Today I'm working on my last brew around one of the enemy-color Commanders tied to the five Wizard schools on the plane of Arcavios, this time in Orzhov . This set has a classic theme: Think YA wizard academy style, much like A Wizard of Earthsea. Each school in Secrets of Strixhaven has its own focus and Orzhov is the School of Languages.

This build centers on Repartee, a new keyword for this block. It triggers whenever we target a Creature with an Instant or Sorcery. That includes enemy Creatures too.

We also can get some Heroic effects to trigger when we target our own Creatures. Heroic also cares about Auras, so we get extra payoff when we lean into Enchantments as well as spells.

Meet the Commander

Abigale, Poet Laureate is a Legendary Bird Bard. She comes in as a 2/3 Flyer for .

Whenever we cast a Creature, Abigale becomes prepared. That lets us cast the Sorcery Heroic Stanza for just or . That'll give +1/+1 to a Creature of our choice, and we can use it to trigger Repartee.

We want to play this game slow and steady. Pump out Creatures to prepare Abigale, and pick up steady value over time.

Mana Matters

Killian, Ink Duelist and Skycoach Waypoint start our mana base.

Killian, Ink Duelist is a 2/2 Human Warlock with Lifelink and Menace. He also reduces the cost of our spells that target Creatures by .

Skycoach Waypoint comes in untapped. We can use it for colorless mana, or tap it for to prepare one of our Creatures, including our Commander. There are no other mana rocks that prepare for us, but we could throw in Biblioplex Tomekeeper.

Great Hall of the Biblioplex is another land that comes in untapped and taps for colorless mana. In a pinch, we can pay one life and tap it for colored mana to use on spells.

It has the added bonus of letting us pay to make it a 2/4 Wizard that gets a temporary +1 pump when we cast an Instant or Sorcery. Not bad.

I also adore Mind Stone for a budget deck. It costs , helps us ramp early, and later can be sacrificed for one mana to draw a card. Commander's Sphere does a similar job but for free. It fixes mana, ramps us, and can be sacrificed later for card draw as well.

Deck Synergies & Win-Cons

Next, let's look into the synergy pieces and how we'll win.

Forum Necroscribe comes in as a 5/4 with Ward that makes opponents discard a card to target it. That tax is rough, and most players will avoid it.

The Repartee effect here is one of my favorite yet. Each time we play an Instant or Sorcery, we can return a Creature from our graveyard to the battlefield, with no limits. We're not forced to sac them at the end of turn, we're not limited to specific types or sizes, and we can do this multiple times per turn.

Melancholic Poet is a cheap 2/2 Elf Bard that gives us another win line. Its Repartee effect drains one life from each opponent. That turns every target spell into damage and helps close games without combat if needed.

Informed Inkwright and Stirring Hopesinger are the first White cards that made it in.

Informed Inkwright is a 2/2 with Vigilance. With Repartee, he makes a 1/1 Inkling with Flying, which is a great way to support a go-wide strategy, especially if your opponents don't have Reach.

Stirring Hopesinger is a 1/3 Flyer with Lifelink. Its Repartee puts a +1/+1 counter on each Creature we control, giving us a way to go wide and tall at the same time.

I also included some Heroic backup dorks.

Vanguard of Brimaz is a 2/2 with Vigilance for . Thanks to Heroic, when we target it, we make a 1/1 Cat Soldier token with Vigilance.

Tormented Hero is a 2/1 that enters tapped. When we target it, we drain life from each opponent. That gives us another way to chip away at the table and survive, similar to Melancholic Poet.

Whiskervale Forerunner and Ashiok's Adept give us more value from targeting effects.

Whiskervale Forerunner has Valiant, which works like Heroic but only triggers once each turn. It also triggers from abilities, not just putting down cards. That includes things like Equipment or even Land abilities.

It is a 3/4 Mouse Bard that digs five cards when its Valiant ability triggers. We can then reveal a cheap Creature and either put it onto the battlefield if it is our turn or draw it if it is not.

Ashiok's Adept is a 1/3 with Heroic. When we target it, each opponent discards a card. That pressure adds up fast and can slow down control decks or combo hands.

