<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hope Estheim" href="#" target="_blank">Hope Estheim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://scryfall.com/search?q=a%3A%E2%80%9CShiyu%E2%80%9D&amp;unique=art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shiyu</a></em></p>
<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">With only <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/mill/azorius" target="_blank" rel="noopener">708 Azorius mill decks</a> on the site, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hope Estheim" href="#" target="_blank">Hope Estheim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> brings a fresh look to the archetype by combining it with another, much more popular one: life gain. It's so popular that <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/lifegain/azorius" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Azorius has 4.4 thousand</a> decks on the site!</span></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hope Estheim"></div></div>
<p><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">A fresh take with a fresh-faced commander means only one thing left to do: dive in, and remind you that while I have never finaled a fantasy, I'm always <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/nicnax96.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nick</a>. And this is <em>Tech The Deck</em>.</span></p>
<h2>Key Cards for Hope Estheim</h2>
<h3>So Enchanting</h3>
<p>Today, I must go out of order when discussing cards. The reason is to shout out your Commander Mechanic and mine...Commander Mechanic. After seeing a <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/cmdrmechanic.bsky.social/post/3lpxhwh3vlc2q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post about Hope's synergy with two of my favorite cards</a>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Illusions of Grandeur" href="#" target="_blank">Illusions of Grandeur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Delusions of Mediocrity" href="#" target="_blank">Delusions of Mediocrity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it only makes sense that they would inspire this deck.</p>
<p>They also did <a href="https://youtu.be/gT5rKB9CE54?si=w78Hbv50exbIrq1n" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an excellent video</a> on their version of the deck that everyone should watch.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Illusions of Grandeur"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Delusions of Mediocrity"></div></div>
<p>Both cards seem to have too much risk and not enough reward. Most players might not even know these are real cards. Even fewer would believe me when I tell them that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Illusions of Grandeur" href="#" target="_blank">Illusions of Grandeur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> was part of a <a href="https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/feature/trix-2008-09-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">top-tier deck named Trix</a>.</p>
<p>For two cards I think about far too often, I'm ashamed that their synergy with Hope slipped my mind. Now they will only slip inside a sleeve as I put them into this deck.</p>
<p>The ability to gain 10 or 20 life off only one card would typically be worth nothing in the Commander format. But when that turns into the rest of the table getting milled for 10 to 20 cards, we're on to something. What would be even better for us would be finding a way to do it more than once.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Copy Enchantment"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mirrormade"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Estrid&#039;s Invocation"></div></div>
<p>One great thing about enchantments is that they love to find ways to make copies of other enchantments. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Copy Enchantment" href="#" target="_blank">Copy Enchantment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a card whose name tells you exactly what the card does: It copies an enchantment. You can use this to get a copy of an opponent's enchantment, but they won't have anything as good as an Illusion or Delusion.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirrormade" href="#" target="_blank">Mirrormade</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> comes with the added benefit of duplicating an artifact, and, like above, the table certainly won't have anything as good as we're working with, but if they do, we get one too.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Estrid&#039;s Invocation" href="#" target="_blank">Estrid&#039;s Invocation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> seems to be tailor made for this deck. Not only does it copy an enchantment for us, but it can do it every time we get an upkeep - every upkeep, gaining 20 life and milling 60 cards total from the table. Yes please.</p>
<p>We have one last way to get copies of enchantments from our enchantments in this deck: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Extravagant Replication" href="#" target="_blank">Extravagant Replication</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. At <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span><span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, this card is at the higher end of our mana value, but after just a few turns, it might get us everything we need to win the game.</p>
<p>It will also do a fine job of giving us extra copies of a few of the next set of cards.</p>
<h3>Twice As Much Instead</h3>
<p>Mill decks over the years have been no strangers to powerful artifacts, with possibly the most well-known being the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mesmeric Orb" href="#" target="_blank">Mesmeric Orb</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. While the Orb doesn't make the 99 of this deck, some other powerful artifacts do.</p>
