Bracket 3 · Our Oloro, Ageless Ascetic decklist · Lifegain
Our Oloro list is Esper life gain. Oloro gains you 2 life every upkeep, even from the command zone, and pays {1} on every life gain to draw a card and drain each opponent.
The deck gains life with Soul Warden, Rhox Faithmender and Alhammarret's Archive, turns it into damage with Sanguine Bond, Vito and Marauding Blight-Priest, and wins with Exquisite Blood loops, Aetherflux Reservoir or Felidar Sovereign.
- Strategy
- Lifegain
- Bracket
- 3
- Avg. mana value
- 3.14
- Lands
- 35
01The Commander
Oloro, Ageless Ascetic is a six-mana Giant Soldier. At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain 2 life, and you gain 2 life each upkeep while Oloro sits in the command zone too.
Whenever you gain life, you may pay {1}. If you do, draw a card and each opponent loses 1 life.
Each separate life gain is a separate trigger, so Soul Warden and other small gains turn into a stream of cards and drains.
02How This Deck Wins
- 1
Gain life every turn
Oloro starts gaining from the command zone, and Soul Warden, Authority of the Consuls and Cleric Class add more.
- 2
Turn life into cards
Oloro, Well of Lost Dreams, Drogskol Reaver and Alhammarret's Archive draw cards whenever you gain life.
- 3
Drain or win outright
Sanguine Bond, Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose and Aetherflux Reservoir deal the damage, or reach 40 for Felidar Sovereign or 50 for Test of Endurance.
03Deck at a Glance
Bracket 3 · Lifegain · 100 cards
Composition
- Commander1
- Creatures23
- Instants & sorceries18
- Artifacts & enchantments22
- Planeswalkers1
- Lands35
- Tokens5
Mana Curve
Color Split
symbols
- White 49%
- Blue 17%
- Black 33%
By the Numbers
Cards by Role
04Life Gain Sources
Every gain is an Oloro trigger.
Also in this role
05Life Gain Doublers and Draw
Double the gains and draw off them.
Also in this role
06Drain Payoffs
Life gain becomes damage.
Also in this role
07Threats and Win Cons
Creatures that grow with your life gain.
Also in this role
08Interaction and Mana
Esper control and ramp.
Also in this role
09Combos and Key Interactions
Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood
Any life gain or loss loops forever and drains every opponent out of the game.
Marauding Blight-Priest + Exquisite Blood
Each life gain drains each opponent, which gains you more life, endlessly.
Oloro, Ageless Ascetic + Soul Warden
Every creature entering gains 1 life, so pay {1} each time to draw and drain.
10How to Play
Opening hand
Keep hands with three lands, a mana rock and a cheap life-gain piece. Oloro gains life from the command zone, so you don't need to cast him early.
Early gameturns 1-3
Play Soul Warden, Authority of the Consuls and Ghostly Prison.
Mid gameturns 4-7
Add draw engines like Well of Lost Dreams and payoffs like Sanguine Bond. Cast Oloro when you can protect him.
Late gameturn 8+
Assemble Sanguine Bond with Exquisite Blood, fire Aetherflux Reservoir, or reach 40 life for Felidar Sovereign.
Tips
- Oloro gains 2 life in upkeep from the command zone, so you profit even if he's never cast.
- Each life gain is a separate trigger for Oloro's pay-1 draw.
- Alhammarret's Archive doubles both life gain and Oloro's extra draws.
- Test of Endurance and Felidar Sovereign check at your upkeep.
Common mistakes
- Tapping out so you can't pay Oloro's {1} triggers.
- Casting Oloro without protection when he's already gaining from the command zone.
- Wiping with Supreme Verdict while relying on your creatures.
- Forgetting Toxic Deluge costs life.
Watch out for
- Effects that stop life gain.
- Enchantment removal.
- Fast aggro decks.
- Counterspells on your combo pieces.
11Bracket and Rule 0
Our list runs 3 Game Changers (Bolas's Citadel, Farewell, Rhystic Study), within the Bracket 3 limit of three.
