Original / 100-CARD BUILD

Selenia,
the Cursed Heart

Orzhov

Life is a moving target.

Let the death do two jobs. Browse the original’s cards and rules.

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MEET YOUR COMMANDERSelenia, the Cursed Heart

Selenia, the Cursed Heart · Featured commander

STRATEGY · 3 PHASES

How this build plays

Original combines life-gain payoffs with sacrifice and return effects around Selenia. Her life-gain replacement helps while she lives; her death can put a life-loss-doubling Curse on an opponent.

01SET THE STAGE
Turn a small arrival into a larger drain
Soul Warden gains life when another creature enters. With Selenia present, that gain doubles; Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose then makes a targeted opponent lose the amount actually gained. Keep Selenia on the battlefield if you want her replacement effect for that gain.
- Selenia, the Cursed Heart
- Soul Warden
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
Rules text for these cards
Selenia, the Cursed Heart
Flying, lifelink If you would gain life, you gain twice that much life instead. When Selenia dies, create a legendary black Aura Curse enchantment token named Selenia's Curse attached to target opponent. The token has enchant player and "If enchanted player would lose life, they lose twice that much life instead."
Soul Warden
Whenever another creature enters, you gain 1 life.
Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
Whenever you gain life, target opponent loses that much life. {3}{B}{B}: Creatures you control gain lifelink until end of turn.
02BUILD THE ENGINE
Let the death do two jobs
Enchant Selenia with Gift of Immortality, then sacrifice her to Viscera Seer. Her death can create her Curse, while the Gift returns her to the battlefield. The Aura itself waits until the next end step to return, so this is not immediately repeatable with the same Gift.
- Selenia, the Cursed Heart
- Gift of Immortality
- Viscera Seer
Rules text for these cards
Selenia, the Cursed Heart
Flying, lifelink If you would gain life, you gain twice that much life instead. When Selenia dies, create a legendary black Aura Curse enchantment token named Selenia's Curse attached to target opponent. The token has enchant player and "If enchanted player would lose life, they lose twice that much life instead."
Gift of Immortality
Enchant creature When enchanted creature dies, return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control. Return this card to the battlefield attached to that creature at the beginning of the next end step.
Viscera Seer
Sacrifice a creature: Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)
03CARRY IT THROUGH
Carry the loss into the end step
Blood Artist turns creature deaths into a targeted life loss and a life gain. Wound Reflection uses each opponent’s life lost over the turn to cause another loss at the end step. A Selenia Curse can magnify losses for its enchanted opponent, but does not double losses for the whole table.
- Selenia, the Cursed Heart
- Blood Artist
- Wound Reflection
Rules text for these cards
Selenia, the Cursed Heart
Flying, lifelink If you would gain life, you gain twice that much life instead. When Selenia dies, create a legendary black Aura Curse enchantment token named Selenia's Curse attached to target opponent. The token has enchant player and "If enchanted player would lose life, they lose twice that much life instead."
Blood Artist
Whenever this creature or another creature dies, target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
Wound Reflection
At the beginning of each end step, each opponent loses life equal to the life they lost this turn. (Damage causes loss of life.)

Explore this build

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Selenia, the Cursed Heart

Flying, lifelink If you would gain life, you gain twice that much life instead. When Selenia dies, create a legendary black Aura Curse enchantment token named Selenia's Curse attached to target opponent. The token has enchant player and "If enchanted player would lose life, they lose twice that much life instead."

Viscera Seer

Sacrifice a creature: Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)

Carrion Feeder

This creature can't block. Sacrifice a creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.

Yahenni, Undying Partisan

Haste Whenever a creature an opponent controls dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Yahenni. Sacrifice another creature: Yahenni gains indestructible until end of turn.

Woe Strider

When this creature enters, create a 0/1 white Goat creature token. Sacrifice another creature: Scry 1. Escape—{3}{B}{B}, Exile four other cards from your graveyard. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its escape cost.) This creature escapes with two +1/+1 counters on it.

Braids, Arisen Nightmare

At the beginning of your end step, you may sacrifice an artifact, creature, enchantment, land, or planeswalker. If you do, each opponent may sacrifice a permanent of their choice that shares a card type with it. For each opponent who doesn't, that player loses 2 life and you draw a card.

