Amalia Benavides Aguirre, Haliya and a pile of tiny lifegain triggers — the W/B deck that took down Arena Championship 13.

Overview

Orzhov Lifegain is one of the most talked-about decks in Standard right now: it sits around 8% of the metagame and its pilot, Gage Fevold, went 11-2 to win Arena Championship 13 with the archetype. The plan is simple to say and fiddly to play — flood the board with cheap creatures that each gain you a point of life, then cash that life in for cards, drain damage and an Amalia that grows out of control.

The engine is a stack of one- and two-drops. Hinterland Sanctifier, Liliana the Faultless, Aunt May, Haliya and Case of the Uneaten Feast all gain 1 life whenever a creature enters, so every creature you deploy chains into the next trigger. Enlightened Confidant and Haliya turn that life into card advantage, Starscape Cleric and Lunar Convocation drain the opponent, and Amalia Benavides Aguirre explores every time you gain life.

Heads up: the list below is an archetype consensus build assembled from the average copy counts of the winning-style Orzhov Lifegain lists (main deck 60, sideboard 15). Exact numbers on the tournament list may differ by a card or two, so use it as a strong starting point and tune from there.

Decklist

Creatures (26)

  • 4 Hinterland Sanctifier
  • 2 Liliana the Faultless
  • 1 Aunt May
  • 4 Amalia Benavides Aguirre
  • 4 Haliya, Guided by Light
  • 4 Enlightened Confidant
  • 3 Moseo, Vein's New Dean
  • 2 Starscape Cleric
  • 2 Deep-Cavern Bat

Planeswalkers (1)

  • 1 Ajani Resolute

Enchantments (7)

  • 4 Case of the Uneaten Feast
  • 3 Lunar Convocation

Instants (2)

  • 2 Erode

Lands (24)

  • 4 Godless Shrine
  • 3 Concealed Courtyard
  • 3 Multiversal Passage
  • 4 Starting Town
  • 2 Bleachbone Verge
  • 2 Shattered Sanctum
  • 1 Great Arashin City
  • 1 Dalkovan Encampment
  • 3 Plains
  • 1 Swamp

Sideboard (15)

  • 3 Duress
  • 2 Seam Rip
  • 2 Strategic Betrayal
  • 2 Pyrrhic Strike
  • 2 Curious Farm Animals
  • 2 Ghost Vacuum
  • 1 Starscape Cleric
  • 1 Decorum Dissertation

Arena Import (paste-ready)

Deck
4 Hinterland Sanctifier
2 Liliana the Faultless
1 Aunt May
4 Amalia Benavides Aguirre
4 Haliya, Guided by Light
4 Enlightened Confidant
3 Moseo, Vein's New Dean
2 Starscape Cleric
2 Deep-Cavern Bat
1 Ajani Resolute
4 Case of the Uneaten Feast
3 Lunar Convocation
2 Erode
4 Godless Shrine
3 Concealed Courtyard
3 Multiversal Passage
4 Starting Town
2 Bleachbone Verge
2 Shattered Sanctum
1 Great Arashin City
1 Dalkovan Encampment
3 Plains
1 Swamp

Sideboard
3 Duress
2 Seam Rip
2 Strategic Betrayal
2 Pyrrhic Strike
2 Curious Farm Animals
2 Ghost Vacuum
1 Starscape Cleric
1 Decorum Dissertation

Strategy Guide

Early game (turns 1–2)

Lead with a one-drop trigger — Hinterland Sanctifier, Liliana the Faultless, Aunt May or Case of the Uneaten Feast — then follow with a two-drop such as Enlightened Confidant, Starscape Cleric or Deep-Cavern Bat. You want at least one lifegain trigger on the table before your second creature arrives, so sequence the trigger first and the body second.

Midgame (turns 3–4)

Haliya, Guided by Light at three mana is the pivot: with a couple of triggers out, a single creature drop gains you 3+ life and Haliya draws you a card at end step. Moseo adds a flier and a Pest token that gains life on attack, and its end-step ability can bring a creature back based on how much life you gained. Amalia comes down on turn two or three and starts exploring every time you gain life.

Late game (turn 5+)

Convert the life total into a clock: Lunar Convocation drains one each turn you gained life, Starscape Cleric pings on every gain, and a swollen Amalia is a must-answer threat. Hold Erode for the one creature that can stop the engine, and use Ajani Resolute to turn spare life gain into a Pridemate.

Win Conditions

  • Drain damage — Starscape Cleric and Lunar Convocation turn every point of life gained into damage to your opponent’s face.
  • Amalia Benavides Aguirre — each life-gain event gives her a +1/+1 counter (or a land); if her power is ever exactly 20, all other creatures are destroyed, which is a rare but real combo finish.
  • Evasive beats — Moseo, Deep-Cavern Bat and Starscape Cleric fly over the ground while the engine builds card advantage.
  • Value grind — Haliya and Enlightened Confidant refill your hand so a single sweeper rarely ends the game.

Sideboard Guide

  • vs. Reanimator / graveyard decks: Ghost Vacuum and Strategic Betrayal answer reanimation targets; bring in Duress to strip the setup spell.
  • vs. Control: Duress, Decorum Dissertation and Starscape Cleric (flying, can’t block) keep the pressure on; trim reactive removal.
  • vs. Aggro: Curious Farm Animals gains 3 when it dies; Pyrrhic Strike and Erode handle bigger threats. Keep lifegain engines and cut slower value cards.
  • vs. Artifact / enchantment decks: Seam Rip handles cheap permanents; Pyrrhic Strike and Curious Farm Animals deal with artifacts and enchantments.

Budget Notes

The tournament-style list runs roughly $235 on tabletop (about 188 tix on MTGO) according to MTG Goldfish, with most of the cost in the dual lands. Budget swaps keep the plan intact: (1) Replace Godless Shrine and Concealed Courtyard with more Plains/Swamp plus a couple of tapped duals — the deck is mostly white and low to the ground. (2) Cut Ajani Resolute for a fourth Starscape Cleric or another Deep-Cavern Bat. (3) Swap Great Arashin City and Dalkovan Encampment for basics to smooth mana. (4) Trade Moseo for a second Aunt May-style one-drop if Moseo is out of reach. (5) Play fewer Multiversal Passage and more basic Plains to cut cost.

Want more Standard builds? Read the full breakdown here on manariotgames.com and follow Mana Riot Games — a new Deck Tech Tuesday lands every week.