The Lifegain Archetype in Magic: The Gathering is one of the most popular and well-known ones out there. It's popular in multiple formats, and Commander is no exception. In fact, it's the second most popular theme according to EDHREC, only behind decks with an artifact focus.

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Most Lifegain decks are generally black, white, and/or green, most commonly Orzhov (black/white) or Selesnya (green/white), and Golgari (black/green). These colors all help the strategy quite a bit and have plenty of support cards released for them over the years. These commanders are the best for the Lifegain strategy, both due to their color identity and their effects.

Updated September 3, 2022, by Johnny Garcia: Magic: The Gathering continues to grow with new sets. With each new set comes a plethora of new cards, supporting old deck archetypes and making new ones entirely as new abilities are added to the game. One of the oldest, and most popular archetypes, is Lifegain. A staple of budget decks across many formats, in Commander, it can be built with any kind of budget. Thanks to how many cards enable the strategy, there are many levels to play it, from low power to the highest levels. Every new set tends to introduce new cards to boost up the power of Lifegain further.

15 Astarion, The Decadent

Astarion, the Decadent

Astarion, The Decadent is a fantastic Lifegain commander released in Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate. It does quite a fair bit of mana, needing five to cast. However, once it hits the field, it makes all of the life you gain during your turn into a massive threat.

Astarion allows you to either double the amount of life you gained during your end step or burn your opponents for that much life. This allows this card to be very versatile, allowing you to survive the game for longer if your life is low or burn the opponents if it is high.

14 Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim

Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim

Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim hits the battlefield very early, needing only two mana to cast. It comes with a solid 2/3 statline along with deathtouch, making it an immediate danger to attack you. This card is a unique Lifegain commander in that it's an Aristocrat one, meaning you want to be sacrificing your creatures for value. Ayli wants you to play ones with large toughness, enabling easy Lifegain.

Once your life is about ten, Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim turns into a powerful removal, letting you exile any nonland permanent for the small price of three mana and a creature to sacrifice. This ability doesn't need you to tap, allowing you to activate it multiple times a turn, and at instant speed.

13 Licia, Sanguine Tribune

licia, sanguine tribune full card and art background

Licia, Sanguine Tribune is one of the best Lifegain commanders that venture outside of its traditional colors, this time taking on a Mardu (red/white/black) color identity. Licia does cost a fair bit of mana to cast, but luckily, this can be easily discounted thanks to its ability — it cost one mana less for each life you gained in a turn.

Related: Top Strongest Mardu Commanders In Magic: The Gathering

Once it hits the battlefield, Licia can begin growing to very large stats. For a simple five life, you can give it three +1/+1 counters. Since it has lifelink, this will guarantee you'll make that life back right away if you attack anyone. It has first strike as well, giving it extra survivability.

12 Willowdusk, Essence Seer

willowdusk, essence seer full card and art background

The face of the Witherbloom Witchcraft pre-constructed commander deck, Willowdusk, Essence Seer is a fantastic commander for Lifegain decks. Willowdusk allows you to easily boost up any creature, giving it +1/+1 counters equal to either your life gained or life lost.

The versatility of this effect turns all the life you gain during one turn into massive creature threats. It only costs one mana to do so as well. With how easy it is to gain a ton of life in Golgari (black/green) colors, odds are the counters you give to a creature will be plentiful.

11 Heliod, Sun-Crowned

heliod, sun-crowned full card and art background

The best mono-white Lifegain commander, Heliod, Sun-Crowned is fantastic. It's indestructible, making it a hassle to get rid of to ensure you keep getting value out of its abilities. Heliod is simple, whenever you gain life, you put a +1/+1 counter on a creature or an enchantment you control.

This allows you to easily built a ton of value quickly, turning small creatures into giant threats. It is very easy to go infinite with Heliod, Sun-Crowned's effect, most notably with Walking Ballista, allowing you to remove counters to gain them back right away by giving it lifelink. This lets you burn the entire game and win in one turn when the combo is online.

10 Trelasarra, Moon Dancer

trelasarra moon dancer full card and art background

Trelasarra, Moon Dancer is a Green-White (Selesnya) Commander with a low casting cost, only requiring one green and one white Mana. This allows it to hit the field incredibly early, and immediately start getting its effect off.

It's a long-term value Commander, slowly strengthening every time you gain life while controlling your top deck with its scrying ability. Since its power grows early on, this can allow you to start swinging out to get commander damage on the opponent, making them have no choice but to block Trelasarra down the line.

9 Lathiel, The Bounteous Dawn

lathiel the bounteous dawn full card and art background

Lathiel, The Bounteous Dawn makes for a solid Lifegain deck that's focused on creature damage as opposed to infinite combos. During the end step, Lathiel, The Bounteous Dawn will distribute +1/+1 counters to any number of creatures, equal to the amount of life you gained for that turn.

