Teysa Karlov (EDH / Commander)

I got the idea from the deck Jumbo Commander played on Game Knights #23 hosted by Command Zone. I thought the deck had legs but it didn't get a chance to do much. I felt it needed to get up and do something. This is her doing what she was meant to do!

Design Thoughts

I played the original deck a few times and found areas I thought could be improved on. More specifically, there were several cards that I didn't think did enough to support or exploit Teysa's abilities. After making a number of changes and improvements, I played it a few more times and then started on trying to further focus on her abilities and those of the minions she controls. Almost every non-land card does double duty (Kokusho has a death trigger and also life alteration for example) and several of the lands also do double duty.

I'd appreciate any comments or suggestions to improve this deck, please leave me a comment.

Death Triggers

These cards trigger when they die also triggering Teysa's first ability:

[[Blood Artist]], [[Elenda, the Dusk Rose]], [[Falkenrath Noble]], [[Flesh Carver]], [[Hallowed Spiritkeeper]], [[Hangarback Walker]], [[Kokusho, the Evening Star]], [[Solemn Simulacrum]], [[Vindictive Lich]], [[Wurmcoil Engine]], [[Yosei, the Morning Star]], and [[Zulaport Cutthroat]]

These cards trigger Teysa's second ability when something else dies:

[[Athreos, God of Passage]], [[Blood Artist]], [[Dictate of Erebos]], [[Elenda, the Dusk Rose]], [[Falkenrath Noble]], [[Grave Pact]], [[Grim Haruspex]], [[Harvester of Souls]], [[Massacre Wurm]], [[Open the Graves]], [[Ogre Slumlord]], [[Phyrexian Rebirth]], [[Pitiless Plunderer]], [[Requiem Angel]], [[Revel in Riches]], [[Seraph of the Scales]], [[Sifter of Skulls]], [[Skullclamp]], [[Teysa, Orzhov Scion]], [[Twilight Drover]], [[Vindictive Vampire]], [[Yahenni, Undying Partisan]], and [[Zulaport Cutthroat]]

Life Alterations

The following cards provide life gain:

[[Blood Artist]], [[Falkenrath Noble]], [[High Market]], [[Kokusho, the Evening Star]], [[Vindictive Vampire]], and [[Zulaport Cutthroat]]

Whereas the following cards provide for your opponent's life drain:

[[Athreos, God of Passage]], [[Blood Artist]], [[Falkenrath Noble]], [[Kokusho, the Evening Star]], [[Massacre Wurm]], [[Vindictive Lich]], [[Vindictive Vampire]], and [[Zulaport Cutthroat]]

Sacrifice Outlets

[[Ashnod's Alter]], [[Flesh Carver]], [[High Market]], [[Krav, the Unredeemed]], [[Phyrexian Altar]], [[Phyrexian Tower]], [[Ruthless Knave]], [[Teysa, Orzhov Scion]], [[Westvale Abbey]], [[Yahenni, Undying Partisan]], and [[Zulaport Cutthroat]]

Token Generators

[[Crested Sunmare]], [[Elenda, the Dusk Rose]], [[Flesh Carver]], [[Grave Titan]], [[Hallowed Spiritkeeper]], [[Hangarback Walker]], [[Ogre Slumlord]], [[Open the Graves]], [[Phyrexian Rebirth]], [[Regna, the Redeemer]], [[Requiem Angel]], [[Seraph of the Scales]], [[Sifter of Skulls]], [[Teysa, Orzhov Scion]], [[Twilight Drover]], [[Westvale Abbey]], and [[Wurmcoil Engine]]

Token Multipliers:

[[Anointed Procession]], [[Divine Visitation]], and [[Teysa Karlov]]

Combos and Win Condition

[[Exquisite Blood]] / [[Vindictive Vampire]] and [[Cliffhaven Vampire]] / [[Defiant Bloodlord]] / [[Sanguine Bond]] on the battlefield. Then when someone loses life or gains life this combo goes infinite.

[[Cathars' Crusade]] + [[Elspeth, Sun's Champion]] + [[Divine Visitation]]. Once everyone is on the battlefield, +1 Elspeth to create 3x 1/1 Soldiers, Divine makes them 4/4 Angels with Flying and Vigilance, and Cathars adds 3x 1/1 counters to them (and every other creature). This is not really a win condition but you have 3x 7/7 Angels and all your other creatures are +3/+3 bigger. P.S. You can use [[Call the Gatewatch]] to find Elspeth and any of the tutors to find the other cards.

[[Reassembling Skeleton]] + [[Phyrexian Altar]] + [[Blood Artist]]/[[Zulaport Cutthroat]] + a death will make a token creature like [[Sifter of Skulls]]. Sac the skeleton to the altar, this creates the colored mana to needed to bring the skeleton back, meanwhile, artist or Zulaport pings an opponent and a token is created to be used as colorless mana. Pay the black and colorless cost to bring the skeleton back to the battlefield. Slow but infinite and death to all opponents