The Lifegain theme for Magic The Gathering's Commander format is one of the most popular ones there are. There are over 30,000 different decks for it registered on EDHREC, the second-highest behind only Artifact decks. Lifegain strategies are among some of the most popular ones in any format, and Commander is no exception.
Since Commander allows any card released at practically any point in time, there are plenty of powerful cards that any Lifegain Commander deck benefits from running. Be it as a Commander or in the 99, these cards are useful for any Commander deck that utilizes Lifegain as its main win condition.
10 Alhammarret's Archive
Alhammarret's Archive is a five Mana Colorless Artifact, allowing it to be used in any Commander deck regardless of identity. Once it hits the field, you'll be gaining double life any time you gain life.
Unlike other lifegain cards similar to it, Alhammarret's Archive gives an extra effect for it. When you'd draw a card (except for the draw step), it will allow you to draw an extra card as well. This makes it both a hefty Lifegain enabler, on top of being a value engine all in one card.
9 Archangel of Thune
Archangel Of Thune provides a lot of value for any Lifegain deck that runs White (which almost all of them tend to do). It only costs three generic and two White Mana, and it makes so anytime you gain life, all creatures you control get a +1 Counter. This effect triggers any instant you gain life and can stack and get out of hand incredibly quickly.
Archangel Of Thune has both Flying and Lifelink as well, allowing it to trigger its own effect rather easily, especially in full pods where at least one opponent will likely be unable to block a flyer.
8 Soul Sisters
Soul Sisters is a name given to creatures that grant you life whenever a creature enters the battlefield. The most popular ones are the ones that only cost one Mana, such as Soul Warden.
Since they are such a low cost, any deck can bring them out easily. This in turn gives you an early play that allows you to gain life for practically the entire game unless someone uses removal on it. When combined with cards that trigger whenever you gain life, Soul Sisters cards can spiral into you having a ton of life, as well as enabling your win conditions.
7 Vito, Thorn Of The Dusk Rose
Vito, Thorn Of The Dusk Rose is one of the cards that let you get to your win condition faster. Whenever you gain life, it makes an opponent lose that much life. It can easily accomplish this without the help of other cards thanks to its ability. By paying two Black and one Mana of any colour, you can give all creatures you control Lifelink.
Depending on what is on your board at the time, this can close out an entire game, dealing damage to an opponent by combat to then kill them with Vito, Thorn Of The Dusk Rose's main effect.
6 Sanguine Bond
Sanguine Bond shares a similar effect to Vito, causing an opponent to lose life equal to any amount of life you gain. It costs two Black and two random Mana to play, but it is much harder to get rid of than a creature. Since Sanguine Bond is an enchantment, there are far fewer cards that can deal with it once it hits the field.
Sanguine Bond is an important key in many Lifegain decks, as it acts as a game closer. If you have a way to continuously gain life, Sanguine Bond goes infinite to be able to win the entire game.
5 Heliod Sun-Crowned
Heliod Sun-Crowned is an easy card to play, only costing two generic Mana plus a White. It has Indestructible as well, making it hard to take care of, as there are only a limited number of ways to remove it. It allows you to put a +1 Counter on any creature whenever you gain life, as well as granting the ability to give a creature Lifelink for one generic and one White Mana.
Heliod Sun-Crowned is important as it can go infinite with plenty of cards easily, able to boost up creatures in order to win the game. The main ones to go-to for this are Walking Ballista and Triskelion.
4 Bolas's Citadel
When you've gained a lot of life, you need a card to use it with. Bolas's Citadel is perfect for it. It allows you to look at and play the top card of your library at any time, and you pay life rather than pay the mana for spells you cast this way.
Since you'll be gaining life very early on, you'll likely have a ton of excess life by the time you bring out Bolas's Citadel, as it does cost three generic and three Black Mana to play. Its effect to sacrifice ten nonland permanents to deal ten damage to each opponent can sometimes come in handy in a pinch to close out a game.
3 Exquisite Blood
Exquisite Blood is one of the main win conditions for many Lifegain Commander deck. It's an Enchantment that costs four generic and one Black to cast and lets you gain life whenever an opponent loses life.
There are so many cards that go infinite with Exquisite Blood, it's in nearly every Lifegain deck that can run it. Black is one of the best colors for Lifegain, and cards like Exquisite Blood are the main reason as to why. Once it hits the field, more often than not it is game-ending. It's hard to get rid of as well, thanks to it being an Enchantment as opposed to a creature or Artifact.
2 Kambal, Consul Of Allocation
Kambal, Consul Of Allocation is a card that can quickly get out of hand, making the opponent lose a hefty chunk of their life before they realize it. Whenever an opponent casts a noncreature spell, they lose two life, and you gain two.
Since there are so many noncreature spells being played in a traditional game of Commander, it makes Kambal, Consul Of Allocation a massive threat. You'll be gaining a ton of life, all while burning the opponents as they try to get rid of it. If they use their resources to handle Kambal, it paves the way for you to be free to go for your game-winning combos.
1 Liesa, Shroud Of Dusk
One of the best Lifegain Commanders, it's useful both as the Commander as well as in the 99. If it's in the Command Zone, you can pay two life as a substitute for the Commander Tax, making it easy to keep bringing back even after it dies.
Once on the field, Liesa, Shroud Of Dusk burns the opponent for two life whenever they cast any spell. This forces the opponent to have to take a ton of damage if they want to attempt to make any kind of play. Even if Liesa is taken care of, the odds of her staying gone for long is incredibly low if they're your Commander.
Source: Read Full Article