<p>The first is a card most people ignore until it's too late: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Venser&#039;s Journal" href="#" target="_blank">Venser&#039;s Journal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Giving no maximum hand size as an effect is often a bonus for cards with something better to do. When it comes to the Journal, it's a key part of why the card is good.</p>
<p>If this card capped out at gaining seven life, it might still get some play, but having an upper end defined by how many cards you can draw guarantees it gets in decks.</p>
<p>A newcomer to the lifegain suite of cards comes courtesy of <em>Final Fantasy, </em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Wind Crystal" href="#" target="_blank">The Wind Crystal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span><em>. </em>Cost reduction on white spells, which make up 63% of the deck, doubling up our lifegain and, in turn, our milling, makes it an easy inclusion.</p>
<p>Finally, some oldie but goodies from Commander games of the past.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Well of Lost Dreams"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Alhammarret&#039;s Archive"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Well of Lost Dreams" href="#" target="_blank">Well of Lost Dreams</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a key to this deck turning something like a trigger off of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Delusions of Mediocrity" href="#" target="_blank">Delusions of Mediocrity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> into possibly ten fresh cards. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Alhammarret&#039;s Archive" href="#" target="_blank">Alhammarret&#039;s Archive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has been a mainstay in Lifegain decks, so it's a mainstay in this deck. Both cards will be out simultaneously, keeping our cards flowing and our opponents drawing on an empty deck.</p>
<h3>Enchanting</h3>
<p>The core of this deck acts as a typical Enchantress deck. So, the creatures within will look different from those in a typical Lifegain lineup.</p>
<p>The first thing every Enchantress deck needs is the Enchantress creatures.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Inquisitive Glimmer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Entity Tracker"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Starfield Mystic"></div></div>
<p>Every Enchantress worth their salt does one of two things: they draw a card whenever we play an enchantment or when one enters, or they reduce how expensive our enchantments are to cast. Sadly, none of these creatures do both.</p>
<p>Our other non-Enchantress creatures in the deck also do their best to help.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Will, Scion of Peace" href="#" target="_blank">Will, Scion of Peace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, helps turn our lifegain into cost reduction on spells. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Archon of Sun&#039;s Grace" href="#" target="_blank">Archon of Sun&#039;s Grace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> provides us with an army to keep up the pressure and keep our life high, and giving Pegasus creatures lifelink has never been more relevant than in this deck. This deck runs <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storm Herd" href="#" target="_blank">Storm Herd</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and likes it.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heliod, Sun-Crowned" href="#" target="_blank">Heliod, Sun-Crowned</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heliod, the Radiant Dawn" href="#" target="_blank">Heliod, the Radiant Dawn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might not be the best of friends with one another, but they do love the rest of the characters in this deck.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gogo, Master of Mimicry" href="#" target="_blank">Gogo, Master of Mimicry</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> might be from a different game in the franchise, but they do work great with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hope Estheim" href="#" target="_blank">Hope Estheim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Gogo copying Hope's ability multiple times a turn is an easy way to win a game out of nowhere on any turn where we can gain a substantial amount of life.</p>
<h3>Clerical</h3>
<p>One creature in this deck must be highlighted. Not only does it give us life; not only is it cheap to cast; not only does it provide us with a combo angle for the deck; it also has some killer art.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Faith Healer"></div></div>
<p>The game doesn't have many ways to sacrifice an enchantment, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faith Healer" href="#" target="_blank">Faith Healer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does this with no downside. It's not restricted to sorcery speed only, and no mana or life has to be paid to activate it either. The card <em>gains us life</em>.</p>
<p>The combo aspect this card allows us is the primary focus for its inclusion. While <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Illusions of Grandeur" href="#" target="_blank">Illusions of Grandeur</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will eventually put itself into the yard, not all of our enchantments have that same ability. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Faith Healer" href="#" target="_blank">Faith Healer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> saves the day.</p>