Killian's Confidence is a two-mana Sorcery that puts a +1/+1 counter on one of our Creatures. That counts as a Repartee trigger when we target it. It also draws us a card.

When our Creatures deal damage, we can bring this spell back to our hand for one mana which gives us a way to play it repeatedly.

Scathing Shadelock is a 4/6 for . He doesn't enter prepared but he becomes so at the beginning of our first main phase.

Once prepared, we get Venomous Words, a one-mana Sorcery that gives a Creature +2/+0 and Deathtouch until end of turn. It triggers Repartee every time we use it, which we can do every main phase until Shadelock is handled.

Next, I've got two Instants in White, both for .

Show of Confidence puts a +1/+1 on target Creature, but when we cast it, we will copy it for every other spell we cast this turn, and we can load up one Creature or choose new targets.

Unbounded Potential lets us either put a +1/+1 on two of our dorks, or Proliferate on any number of targets. If we pay the Entwine cost of , we'll get both effects.

Practiced Offense is a Sorcery that puts a +1/+1 counter on each of our Creatures for the turn. One Creature on the board gains either Double Strike or Lifelink for the turn. It also has Flashback for , which gives us a second use later.

Silverquill Command is a modal Sorcery where we choose two effects. It's here because we can use it to give a Creature +3/+3 and Flying. It also gives us the option to draw a card and lose a life, return a cheap Creature to battlefield, or force a foe to sac one of their guys.

Next, I've got two more spells, both in Orzhov colors.

Render Speechless is a four-drop Sorcery that makes an opponent reveal their hand and discard a card of our choice. We also get to put two +1/+1 counters on a Creature we control, which helps trigger Repartee and grow our board at the same time.

Glasswing Grace is a five-mana Aura that gives a Creature +2/+2, Flying, and Lifelink. That turns any Creature into a real threat that can race and stabilize life totals.

Since it is an Aura, it does not trigger Repartee but can target Heroic and some other triggers for us.

These two cards wrap up the section.

Divine Resilience is an Instant for that gives a Creature Indestructible. If we kick it for three, we can give everyone Indestructible for the turn while triggering mad Heroic synergy across the board.

Beaming Defiance is a two-mana Instant that gives a Creature +2/+2 and Hexproof. That can save us from targeted removal or help us block in a pinch.

Answers & Counters

Now, let's start looking at what we have for answers.

Masterful Flourish is an Instant for that gives a Creature +1 power and Indestructible. It acts as a simple "not today" button and is one of my favorite ways to answer an answer.

Duty Beyond Death makes us pay 1W and a Creature to get it out. In return, our team gains Indestructible for the turn and each Creature gets a +1/+1 counter that stays.

I included these two Creatures to get some Heroic triggers going.

Agent of the Fates is a 3/2 Human Assassin with Deathtouch for . When we target it, each opponent sacrifices a Creature. That turns every spell that targets it into a mini edict.

Leonin Iconoclast is a 3/2 Cat Monk for that gives us a simple way to blow up Enchantments.

Nettle Guard is a 3/1 Mouse Soldier for two mana with Valiant. It grows its toughness by two when we target it, but only for the turn. We can also pay and sacrifice him to destroy an Artifact or Enchantment.

Silverquill Charm is a modal Instant that'll cost us . We have three options but only get to use one: pump a Creature with two +1/+1 counters, Exile a weaker guy, or a potential game-ending ability to drain three and gain three from every foe.

Now, let's finish answers and removal here.

Closing Statement is a five-mana Instant that costs two less on our end step. It destroys a Creature or Planeswalker we don't control and puts a +1/+1 counter on a Creature we do control. Great removal and a way to fire off our triggers here.

Protection Magic is a two-mana Instant that puts a shield counter on up to three Creatures, which activates our triggers and could even save us in a rough combat.

Card Draw

Let's finish off with card draw.

Dusk Legion Duelist is a 2/2 Vampire Soldier with Vigilance for . He'll let us draw a card once per turn every time we put counters on him. We'll hopefully be doing that a lot.

For , Snooping Page is a 2/3 Human Cleric with Repartee. Whenever we cast an Instant or Sorcery on a Creature, the Page can't be blocked for the rest of the turn. Any time it deals combat damage, though, we lose one life and draw a card.

