Overview:

This Oloro, Ageless Ascentric deck is a lifegain-centric control/combo build that leverages incremental life gain to fuel value engines, drain opponents, and execute game-ending combos. Oloro provides passive life gain from the command zone, enabling consistent triggers for payoff cards like Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose, Sanguine Bond, and Archangel of Thune. The deck aims to win through infinite life-drain combos (Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond/Vito), alternate win conditions (Felidar Sovereign, Test of Endurance), or overwhelming life totals paired with Aetherflux Reservoir. While Oloro isn’t essential to the core strategy, his passive life gain ensures resilience against removal and fuels the deck’s synergies.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy incremental life gain sources like Soul Warden, Authority of the Consuls, or Nyx-Fleece Ram. Use mana rocks (Sol Ring, signets) to accelerate into key engines like Well of Lost Dreams or Dawn of Hope.
2. Midgame Value (Turns 5-7): Cast high-impact payoffs like Rhox Faithmender (doubling life gain), Luminarch Ascension, or Crested Sunmare. Tutor for combo pieces with Demonic Tutor or dig with Ad Nauseam.
3. Win Conditions (Turns 6+):
   • Combo: Assemble Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond or Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose to drain opponents infinitely.
   • Alternate Wins: Activate Felidar Sovereign/Test of Endurance during upkeep with 40+/50+ life. Use Aetherflux Reservoir to burn opponents.
   • Combat: Overwhelm with Archangel of Thune-buffered creatures or angel tokens from Griffin Aerie/Luminarch Ascension.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including color-fixing), at least one early lifegain source (e.g., Soul Warden), and a mana rock.
• Prioritize combo pieces or tutors if paired with sufficient ramp.
• Avoid hands with only high-CMC spells or no lifegain triggers.

Key Tips:

• Sequence Lifegain Multipliers: Deploy Rhox Faithmender or Alhammarret’s Archive before major life-gain events (e.g., Storm Herd).
• Protect Combos: Use Dovin’s Veto or Teferi’s Protection (not in list) to shield critical enchantments.
• Leverage Oloro’s Draw: Pay {1} to draw cards when gaining life, especially with Well of Lost Dreams or Dawn of Hope.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Enchantment Reliance: The deck folds to mass enchantment removal (Cleansing Nova, Austere Command), which disrupts combo pieces and key engines.
• No Graveyard Recursion: Lacks ways to recover exiled combo pieces or key creatures.
• Slow Setup: Minimal fast mana outside Sol Ring delays combo assembly against faster decks.

Moderate

• Vulnerability to Stax: Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void, or Cursed Totem cripple lifegain triggers and combo lines.
• Limited Board Presence: Relies on tokens and utility creatures, making it susceptible to repeated board wipes.

Minor

• Life Total Dependency: Test of Endurance and Felidar Sovereign can be disrupted by instant-speed life loss.
• Mana Base: Multiple taplands (e.g., Tranquil Cove) slow early development.

Most Important Cards:

• Exquisite Blood (Combo enabler – infinite drain)
• Sanguine Bond (Combo finisher – life drain)
• Rhox Faithmender (Doubles lifegain output)
• Aetherflux Reservoir (Alternate win condition)
• Archangel of Thune (Scaling threat with lifegain)
• Felidar Sovereign (Alternate win condition)
• Demonic Tutor (Tutors combo pieces)
• Luminarch Ascension (Token generation for pressure)
• Dawn of Hope (Card draw and token engine)
• Ad Nauseam (Digs for combo pieces/lifegain payoffs)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten wins via combo or Aetherflux Reservoir by turns 6-8 in ideal scenarios but lacks fast mana for earlier execution.

Resilience: 5/10

• Limited protection for key pieces and no graveyard recursion, but lifegain buffers against aggression and offers card draw.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong tutoring (Demonic Tutor) and card draw (Well of Lost Dreams, Dawn of Hope) ensure access to combo pieces.

Interaction: 5/10

• Includes targeted removal (Swords to Plowshares, Mortify) and counterspells (Dovin’s Veto), but lacks stack control for protecting combos.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a 5.0 - 5.5 power level. It can reliably assemble game-winning combos or alternate conditions by turns 8-9 with strong consistency and lifegain-fueled resilience. However, its reliance on fragile enchantments and slow mana base prevent it from reaching higher tiers.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5