Sanguine Bond with Exquisite Blood, and Vito, Marauding Blight-Priest or Enduring Tenacity with Exquisite Blood, are two-card infinite combos, so tell your table before the game.
12Full Decklist
Every card in our Oloro, Ageless Ascetic proxy deck (100 cards). Hover or tap a name to see the card.
Commander
- 1Oloro, Ageless Ascetic3WUB
Creatures (23)
- 1Esper SentinelW
- 1Serra AscendantW
- 1Soul WardenW
- 1Soul's AttendantW
- 1Ajani's Pridemate1W
- 1Karlov of the Ghost CouncilWB
- 1Voice of the BlessedWW
- 1Elenda's Hierophant2W
- 1Heliod, Sun-Crowned2W
- 1Kambal, Consul of Allocation1WB
- 1Marauding Blight-Priest2B
- 1Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose2B
- 1Will, Scion of Peace1WU
- 1Enduring Tenacity2BB
- 1Exemplar of Light2WW
- 1Queza, Augur of Agonies1WUB
- 1Rhox Faithmender3W
- 1Sheoldred, the Apocalypse2BB
- 1Bloodthirsty Conqueror3BB
- 1Crested Sunmare3WW
- 1Witch of the Moors3BB
- 1Felidar Sovereign4WW
- 1Drogskol Reaver5WU
Planeswalkers (1)
- 1Ajani, Strength of the Pride2WW
Instants (11)
- 1An Offer You Can't RefuseU
- 1Path to ExileW
- 1Swords to PlowsharesW
- 1CounterspellUU
- 1Dovin's VetoWU
- 1Mana DrainUU
- 1Negate1U
- 1AbsorbWUU
- 1Anguished Unmaking1WB
- 1Void RendWUB
- 1Beacon of Immortality5W
Sorceries (7)
- 1DamnBB
- 1ExsanguinateXBB
- 1Toxic Deluge2B
- 1Debt to the DeathlessXWWBB
- 1Supreme Verdict1WWU
- 1Fumigate3WW
- 1Farewell4WW
Artifacts (11)
- 1Sol Ring1
- 1Arcane Signet2
- 1Orzhov Signet2
- 1Talisman of Hierarchy2
- 1Talisman of Progress2
- 1Aetherflux Reservoir4
- 1Cosmos Elixir4
- 1The Wind Crystal2WW
- 1Well of Lost Dreams4
- 1Alhammarret's Archive5
- 1Bolas's Citadel3BBB
Enchantments (11)
- 1Authority of the ConsulsW
- 1Cleric ClassW
- 1Blind Obedience1W
- 1Black Market Connections2B
- 1Ghostly Prison2W
- 1Phyrexian Arena1BB
- 1Propaganda2U
- 1Rhystic Study2U
- 1Test of Endurance2WW
- 1Exquisite Blood4B
- 1Sanguine Bond3BB
Lands (35)
- 1Adarkar Wastes
- 1Arcane Sanctum
- 1Bojuka Bog
- 1Caves of Koilos
- 1Command Tower
- 1Drowned Catacomb
- 1Exotic Orchard
- 1Flooded Strand
- 1Glacial Fortress
- 1Godless Shrine
- 1Hallowed Fountain
- 4Island
- 1Isolated Chapel
- 1Marsh Flats
- 1Morphic Pool
- 5Plains
- 1Polluted Delta
- 1Prairie Stream
- 1Raffine's Tower
- 1Reliquary Tower
- 1Sea of Clouds
- 5Swamp
- 1Vault of Champions
- 1Watery Grave
Get the deck
Oloro, Ageless Ascetic Lifegain proxy deck
Oloro turns life into cards and cards into damage. Gain, draw, drain, and win.
Every card in this guide is shown exactly as it prints in the deck you get, sleeve-ready, with tokens.
Shop the deck · $45Every card named in this guide is in our deck, and every image is our own proxy card, rendered from the art in this deck.