Aerith Gainsborough

Lifelink Whenever you gain life, put a +1/+1 counter on Aerith Gainsborough. When Aerith Gainsborough dies, put X +1/+1 counters on each legendary creature you control, where X is the number of +1/+1 counters on Aerith Gainsborough.

Soul Warden

Whenever another creature enters, you gain 1 life.

Soul's Attendant

Whenever another creature enters, you may gain 1 life.

Suture Priest

Whenever another creature you control enters, you may gain 1 life. Whenever a creature an opponent controls enters, you may have that player lose 1 life.

Marauding Blight-Priest

Whenever you gain life, each opponent loses 1 life.

Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose

Whenever you gain life, target opponent loses that much life. {3}{B}{B}: Creatures you control gain lifelink until end of turn.

Denethor, Ruling Steward

At the beginning of your end step, if a creature died under your control this turn, create a 1/1 white Human Soldier creature token. {2}, Sacrifice another creature: Each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Bastion of Remembrance

When this enchantment enters, create a 1/1 white Human Soldier creature token. Whenever a creature you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Cruel Celebrant

Whenever this creature or another creature or planeswalker you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim

Deathtouch Whenever another creature you control enters, you gain 1 life. Whenever another creature you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life.

Blood Artist

Whenever this creature or another creature dies, target player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Zulaport Cutthroat

Whenever this creature or another creature you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Hateful Eidolon

Lifelink Whenever an enchanted creature dies, draw a card for each Aura you controlled that was attached to it.

Archon of Sun's Grace

Flying Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.) Pegasus creatures you control have lifelink. Constellation — Whenever an enchantment you control enters, create a 2/2 white Pegasus creature token with flying.

Starfield Mystic

Enchantment spells you cast cost {1} less to cast. Whenever an enchantment you control is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.

The Gaffer

At the beginning of each end step, if you gained 3 or more life this turn, draw a card.

Gollum, Patient Plotter

When Gollum leaves the battlefield, the Ring tempts you. {B}, Sacrifice a creature: Return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Activate only as a sorcery.

Doomwake Giant

Constellation — Whenever this creature or another enchantment you control enters, creatures your opponents control get -1/-1 until end of turn.

Auramancer

When this creature enters, you may return target enchantment card from your graveyard to your hand.

Sun Titan

Vigilance Whenever this creature enters or attacks, you may return target permanent card with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Samwise the Stouthearted

Flash When Samwise enters, choose up to one target permanent card in your graveyard that was put there from the battlefield this turn. Return it to your hand. Then the Ring tempts you.

Lurrus of the Dream-Den

Companion — Each permanent card in your starting deck has mana value 2 or less. (If this card is your chosen companion, you may put it into your hand from outside the game for {3} as a sorcery.) Lifelink Once during each of your turns, you may cast a permanent spell with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard.

Commissar Severina Raine

Leading from the Front — Whenever Commissar Severina Raine attacks, each opponent loses X life, where X is the number of other attacking creatures. Summary Execution — {2}, Sacrifice another creature: You gain 2 life and draw a card.

Kaya's Ghostform

Enchant creature or planeswalker you control When enchanted permanent dies or is put into exile, return that card to the battlefield under your control.

Gift of Immortality

Enchant creature When enchanted creature dies, return that card to the battlefield under its owner's control. Return this card to the battlefield attached to that creature at the beginning of the next end step.

Malakir Rebirth

Choose target creature. You lose 2 life. Until end of turn, that creature gains "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield tapped under its owner's control." This land enters tapped. {T}: Add {B}.

Not Dead After All

Until end of turn, target creature you control gains "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield tapped under its owner's control, then create a Wicked Role token attached to it." (Enchanted creature gets +1/+1. When this token is put into a graveyard, each opponent loses 1 life.)

Undying Malice

Until end of turn, target creature gains "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield tapped under its owner's control with a +1/+1 counter on it."

Feign Death

Until end of turn, target creature gains "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield tapped under its owner's control with a +1/+1 counter on it."