Conciliator's Duelist is a 4/3 Kor Warlock for a hefty . When it enters, we draw a card and lose a life. It also has Repartee, which can Blink one of our Creatures until end of turn. It is a bit slower, but not terrible.

Brigone, Soldier of Meletis is a 2/2 with Vigilance for . It has Heroic, so targeting it puts a +1/+1 counter on it. She has an activated ability that lets us tap and remove a counter to draw us a card.

Last up, we've got these two.

Yathan Tombguard is a 2/3 Human Warrior with Menace, costing us . As long as it's on the board, any time a Creature with a counter on it deals combat damage, we draw a card and lose one life.

Diary of Dreams is an Artifact for that racks up page counters for every Instant and Sorcery we cast. For , we can tap it for card draw, but the ability gets cheaper by for every counter. After a few turns, that's free card draw for us.

The Deck List

Let's take a look at how the whole deck came together.

Orzhov Abigale Repartee Brew | Commander | Abe Sargent

• Commander (1)
• 1 Abigale, Poet Laureate

• Creatures (26)
• 1 Agent of the Fates
• 1 Ashiok's Adept
• 1 Brigone, Soldier of Meletis
• 1 Conciliator's Duelist
• 1 Dusk Legion Zealot
• 1 Forum Necroscribe
• 1 Informed Inkwright
• 1 Inkling Mascot
• 1 Inkshape Demonstrator
• 1 Killian, Ink Duelist
• 1 Lecturing Scornmage
• 1 Leonin Iconoclast
• 1 Melancholic Poet
• 1 Nettle Guard
• 1 Phalanx Leader
• 1 Rehearsed Debater
• 1 Scathing Shadelock
• 1 Scolding Administrator
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Snooping Page
• 1 Stirring Hopesinger
• 1 Tethmos High Priest
• 1 Tormented Hero
• 1 Vanguard of Brimaz
• 1 Whiskervale Forerunner
• 1 Yathan Tombguard

• Instants (21)
• 1 Beaming Defiance
• 1 Closing Statement
• 1 Divine Resilience
• 1 Duty Beyond Death
• 1 Fracture
• 1 Generous Gift
• 1 Interjection
• 1 Kabira Takedown
• 1 Masterful Flourish
• 1 Mortify
• 1 Rapier Wit
• 1 Oblivion's Hunger
• 1 Professor's Warning
• 1 Protection Magic
• 1 Razorgrass Ambush
• 1 Shelter
• 1 Show of Confidence
• 1 Silverquill Charm
• 1 Path to Exile
• 1 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Unbounded Potential

• Sorceries (7)
• 1 Dig Site Inventory
• 1 Homestead Courage
• 1 Honor
• 1 Killian's Confidence
• 1 Practiced Offense
• 1 Render Speechless
• 1 Silverquill Command

• Enchantments (2)
• 1 Glasswing Grace
• 1 Graduation Day

• Artifacts (7)
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Commander's Sphere
• 1 Diary of Dreams
• 1 Mind Stone
• 1 Orzhov Signet
• 1 Potioner's Trove
• 1 Sol Ring

• Lands (37)
• 9 Plains
• 11 Swamp
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Desolate Mire
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Great Hall of the Biblioplex
• 1 Hall of Oracles
• 1 Isolated Chapel
• 1 Myriad Landscape
• 1 Orzhov Basilica
• 1 Orzhov Guildgate
• 1 Path of Ancestry
• 1 Rogue's Passage
• 1 Scoured Barrens
• 1 Silverquill Campus
• 1 Skycoach Waypoint
• 1 Sunlit Marsh
• 1 Tainted Field
• 1 Temple of Silence

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That wraps it up. I also added three cheap Spell // Lands that all target Creatures. If we had more room or budget, we could also run cards like Sejiri Shelter // Sejiri Glacier or Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire. There are a lot of flexible options in that space.

I also added Tethmos High Priest for extra Heroic recursion. It helps bring back key Creatures and keeps the engine going. I ran out of space for some Double Strike Heroic pieces and other similar payoffs, but those are still strong options if you want to tune the list further.