Top 10 Commander Combos - Orzhov (Black/White)

The combo element of Commander is part of what makes the format what it is. Not everyone opts to include them in their decks but most more powerful decks will run as least a few. After all, they help to bring games to an end that might otherwise drag on. There are a plethora of card combinations available in EDH, no matter what color(s) you decide to sleeve up. Today, I will be covering the Top 10 for Orzhov (Black/White), which is my personal favorite guild.

To be clear, each of these combos will contain both Black and White cards within the combo. So, while any Mono-Black or Mono-White combos could slot into your Orzhov decks, you won't see them listed below. Aside from just the cards themselves, we'll also go over how the combos work, the card prices, and what Commanders they fit in the 99 of. They will be listed from 10-1 but which one is "best" will be relative to your deck, play style, and play group. With that out of the way, let's jump right in.

10. Sun Titan, Karmic Guide, Animate Dead, & Altar of Dementia

This is one of the more complicated inclusions on the list. That said, once you understand how it works it can be a game-ender. However, it does require a bit of setup.

Price

$9.49 on TCGplayer

Set-Up

Here's the setup you'll need to get the combo started.

• Altar of Dementia must be on the battlefield
• Sun Titan is in hand
• While Karmic Guide and Animate Dead are in the graveyard
• Six mana (with at least two mana being White)

How It Works

1. Cast Sun Titan and use it's ability to return Animate Dead from the graveyard.

2. With Animate Dead on the stack, sacrifice Sun Titan to Altar of Dementia and Mill an opponent for six.

3. Resolve Animate Dead and use its ability to return Karmic Guide the battlefield. Now Animate Dead will attempt to attach to Karmic Guide but it can't do so because it has protection from black and is sent to the graveyard.

4. When Animate Dead is put into the graveyard, it causes you to sacrifice Karmic Guide. However, its enter-the-battlefield ability will still trigger and can return Sun Titan to the battlefield.

5. When Sun Titan enters the battlefield, use it to reanimate Animate Dead and repeat these steps from the beginning.

Results

• Infinite Mill
• Infinite enter/exit the battlefield triggers
• Infinite death/sacrifice triggers

Recommended Commanders

9. Teysa, Orzhov Scion, Darkest Hour, Blood Artist & Viscera Seer

If you're running Teysa, Orzhov Scion as a commander, the chances are likely that you'll be automatically playing at least another 2/3 of the combo as well. Furthermore, it's fairly easy to slot it into most aristocrat builds.

Price

$10.28 on TCGplayer

Set-Up

• All permanents on the battlefield and one extra creature

How It Works

1. First, sacrifice the additional creature to Viscera Seer and scry one. Then Blood Artist will cause each opponent to lose one life.

2. Thanks to Darkest Hour whatever creature you sacrificed would be Black. This will trigger Teysa, Orzhov Scion's second ability and she will create a 1/1 Black Spirit token.

3. Sacrifice the token to Viscera Seer and scry one. Then Blood Artist will trigger and cause each opponent to lose one life and Teysa's second ability will create another token.

4. Repeat from step three.

Results

• Infinite scry
• Infinite death/sacrifice triggers
• You gain infinite life
• Opponents lose infinite life

Recommended Commanders

8. Vizkopa Guildmage & Exquisite Blood

Here we have a way to create a loop of gaining life and draining all opponents of life when you do. Here's what you'll need and how the combo works.

Price

$25.50 on TCGplayer

Set-Up

You'll need:

• At least three mana (one generic, one White, and one Black) available to you
• Vizkopa Guildmage & Exquisite Blood on the battlefield
• A way to gain life or cause an opponent to lose life

How It Works

Once you've met the requisites above here's what you'll do:

1. Pay three mana and activate the second ability of Vizkopa Guildmage. Now, whenever you gain life opponents lose that much life.

2. Gain any amount of life and Vizkopa Guildmage triggers, causing each opponent to lose that much life.

3. Exquisite Blood triggers for each opponent that just lost life, and causes you to gain life. When you gain life the combo repeats from step two.

Results

• You gain infinite life
• Opponents lose infinite life

Recommended Commanders

7. Leonin Relic-Warder & Animate Dead

In this case, you can create a loop of using each of these cards to return the other from the graveyard over and over.

Price:

$4.43 on TCGplayer

Set-Up

You'll need:

• Leonin Relic-Warder in your graveyard
• Animate Dead in hand with the mana to cast it

How It Works

Once you have everything mentioned above here's what you'll do:

1. Cast Animate Dead and return Leonin Relic-Warder to the battlefield and attach Animate Dead to it.

2. When Leonin Relic-Warder enters the battlefield use its ability to exile Animate Dead.

3. When Animate Dead leaves the battlefield you'll have to sacrifice Leonin Relic-Warder. When you do, you'll return Animate Dead to the battlefield.

4. Repeat from the first step.

Results

• Infinite creatures and enchantments entering the battlefield
• Infinite creatures and enchantments leaving the battlefield

With a Blood Artist effect on the battlefield, you can drain all opponents out of life and gain infinite life as well.