Sam's Desperate Rescue

Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand. The Ring tempts you.

Reanimate

Put target creature card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. You lose life equal to that card's mana value.

Victimize

Choose two target creature cards in your graveyard. Sacrifice a creature. If you do, return the chosen cards to the battlefield tapped.

Sevinne's Reclamation

Return target permanent card with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield. If this spell was cast from a graveyard, you may copy this spell and may choose a new target for the copy. Flashback {4}{W} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Phyrexian Reclamation

{1}{B}, Pay 2 life: Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.

Animate Dead

Enchant creature card in a graveyard When this Aura enters, if it's on the battlefield, it loses "enchant creature card in a graveyard" and gains "enchant creature put onto the battlefield with this Aura." Return enchanted creature card to the battlefield under your control and attach this Aura to it. When this Aura leaves the battlefield, that creature's controller sacrifices it. Enchanted creature gets -1/-0.

Mirror Box

The "legend rule" doesn't apply to permanents you control. Each legendary creature you control gets +1/+1. Each nontoken creature you control gets +1/+1 for each other creature you control with the same name as that creature.

Curse of Disturbance

Enchant player Whenever enchanted player is attacked, create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token. Each opponent attacking that player does the same.

Curse of Shallow Graves

Enchant player Whenever a player attacks enchanted player with one or more creatures, that attacking player may create a tapped 2/2 black Zombie creature token.

Curse of Thirst

Enchant player At the beginning of enchanted player's upkeep, this Aura deals damage to that player equal to the number of Curses attached to them.

Curse of Fool's Wisdom

Enchant player Whenever enchanted player draws a card, they lose 2 life and you gain 2 life. Madness {3}{B} (If you discard this card, discard it into exile. When you do, cast it for its madness cost or put it into your graveyard.)

Trespasser's Curse

Enchant player Whenever a creature enchanted player controls enters, that player loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Call of the Ring

At the beginning of your upkeep, the Ring tempts you. Whenever you choose a creature as your Ring-bearer, you may pay 2 life. If you do, draw a card.

Wound Reflection

At the beginning of each end step, each opponent loses life equal to the life they lost this turn. (Damage causes loss of life.)

Gollum, Obsessed Stalker

Skulk (This creature can't be blocked by creatures with greater power.) At the beginning of your end step, each opponent dealt combat damage this game by a creature named Gollum, Obsessed Stalker loses life equal to the amount of life you gained this turn.

Exsanguinate

Each opponent loses X life. You gain life equal to the life lost this way.

Swords to Plowshares

Exile target creature. Its controller gains life equal to its power.

Anguished Unmaking

Exile target nonland permanent. You lose 3 life.

Generous Gift

Destroy target permanent. Its controller creates a 3/3 green Elephant creature token.

Feed the Swarm

Destroy target creature or enchantment an opponent controls. You lose life equal to that permanent's mana value.

Damn

Destroy target creature. A creature destroyed this way can't be regenerated. Overload {2}{W}{W} (You may cast this spell for its overload cost. If you do, change "target" in its text to "each.")

Sol Ring

{T}: Add {C}{C}.

Arcane Signet

{T}: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity.

Orzhov Signet

{1}, {T}: Add {W}{B}.

Talisman of Hierarchy

{T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add {W} or {B}. This artifact deals 1 damage to you.

Mind Stone

{T}: Add {C}. {1}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.

Village Rites

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature. Draw two cards.

Deadly Dispute

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice an artifact or creature. Draw two cards and create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.")

Night's Whisper

You draw two cards and lose 2 life.

Command Tower

{T}: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity.

Exotic Orchard

{T}: Add one mana of any color that a land an opponent controls could produce.

Caves of Koilos

{T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add {W} or {B}. This land deals 1 damage to you.

Vault of Champions

This land enters tapped unless you have two or more opponents. {T}: Add {W} or {B}.

Godless Shrine

({T}: Add {W} or {B}.) As this land enters, you may pay 2 life. If you don't, it enters tapped.

Silent Clearing

{T}, Pay 1 life: Add {W} or {B}. {1}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Draw a card.

Brightclimb Pathway

{T}: Add {W}. {T}: Add {B}.

