Hello everyone. Last week I looked at some Boros decks that really fit my play style. This week I want to continue that trend by looking at another color pairing that I really enjoy playing, Black & White, also known as Orzhov. Let's get started.

Orzhov Humans

We'll start with a deck featuring a bunch of Humans, one of Magic's most versatile tribes. Let's take a look at the deck.

Orzhov Humans - DMU Standard | covertgoblue, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (37)
• 3 Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
• 3 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
• 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
• 4 Anointed Peacekeeper
• 4 Brutal Cathar // Moonrage Brute
• 4 Evolved Sleeper
• 4 Guardian of New Benalia
• 4 Hopeful Initiate
• 4 Intrepid Adversary
• 4 Tenacious Underdog

• Lands (23)
• 5 Plains
• 5 Swamp
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 3 Secluded Courtyard
• 4 Caves of Koilos
• 4 Shattered Sanctum

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Thalia, Guardian of Thraben works nicely with another Human in this deck, Anointed Peacekeeper. When Anointed Peacekeeper enters the battlefield, you'll be able to look at your opponent's hand. Not only does this give you some advanced knowledge of your opponent's plans for the next couple of turns, you'll also get to choose a card that will cost an additional 2 mana to cast and activate. This doesn't have to be a card you find in your opponent's hand either. By looking at their hand, you might be able to figure out what card your opponent is currently missing and preemptively strike against it.

Orzhov Phyrexians

Next, we'll take a look at a deck featuring quite a few Phyrexians. Let's check it out.

Orzhov Phyrexians | DMU Standard | powrdragn, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (20)
• 1 Defiler of Faith
• 1 Liesa, Forgotten Archangel
• 2 Aron, Benalia's Ruin
• 2 Braids, Arisen Nightmare
• 2 Serra Paragon
• 3 Benalish Sleeper
• 3 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
• 3 Phyrexian Missionary
• 3 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse

• Planeswalkers (4)
• 1 Elspeth Resplendent
• 3 The Wandering Emperor

• Instants (7)
• 2 Destroy Evil
• 2 Reckoner's Bargain
• 3 Infernal Grasp

• Sorceries (1)
• 1 Rite of Oblivion

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Wedding Announcement // Wedding Festivity

• Lands (24)
• 5 Swamp
• 9 Plains
• 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 4 Caves of Koilos
• 4 Shattered Sanctum

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This deck also includes some terrific removal. The Wandering Emperor can be flashed in right after your opponent has attacked with their strongest creature, using her -2 loyalty ability to exile that tapped creature and gaining you two points of life. Infernal Grasp and Rite of Oblivion are also great removal spells. This deck also includes Braids, Arisen Nightmare, which allows you to sacrifice your own permanents to force your opponent to sacrifice a permanent of the same type or they will lose two life and you will draw a card. This can be devastating when they only have a few points of life left.

Orzhov Zombies

Next, I have a deck that features a ton of Zombies and Zombie creature tokens. Let's take a look at it.

Orzhov Zombies | DMU Standard | JayVillain, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (25)
• 2 Gisa, Glorious Resurrector
• 3 Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia
• 4 Champion of the Perished
• 4 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
• 4 Headless Rider
• 4 Ratadrabik of Urborg
• 4 Tainted Adversary

• Instants (3)
• 3 Fateful Absence

• Sorceries (9)
• 2 Can't Stay Away
• 3 Path of Peril
• 4 Eaten Alive

• Lands (23)
• 5 Plains
• 9 Swamp
• 1 Raffine's Tower
• 2 Caves of Koilos
• 2 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 2 Shattered Sanctum
• 2 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire

• Sideboard (4)
• 2 Hero's Downfall
• 2 Infernal Grasp

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In order to destroy your opponent's creatures easily, there are a couple of creature removal spells you can use. Fateful Absence is one of the premier removal spells currently in Standard. With it, you can destroy any creature in play and the only downside is that your opponent will get to investigate. Fateful Absence is also protection against any planeswalker your opponent might play. There's also Path of Peril, which can be used either to destroy all creatures costing two or less mana, or all creatures if the cleave cost is paid. With spells like this, you'll be able to dominate the battlefield with your horde of Zombies.

Orzhov Midrange

The final deck I have for you is a midrange deck that features a subtheme of drawing extra cards and gaining life points. Let's take a look at the deck.

Orzhov Midrange | DMU Standard | MagicMalGiocato, aetherhub.com user

• Creatures (27)
• 2 Concealing Curtains // Revealing Eye
• 2 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
• 2 Evolved Sleeper
• 2 Lunarch Veteran // Luminous Phantom
• 2 Phyrexian Missionary
• 2 Serra Paragon
• 2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
• 2 Tenacious Underdog
• 3 Intrepid Adversary
• 4 Morbid Opportunist
• 4 Welcoming Vampire

• Instants (5)
• 2 Destroy Evil
• 3 Fateful Absence

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Wedding Announcement // Wedding Festivity

• Lands (24)
• 7 Swamp
• 9 Plains
• 2 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
• 2 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 4 Shattered Sanctum

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Lunarch Veteran // Luminous Phantom gets things started on the life gaining front, allowing you to gain one point of life whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control. You can continue gaining life by casting both Intrepid Adversary and Phyrexian Missionary, as both of these creatures have lifelink. This deck also includes Serra Paragon, who is able to return creatures from your graveyard that will give you two points of life when they die. Finally, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse will give you two points of life whenever you draw a card.

In order to draw as many extra cards as you can, this deck has a few options to help. Evolved Sleeper lets you draw a card whenever you activate its three-mana ability. You'll also lose one point of life when doing this (in addition to gaining a +1/+1 counter), so that extra life you've gained isn't just extra padding. Welcoming Vampire allows you to draw one extra card each turn, as long as you have a creature with power 2 or less enter the battlefield under your control. Finally, Morbid Opportunist lets you draw a card, once per turn, whenever one or more other creatures die. It doesn't matter who controlled those creatures, only that they died.

Wrapping Up

Whether you prefer to play a semi-tribal deck based on Humans, Phyrexians, or Zombies, or you'd rather play a general all-purpose deck, Orzhov has all of the tools you need to be successful. Each of this week's decks has a different feel when played, so try each of them to see which one suits you best.

What do you think of these decks? Do you have any suggestions for improvements? Let me know by leaving a comment below. Also, feel free to share this article with your friends anywhere on social media. And be sure to join me here again next week as I continue my search for innovative decks in Standard. I'll see you then!

-Mike Likes