Vampiric Bloodlust original preconstructed deck list.

Official descriptions from the packaging and insert from WotC:

As the sole origin of their bloodline, Edgar Markov commands the Markov vampires of Innistrad. With his tremendous influence, Edgar continually expands his vampire army, overwhelming foes with his ageless legion.

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Edgar Markov,

Sire of the bloodline

On Innistrad, a world known for the might of its vampires, Edgar Markov was the first and most powerful. Thousands of years ago, he was an alchemist seeking immortality for himself and his grandson, Sorin. Encouraged by a demon, Edgar performed a Dark Ritual, feeding on the blood of other beings, and thus was transformed into an immortal vampire. Realizing the immensity of the power he unlocked, Edgar shared the ritual with his most loyal subjects, each of whom became a founder of one of Innistrad’s vampiric bloodlines, growing Edgar’s vampire army into one of the most powerful forces in the world.

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A rustling in the shadows, a muffled scream, the scent of blood, and the victim is suddenly… gone. The same story is told on worlds across the Multiverse – the fearsome tale of vampire’s vicious attack. Vampirism has arisen in many different ways and for many different reasons, and the appetites and abilities of vampires vary widely. It’s their endless hunger for the life-force of other beings that defines vampires and drives them to kill. To the unafflicted, vampirism is viewed as a curse that infects the innocent, transforming them into monsters – but to vampires themselves, vampirism is a boon. With their bloodlust comes power that can manifest as physical strength, advanced mental faculty, the capacity to heal themselves, the ability to fly, and often immortality.

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Licia, Sanguine Tribune is an army general renowned for her ruthlessness in battle. She wields dual swords stained with the blood of countless victims, including the enchanted blood of an angel, whose feathers Licia wears in her helmet as a symbol of her supremacy. As ravenous for conquest as she is for blood, she led an invading force across the sea, rampaging from village to village on a merciless massacre, leaving nothing but death in her wake.

Mathas, Fiend Seeker is both a vampire and a vampire hunter. His desire to be the only one of his kind drives him to betray his brethren. He hunts his fellow vampires and brands them with a powerful holy symbol, condemning them to death. Mathas keeps his true nature a secret, playing the part of an innocent mortal, but with every death, he comes one step closer to the time when he will finally be able to unleash his hunger on the world.

Both Drana and Anowon are vampires from the plane of Zendikar. Drana is the bloodchief of the wealthiest and most powerful vampire family on that world, the Kalastria. She fought to prevent her kind from becoming mindless thralls to the monstrous Eldrazi, going so far as to temporarily ally with those whom she usually would consider prey. Over the course of his long life, Anowon’s hunger for blood was augmented by his hunger for knowledge. He searches for answers to the questions that plague him about the origins of his kind and their enslavement under the Eldrazi. He will find the truth no matter the cost.

Some of the most feared predators in the Multiverse, vampires possess great power, and they use it to pursue their desires, passionately and relentlessly, until the end of time.

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Playing the deck

The main commander of “Vampiric Bloodlust” is Edgar Markov, the ancient lord of Innistrad who spread vampirism and sired Soring Markov. The Vampire deck’s primary focus is draining the life from its foes, but it also excels at all-out assault by making swarms of smaller creatures.

Edgar Markov, while a complex and ancient character, is a card with a simple goal: play Vampires and attack. He can add an army of Vampire tokens to the board through his eminence ability, granting them all a boost in power when he enters he battlefield. As a commander, Licia, Sanguine Tribune is more focused on the life-gaining aspect of the deck, and you’ll want to make sure you keep a way to gain some life should she die. Remember that her ability also reduces the additional mana it costs to cast her multiple times from the command zone! Mathas, Fiend Seeker excels at the political game as a commander. Use his ability to make allies, sitting back and gaining life while incentivizing your opponents to look elsewhere.

In general, the Vampire deck looks either to eliminate an opponent quickly of slowly drain the life from its foes. Sitting at a high life total can afford you a great deal of flexibility as the game stretches on, and you’ll want to leverage that ability to set up devastating attacks with hordes of undead.

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ISBPathfinder's deck is the inspiration for this build. If you are seeking the best version of an aggressive Edgar Markov deck, go there.

As with any deck, this is always a work in progress. I am an expat living in Peru, and we do not have a card market which is nearly as developed as it is in the USA. The card pool is based on what is opened and traded around the local community and what is otherwise imported. As a result, you will see a pair of original dual lands in my deck and then cards which cost 46 cents ($0.46) on my buy list. The simple reason is because nobody has had them for sale or trade where I live (yet).

Deck building goals

I ascribe to Jason Alt's "75%" deck building philosophy, which you can read more about here:

8 Simple Rules for Playing in My Commander Group

BUY LIST

Creature

• Changeling Outcast will replace Vampire Hexmage
• Knight of the Ebon Legion will replace Martyr of Dusk
• Pulse Tracker will repalce Stromkirk Condemned
• Quag Vampires will replace Tithe Drinker
• Vampire of the Dire Moon will replace Oathsworn Vampire

These cards are intended to lower the curve. The decks wants to cast creatures as cheaply as possible and just get bodies into play. That is far more important than the abilities on the card.

Artifact

• Mox Diamond is better than Talisman of Indulgence, but a lot more expensive
• Mana Crypt is also better than Worn Powerstone, but a lot more expensive as well.

Enchantment

• Reconnaissance - You can untap blocked creatures to save them if needed, and untap everyone after damage but before the end of the combat step. Yes, this works. Look it up for yourself if you didn't know. this will replace Vanquisher's Banner, which is in the deck for flavor and budget.

Instants

• Fire Covenant is one of the best removal spells in the format an I am forced to proxy it. There is no functional replacement for what this does until I can get a real one.

Sorcery

• Minions' Murmurs will replace Promise of Power
• Wheel of Fortune is far better than Wheel of Fate, but is a lot more expensive.

Land

• Gemstone Caverns can replace Nomad Outpost as an obvious improvement.
• Graven Cairns can replace Windbrisk Heights
• Fetid Heath can replace Spinerock Knoll

The two Hideaway lands are easy to trigger and grant card advantage at the cost of entering the battlefield tapped. No matter hat you hide under them, they generate card advantage. If you find nothing but four lands, you can still hide one away, but it counts as your land drop for the turn. However, if you do not have a land drop that turn, it is still worth it. Any card which costs more than two grants you more than card advantage, as you are also able to cheat mana costs. Regardless, they EtB tappedand as a result are slower than the filter lands, which I do not own and would improve the deck.