This effect doesn't just trigger during your end step, but every one of them. This means if you're gaining life during your opponent's turn, you can continuously grow your creatures to swing out for massive damage when your turn comes back around.

8 Dina, Soul Steeper

dina, soul steeper full card and art background

Dina, Soul Steeper is one of the easier Lifegain decks to build on a budget, thanks to having a solid core in the Witherbloom Witchcraft pre-constructed deck. Dina will deal one damage to each opponent whenever you gain life, which sets you to slowly burn your opponent while you gain life.

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This effect even allows you to go infinite with cards like Exquisite Blood, and since Dina, Soul Steeper is so cheap to cast, it's easily done. Dina even comes with a battle trick, letting you sacrifice a creature to give her an attack boost for the turn.

7 K'rrik, Son Of Yawgmoth

K'rrik Son of Yawgmoth MTG Card

Since in a Lifegain deck you'll be gaining a ton of Life, K'rrik, Son Of Yawgmoth turns all of that value into a mana source you can use. K'rrik allows you to pay two life instead of paying for a black mana in a casting cost.

You'll be in no danger of burning yourself to near-death, as all the lifegain will ensure you stay healthy. When you mix in cards like Vilis, Broker Of Blood, you get an additional value engine to constantly draw cards as well. K'rrik mixed with Lifegain allows you to cast almost all your Spells for almost free.

6 Vito, Thorn Of The Dusk Rose

Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose

Vito, Thorn Of The Dusk Rose allows you to easily turn your entire board of creatures into ones with Lifelink. Its other effect will cause an opponent to lose the same amount of life equal to what you gain as a passive.

Like many of the other best Lifelink cards, Vito, Thorn Of The Dusk Rose goes infinite with Exquisite Blood, which will create a loop of burning an opponent while gaining Life. This makes the combo even more consistent since Vito is always accessible in the Command Zone for when you're ready to go for the victory.

5 Karlov Of The Ghost Council

Karlov of the Ghost Council

Karlov Of The Ghost Council is a low-cost, high-value commander. It only needs one white and one black Mana to cast, and whenever you gain life it gets two +1/+1 Counters. Since you'll be gaining life quite a bit, Karlov will be boosted up to huge stats.

Karlov Of The Ghost Council even has built-in removal, as by removing six +1/+1 counters from it and paying a white and a black mana, you can exile any target creature. This allows you to control the field, all while making a threat with commander damage.

4 Kambal, Consul Of Allocation

Kambal, Consul of Allocation

Kambal, Consul Of Allocation makes for a threatening early-game commander, as once it hits the field it becomes a source of both Burn and Lifegain. Whenever an opponent casts a non-creature spell, which most will cast a lot in commander, Kambal will do two damage to the caster and let you gain two life.

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This allows you to get your Lifegain triggers, all while slowly dwindling down the opponent's life total to help you go for lethal later. Kambal, Consul Of Allocation can quickly become a kill on sight commander, but with the right protection, it'll stick around to give you a ton of value.

3 Beledros Witherbloom

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Beledros Witherbloom is another commander that makes use of the plentiful amount of life you'll wind up with when playing Lifegain. By paying ten life, Beledros Witherbloom will untap all lands you control. This allows you to more often than not play out your whole hand, as well as keep mana open for interaction during your opponents' turns.

It will even give you a source of creatures each turn, as Beledros Witherbloom will create a 1/1 token that gives you a life when it dies at the start of every upkeep.

2 Oloro, Ageless Ascetic

Image of the Oloro Ageless Ascetic card in Magic: The Gathering, with art
Oloro, Ageless Ascetic by Eric Deschamps

An Eminence commander in all but name, Oloro, Ageless Ascetic will always give you two life during your Upkeep, regardless of if it is on the field or in your command zone. It even gives you a small value engine, allowing you to pay one mana to draw a card whenever you gain life and burn each opponent for one.

Oloro is the best three-color commander for Lifegain, giving you access to white, black, and blue. Thanks to the blue, Oloro allows you to play more interaction like counterspells to offer a more Control Lifegain playstyle as opposed to combo.

1 Liesa, Shroud Of Dusk

mtg liesa shroud of dusk full card and art background

The most popular Lifegain commander according to EDHREC, Liesa, Shroud Of Dusk is such a great commander as it can cheat around the commander tax. Instead of paying an additional two mana, Liesa lets you pay the tax with two life instead, making it hard to keep off the field for long.

While on the field, Liesa, Shroud Of Dusk becomes a huge threat, as it will burn a player for two damage whenever they cast a Spell. While it does affect you too, you likely won't care since you'll be gaining a ton of Life.

Next: Magic The Gathering: The Best Cards For A Lifegain Commander Deck