Hello everyone! I'm Levi from The Thought Vessel, and this is Commander Kryptonite--the series that looks at some of the strongest commanders in the format, how they function, their strengths and weaknesses, and ultimately how to beat them. This week we're looking at a commander from a color combination we haven't yet covered on Commander Kryptonite: Orzhov. If we're going to debut the series in Orzhov colors, it only seems fitting to start with its leader, Teysa Karlov. Let's begin!

The Commander

Teysa debuted in Ravnica Allegiance as one of the latest "Panharmonicon" effects, doubling down on a specific type of triggered ability. We've gotten creatures that double attack triggers, damage triggers, enter-the-battlefield triggers, and even cast triggers. Teysa's specialty is doubling up death triggers--abilities that fire when creatures leave the battlefield. A few years later we even saw a mono-Black version of this idea with Drivnod, Carnage Dominus. When left unchecked, Teysa's ability to double death triggers can quickly spiral into devastating games for the rest of the table.

The Deck

Since Teysa thrives on doubling death triggers, her decks are absolutely packed with them. This might be one of the purest "aristocrats" commanders out there. While the commander supports the strategy, she doesn't create creatures, sacrifice outlets, or payoff effects from the command zone. That means the ninety-nine has to do the heavy lifting. Because of this, it's common to see a few tutors to assemble all the moving pieces. The payoffs usually take the form of life-drain effects--opponents lose life while you gain life--providing both inevitability and survivability. This is how Teysa decks usually win: controlling the board and draining opponents dry like a vampire. Here is an example of a Teysa Karlov deck you might see at your local game store.

Teysa Karlov EDH | Commander

• Commander (1)
• 1 Teysa Karlov

• Creatures (30)
• 1 Athreos, God of Passage
• 1 Bartolome del Presidio
• 1 Blood Artist
• 1 Carrion Feeder
• 1 Cruel Celebrant
• 1 Doomed Traveler
• 1 Drivnod, Carnage Dominus
• 1 Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
• 1 Elenda, the Dusk Rose
• 1 Grim Haruspex
• 1 Hallowed Spiritkeeper
• 1 Hunted Witness
• 1 Marionette Apprentice
• 1 Midnight Reaper
• 1 Ministrant of Obligation
• 1 Mirkwood Bats
• 1 Ophiomancer
• 1 Orzhov Enforcer
• 1 Pawn of Ulamog
• 1 Priest of Forgotten Gods
• 1 Reassembling Skeleton
• 1 Sifter of Skulls
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Syr Konrad, the Grim
• 1 Teysa, Orzhov Scion
• 1 Vindictive Vampire
• 1 Viscera Seer
• 1 Warren Soultrader
• 1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
• 1 Zulaport Cutthroat

• Instants (10)
• 1 Anguished Unmaking
• 1 Corrupted Conviction
• 1 Damn
• 1 Deadly Dispute
• 1 Despark
• 1 Mortify
• 1 Path to Exile
• 1 Rite of Oblivion
• 1 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Village Rites

• Sorceries (4)
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 1 Diabolic Intent
• 1 Kaya's Wrath
• 1 Victimize

• Enchantments (8)
• 1 Anointed Procession
• 1 Bastion of Remembrance
• 1 Dictate of Erebos
• 1 Grave Pact
• 1 Liliana, Dreadhorde General
• 1 Luminous Broodmoth
• 1 Phyrexian Arena
• 1 The Meathook Massacre

• Artifacts (11)
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Ashnod's Altar
• 1 Black Market
• 1 Bolas's Citadel
• 1 Mind Stone
• 1 Orzhov Signet
• 1 Phyrexian Altar
• 1 Skullclamp
• 1 Smothering Tithe
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Talisman of Hierarchy

• Lands (35)
• 10 Plains
• 10 Swamp
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Brightclimb Pathway // Grimclimb Pathway
• 1 Caves of Koilos
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Fetid Heath
• 1 Godless Shrine
• 1 High Market
• 1 Isolated Chapel
• 1 Orzhov Basilica
• 1 Phyrexian Tower
• 1 Shattered Sanctum
• 1 Shineshadow Snarl
• 1 Tainted Field
• 1 Temple of Silence
• 1 Vault of Champions

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Strengths

One of Teysa's biggest strengths is the sheer amount of life gain she generates. This makes it hard to chip her player down with incremental damage. She also shuts down opposing boards with cards like Dictate of Erebos, which force opponents to sacrifice their creatures. On top of that, Orzhov colors are excellent for spot removal and recursion, making this deck well-equipped for grindy games. Value, attrition, and inevitability are the name of the game here.

Weaknesses

Teysa's main weakness is that she doesn't actually provide the necessary pieces for her gameplan. She doesn't create tokens, sacrifice outlets, or payoffs on her own--she just makes them better. The deck requires all three components to function smoothly. If her opponents can consistently disrupt even one of these pieces, the deck's engine sputters and slows dramatically.

Cards to Look Out For

1. Pitiless Plunderer - Orzhov decks are all about long-term value, but Plunderer offers explosive ramp. With Teysa out, each death nets two Treasure tokens, letting the deck deploy finishers far earlier than expected.
2. Skullclamp - In a deck where creatures are constantly dying, Skullclamp becomes absurd. Teysa doubles the trigger, so every 1/1 equipped with it draws four cards when it dies. It even kills 1/1s on its own without a separate sacrifice outlet, ensuring the engine keeps running.
3. Black Market - Much like Pitiless Plunderer, Black Market turns creature deaths into mana, but as an enchantment, it's harder to remove. Left unchecked, it gives Teysa a massive mana advantage over the table.
4. Dictate of Erebos - Already brutal on its own, this card becomes a nightmare with Teysa. Every time one of your creatures dies, each opponent must sacrifice two creatures. That makes it nearly impossible for anyone else to maintain a board presence.
5. Yahenni, Undying Partisan - Sacrifice outlets are critical for Teysa, and Yahenni fills that role while doubling as a resilient threat. It becomes indestructible in response to removal and grows with each opposing creature's death, making it a strong backup win condition.

How to Defeat Teysa

When facing Teysa, the key is targeting one of her deck's three essential components: sacrifice outlets, expendable creatures, or payoff engines. Ideally, you want to remove the payoffs, since that cuts off the win condition. If those are too numerous, take out the sac outlets or token generators. Exile-based removal is especially effective since it bypasses death triggers entirely. Stax pieces that prevent creatures from dying or abilities from triggering can also do a lot of work in keeping Teysa off balance.

Commander Kryptonite

1. Rest in Peace - If cards never reach the graveyard, there are no death triggers. This completely shuts down Teysa while also incidentally hosing other graveyard strategies at the table.
2. Yasharn, Implacable Earth - While it grabs some lands on entry, the real reason it's strong here is its static ability. By preventing players from sacrificing nonland permanents or paying life, it nearly shuts down Teysa's entire strategy.
3. Sigarda, Host of Herons - Dictate of Erebos and similar effects are devastating, but Sigarda shields you from forced sacrifices. This lets you safely develop your own board and pressure Teysa before she takes over.

And there you have it! That's how you beat Teysa Karlov. If there's a commander you'd like to see featured on Commander Kryptonite, send me an email at thoughtvessel@gmail.com. I'd love to help out and go over it. Until next time, happy gaming!