<p>But why are we putting these cards into the yard? To bring them all back, of course.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dance of the Manse"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Open the Vaults"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Second Sunrise"></div></div>
<p>Sending our enchantments to the graveyard looks silly until any of these cards end up in our hands while we do it. While not the most potent combo ever assembled and not the best example of just how powerful <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Second Sunrise" href="#" target="_blank">Second Sunrise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be as a card, this will catch a table off guard.</p>
<p>Lastly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Resplendent Mentor" href="#" target="_blank">Resplendent Mentor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Famished Paladin" href="#" target="_blank">Famished Paladin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can combine to mill an entire table out all at once.</p>
<h3>Spice Rack</h3>
<p>No Commander deck is complete without a few spicy inclusions. And this deck is no stranger to spice.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ondu Spiritdancer" href="#" target="_blank">Ondu Spiritdancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gets themselves onto the copy train every turn. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Angel of Destiny" href="#" target="_blank">Angel of Destiny</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> allows us to win the game with an alternative plan after opponents catch on to the primary strategy.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Congregate" href="#" target="_blank">Congregate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can gain the most absurd amount of life of any card ever printed, and at the low cost of not blowing up the board. And possible new Lifegain staple <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elixir" href="#" target="_blank">Elixir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> shuffles back all the good stuff so you can use it again.</p>
<h2>Wrap Up</h2>
<p>The <em>Final Fantasy</em> set is a strange one for me. I have no connection with the characters, and haven't played any of the games. But at the same time, I'm connected to so many of these cards because of how cool they are for the game.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hope Estheim" href="#" target="_blank">Hope Estheim</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> took me a few reads to understand just how cool it is, and I feel that will be happening with many of these cards for years to come.</p>
<p>Thanks to the set, I know that many amazing strategies are coming for the first time, and many more are getting new toys to play with. If you want to see those strategies and the cards that help them, check out <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/final-fantasy-commander-deck-techs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all of the great content</a> by our fantastic group of writers.</p>
<p>If you want to know my thoughts on more cards, check out <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/author/nicholas-lucchesi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all my articles here</a>. With <em>Edge of Eternities</em> on the horizon and trips to New York (Spider-Man) and the Fire Nation (Avatar), I'll have no shortage of cool cards to discuss.</p>
<p>As always, I have been Nick. This has been <em>Tech The Deck</em>, and you can find me anywhere you can spell nicnax96 on the internet.</p>
<h2>Hope Estheim Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Tech The Deck - Hope Estheim" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Hope Estheim
[/Commander]
[Instant]
*1 Absorb
*1 Beacon of Immortality
*1 Congregate
*1 Faithful Mending
*1 Ghostly Flicker
*1 Heliod&#039;s Intervention
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Restoration Magic
*1 Revitalize
*1 Second Sunrise
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 Sphinx&#039;s Revelation
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Teferi&#039;s Time Twist
*1 Thirst for Meaning
[/Instant]
[Artifact]
*1 Alhammarret&#039;s Archive
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Azorius Signet
*1 Elixir
*1 Pristine Talisman
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Progress
*1 The Wind Crystal
*1 Venser&#039;s Journal
*1 Well of Lost Dreams
*1 Zuran Orb
[/Artifact]
[Creature]
*1 Angel of Destiny
*1 Archon of Sun&#039;s Grace
*1 Drogskol Reaver
*1 Entity Tracker
*1 Faith Healer
*1 Famished Paladin
*1 Ghostly Dancers
*1 Gogo, Master of Mimicry
*1 Heliod, Sun-Crowned
*1 Heliod, the Radiant Dawn // Heliod, the Warped Eclipse
*1 Inquisitive Glimmer
*1 Kwain, Itinerant Meddler
*1 Ondu Spiritdancer
*1 Resplendent Mentor
*1 Rhox Faithmender
*1 Shabraz, the Skyshark
*1 Starfield Mystic
*1 Will, Scion of Peace
[/Creature]
[Enchantment]
*1 Authority of the Consuls
*1 Copy Enchantment
*1 Delusions of Mediocrity
*1 Estrid&#039;s Invocation
*1 Extravagant Replication
*1 Ghostly Prison
*1 Grasp of Fate
*1 Illusions of Grandeur
*1 Land Tax
*1 Mirrormade
*1 Propaganda
*1 Sigil of the Empty Throne
*1 Smothering Tithe
*1 Sphere of Safety
[/Enchantment]
[Sorcery]
*1 Dance of the Manse
*1 Fumigate
*1 Idyllic Tutor
*1 Open the Vaults
*1 Sanctify
*1 Storm Herd
[/Sorcery]
[Land]
*1 Adarkar Wastes
*1 Adventurer&#039;s Inn
*1 Azorius Chancery
*1 Command Tower
*1 Deserted Beach
*1 Fabled Passage
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Floodfarm Verge
*1 Glacial Fortress
*1 Hall of Heliod&#039;s Generosity
*1 Hallowed Fountain
*1 Ishgard, the Holy See // Faith &amp; Grief
*7 Island
*1 Jidoor, Aristocratic Capital // Overture
*1 Kabira Crossroads
*1 Meticulous Archive
*1 Nimbus Maze
*9 Plains
*1 Prairie Stream
*1 Radiant Fountain
*1 Sea of Clouds
[/Land]"></span></div>


azorius lifegain

Building an Azorius Mill Commander Deck With Hope Estheim