Recommended Commanders

+ Companion
+  Companion

6. Sanguine Bond & Beacon of Immortality

Price

$6.88 on TCGplayer

Set-Up

Here's the setup:

• Sanguine Bond on the battlefield
• Beacon of Immortality in hand with the mana to cast it
• Your life total is greater than or higher than an opponent

How It Works

With everything above available here's what to do:

1. Cast Beacon of Immortality and double your life total.

2. Sanguine Bond triggers causing an opponent to lose the amount of life you gained.

Results

• Target opponent loses the game

Here's an example for this one. You and an opponent are each at 20 life and you cast Beacon of Immortality, going up to 40. When this happens, Sanguine Bond will trigger (you've gained 20 life) which will drain that opponent for 20 life, causing them to lose the game.

Recommended Commanders

 

5. Teysa Karlov, Pitiless Plunderer, Reassembling Skeleton, & Ashnod's Altar

This one has a few more cards in it than most. However, it's still well worth playing considering just how much value it yields once it's in place.

Price

$20.66 on TCGplayer

Set-Up

• All permanents on the battlefield

How It Works

1. Use Ahsnod's Altar to sacrifice Reassembling Skeleton. When you do you'll gain two colorless mana.

2. Then Pitiless Plunderer will trigger twice (thanks to Teysa Karlov) and create two treasure tokens.

3. Use one treasure to add black to your mana pool and (along with one of the two colorless mana) recast Reassembling Skeleton from your graveyard.

4. Repeat from step one.

Results

• Infinite mana (colorless and black)
• Infinite treasure tokens
• Infinite enter/exit the battlefield triggers
• Infinite death/sacrifice triggers  

 Recommended Commanders

4. Ad Nauseam & Teferi's Protection

Ad Nauseam is one of my all-time favorite cards and can be used in a plethora of combos. This one is simple but quite effective. If you're not already running the Teferi's Protection in your 99, you could swap it out for Angel's Grace and the combo will function the same.

Price

$32.76 on TCGplayer

Set-Up

• Both cards in hand with access to enough mana to cast both

How It Works

1. First, cast Teferi's Protection. This causes your life total to be unable to change for the turn.

2. Then cast Ad Nauseam and reveal any number of cards from the top of your library paying life instead of their mana costs.

3. Considering your life total can't change, you can repeat this process any number of times.

Results

• Infinite card draw

Recommended Commanders

+ Companions
+ Companions

3. Marionette Master, Ashnod's Altar, & Eldrazi Displacer

I love this combo and am excited to hopefully bring it to more players' attention here. Here's what you'll need and how it works.

Price

$9.44 on TCGplayer

Set-Up

You'll need:

• All permanents on the battlefield and enough mana to activate the ability of Eldrazi Displacer.

How It Works

1. Activate Eldrazi Displacer to exile Marionette Master and return it to the battlefield, creating three 1/1 servos.

2. Sacrifice two servos to Ashnod's Altar. When you do you'll generate four colorless mana and Marionette Master will trigger twice, causing an opponent to lose two life.

3. Spend three of your colorless mana to activate Eldrazi Displacer again and repeated the process.

Results

• Infinite tokens
• Infinite enter/exit the battlefield triggers
• Infinite death/sacrifice triggers
• Infinite life loss
• Infinite colorless mana

Recommended Commanders

2. Ad Nauseam, Angel's Grace, Sickening Dreams

 

Price

$14.98 on TCGplayer

Set-Up

• Ad Nauseam and Angel's Grace in hand.
• Sickening Dreams in your hand or library
• The number of cards in your library and/or hand is greater than your opponents' life total
• Your life total is greater than your opponents' life total
• You have eight mana (one of which is White and three are Black) available to you

How It Works

1. Cast Angel's Grace to prevent you from losing the game this turn.

2. Then cast Ad Nauseam and reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal Sickening Dreams and you have a number of cards higher than your opponents' life total.

3. Cast Sickening Dreams and discard cards equal to the highest opposing life total.

Results

• Lethal damage to all opponents and each creature.

Recommended Commanders

+ Companions
+  Companions

1. Gravecrawler, Wayward Servant, & Phyrexian Altar

Price

$28.30 on TCGplayer

Set-Up

For our number two Orzhov combo you'll need:

• All of the above-mentioned permanents on the battlefield

How It Works

1. Sacrifice Gravecaller to Phyrexian Altar, add Black mana to your mana pool, and Wayward Servant will drain each opponent.

2. Use that mana to cast Gravecaller from the graveyard.

3. Repeat

Results

• Infinite life loss
• You gain infinite life gain
• Infinite death/sacrifice triggers
• Infinite enter/exit the battlefield triggers

Recommended Commanders

+ Companions
+ Companions

Conclusion

There you have it ladies and gentlemen - My picks for the top 10 Orzhov combos. As mentioned, they are listed 10-1 but one isn't the best for all decks, obviously. That said, the next time you sleeve up those B/W commanders you can take your combo game to the next level. Comment down below and let me know your favorite commander combos.