combined with Ephemerate can close out games quickly.
Removal and Control: By removing your opponent’s key threats and maintaining control over the board, you can steadily whittle down their life total while keeping your own life total high, thanks to the life gain effects in the deck.
Orzhov Aggro is a well-rounded deck that combines aggression with resilience. It leverages synergies between creatures with enter-the-battlefield effects and Ephemerate to generate value while applying consistent pressure. With a suite of removal spells and versatile creatures, the deck can adapt to different matchups and maintain control of the game. Whether you're beating down with efficient creatures or draining your opponent with Vampire Sovereign, Orzhov Aggro offers a balanced and powerful approach to victory.
Key Cards
Cards to look for in the opening hand