The deck revolves around generating repeated life gain triggers to fuel Niv-Mizzet, Ghost Counsel's draw engine, paying back the gained life to cycle through the deck at a rapid pace. Life gain is weaponized on multiple fronts: Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose and South Wind Avatar punish opponents directly whenever you gain life, while Defiling Daemogoth compounds end-step drain based on how much life you accumulated that turn. The gameplan uses this constant drain and card flow to assemble a board of lifelink creatures and death-trigger payoffs that grind opponents to zero while Doctor Strange, Surgeon doubles every life gain event to accelerate both the draw engine and the damage output.

Niv-Mizzet, Ghost Counsel decklist

• Lion Vulture
• Sol Ring
• Gray Merchant of Asphodel
• 19× Swamp
• Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
• 17× Plains
• Arcane Signet
• Screeching Soulbreaker
• Kingpin, Wilson Fisk
• Scoured Barrens
• Unstoppable Slasher
• Leonardo, Cutting Edge
• Rise of the Deathbringer
• Denethor, Ruling Steward
• Syr Vondam, Sunstar Exemplar
• Orzhov Guildgate
• Scrawling Crawler
• Spider-Man, Peter Parker
• Ninja Teen
• Life Insurance
• Dawn of Hope
• Phyrexian Arena
• Extended Absence
• Bilbo's Gambit
• Karai, Future of the Foot
• Pain 101
• Splinter's Technique
• South Wind Avatar
• Sorin of House Markov // Sorin, Ravenous Neonate
• Well of Lost Dreams
• Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts
• Thalia, the Survivor
• Koth of the Homestead
• Kaya's Ghostform
• Break Under Pressure
• Inside Information
• Fracture
• Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
• Blessed Ghoul
• Doctor Strange, Surgeon
• Kaya's Guile
• Griffin Aerie
• Unflinching Hortimancer
• Diabolic Tutor
• The Kingpin of Crime
• Disenchant
• Edgar, Ancient Bloodlord
• Utter End
• The Battle of Bywater
• Feast of the Victorious Dead
• Marauding Blight-Priest
• Bake into a Pie
• Shadow Alley Denizen
• Viper's Kiss
• Crippling Blight
• Fisk Tower
• Defiling Daemogoth
• Commander's Sphere
• Fellwar Stone
• Talisman of Hierarchy
• Bloodthirsty Conqueror
• Enduring Tenacity
• Wayfarer's Bauble
• Mind Stone
• Orzhov Signet