Fetid Heath

{T}: Add {C}. {W/B}, {T}: Add {W}{W}, {W}{B}, or {B}{B}.

Tainted Field

{T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add {W} or {B}. Activate only if you control a Swamp.

Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire

{T}: Add {W}. Channel — {2}{W}, Discard this card: It deals 4 damage to target attacking or blocking creature. This ability costs {1} less to activate for each legendary creature you control.

Takenuma, Abandoned Mire

{T}: Add {B}. Channel — {3}{B}, Discard this card: Mill three cards, then return a creature or planeswalker card from your graveyard to your hand. This ability costs {1} less to activate for each legendary creature you control.

Plains

({T}: Add {W}.)

Swamp

({T}: Add {B}.)

Commander

1 card

1×Selenia, the Cursed HeartLegendary Creature — Angel Warrior · Printing not specified

Creature

28 cards

Enchantment

12 cards

Instant

9 cards

Sorcery

8 cards

1×Sam's Desperate RescueSorcery · Printing not specified 1×ReanimateSorcery · Printing not specified 1×VictimizeSorcery · Printing not specified 1×Sevinne's ReclamationSorcery · Printing not specified 1×ExsanguinateSorcery · Printing not specified 1×Feed the SwarmSorcery · Printing not specified 1×DamnSorcery · Printing not specified 1×Night's WhisperSorcery · Printing not specified

Artifact

6 cards

1×Mirror BoxArtifact · Printing not specified 1×Sol RingArtifact · Printing not specified 1×Arcane SignetArtifact · Printing not specified 1×Orzhov SignetArtifact · Printing not specified 1×Talisman of HierarchyArtifact · Printing not specified 1×Mind StoneArtifact · Printing not specified

Land

36 cards

PREGAME CONVERSATION · Planned

Commander Bracket Assessment

Rules-Based Bracket: No raised minimumEstimated Power Bracket: Mid 3

Based on the 100-card main deck; sideboard excluded. The Rules-Based Bracket is the lowest bracket this card list allows under Commander bracket rules. The Estimated Power Bracket is a personal estimate of how strongly the deck plays. It is not an official rating.

Evidence and limitations

Rules-Based Bracket · minimum

No raised minimum found in the checked restrictions. This does not establish Exhibition intent, Core fit or absence of every possible combo.

Exact Game Changers: None.

Mass land denial registry: None identified in the checked registry. Modal or repeated-land targeting still requires a pregame discussion.

Your extra-turn cards: None identified in the checked registry. Opponent turns from Emrakul or gifts are not counted as your own chain.

Confirmed early two-card lethal or turn-chain flags are not inferred from keywords. This is a lower bound, not a complete combo solver or permission to delay a consistently early line until turn seven. Agreed Rule Zero / Exhibition exceptions are outside this ordinary-restriction check.

Estimated Power Bracket · Mid 3

Estimated from the card list alone, not from tracked win rates or game results.

Life-gain drain, sacrifices and returns have good synergy but relatively little universal tutor access. Gift must reattach at the next end step, so the named pair is not a free immediate repeated death loop.

Assembly and timing: The commander and multiple payoffs require development. No supported cheap early two-card lethal loop is verified for this version.

Recovery and constraints: Return effects and recursion provide recovery, but repeated commander deaths or graveyard hate interrupt the engine.

Curve: 2.44 average nonland mana value. Cheap mana/land-search text: Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Orzhov Signet · Talisman of Hierarchy · Mind Stone · Deadly Dispute. This text-derived reading aid is not an official score.

Search-library evidence: None identified in the checked registry. This includes restricted and land searches; efficient tutor overlap is reviewed separately above. There is no official tutor-count cap.

Fast mana indicators: Sol Ring. Conditional free interaction: None identified in the checked registry. Conditions and resource costs still apply.

Key cards: Selenia, the Cursed Heart · Gift of Immortality · Viscera Seer · Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose.

Official sources checked 2026-10-31; criteria update 2025-10-21, Game Changers update 2026-02-09. Method and official source links. Brackets 4 and 5 share structural freedom; competitive intent cannot be inferred from these counts.