Madame Null, Power BrokerMadame Null, Power Broker | Art by Irina Nordsol

One of the many ways seasoned Commander players differ from newer ones is how they treat life totals as resources to exploit towards victory, not as something that must be preserved.

That's likely part of the reason why Madame Null, Power BrokerMadame Null, Power Broker from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has only 400 decks on EDHREC. She asks us to pay ample life but doesn't provide native lifegain of her own. Her payoff doesn't directly contribute to victory on its own, instead requiring a curated selection of intermediary creatures upon which to bestow her gifts. The sorts of deals she facilitates take some time to pay off but incur steep upfront costs.

This Madame Null, Power Broker Commander deck aims to improve her deal-making abilities. It supplies a horde of minions ready to be power brokered and provides the means for them to make the most of these demonic transactions.

What Does Madame Null, Power BrokerMadame Null, Power Broker Do?

Madame Null is a Demon Advisor, which betrays her nefarious intentions. She's a 1/3 with deathtouch for that offers a choice with grave consequences: Whenever a creature enters on our side of the battlefield, we may pay life equal to its power; if so, we place that many +1/+1 counters on the creature and go about our merry day.

Fittingly, small creatures only net small profits, while massive monsters enter truly terrifying upper echelons of power.

Few commanders line up perfectly with Madame Null's cavalier attitude towards life totals, though some come close. K'rrik, Son of YawgmothK'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth trades life for +1/+1 counters, but only on itself, and with the understanding that its lifelink will mitigate the loss. Lorcan, Warlock CollectorLorcan, Warlock Collector trades life for our opponents' dead creatures but costs a prohibitive to cast and thus isn't as omnipresent as Madame Null can be.

Then there's Tivash, Gloom SummonerTivash, Gloom Summoner, a commander that allows us to undo our lifegain in exchange for a big flying Demon at the end of our turn, but its "life in = life out" equation leaves little room for overextension in either direction, resulting in a far too straightforward battle plan.

Funnily enough, Madame Null reminds me most of Arwen, Weaver of HopeArwen, Weaver of Hope, a mono-green Commander that places a number of +1/+1 counters on our entering creatures equal to Arwen's toughness. The deck similarly asks that we prioritize something inherently nonthreatening—lowering our own life total, or in Arwen's case, pumping a creature's toughness—so our army can beat additional face.

Key Cards for Madame Null, Power BrokerMadame Null, Power Broker

For this take on Madame Null, we'll be hedging our bets by gifting her counters primarily onto creatures with lifelink that are capable of returning our life investments not long after they're made.

Nighthawk ScavengerNighthawk Scavenger and Qarsi RevenantQarsi Revenant serve as upgraded Vampire NighthawkVampire Nighthawk variants, boasting flying, deathtouch, and lifelink—an intimidating trifecta of keywords. Vampire Nighthawk itself feels too vanilla to include here, but Nighthawk Scavenger's power can be larger and, thus, twice as large using Madame Null, and Qarsi Revenant can gift its abilities to another creature after it dies.

Morlun, Devourer of SpidersMorlun, Devourer of Spiders feels tailor-made for this deck. He can receive X extra mana to come down with X +1/+1 counters, an amount that can be doubled using Madame Null. He also deals X damage to target opponent when he enters, and his lifelink means we'll gain that much life, too. It would have been nice if the additional counters gifted by Madame Null translated into more damage from his enter the battlefield effect (ETB), but we'll be gaining more than enough life eventually to make up for this oversight.

Similarly, Cat-GatorCat-Gator pounds any target for damage equal to the number of Swamps we control when it enters, and its lifelink means we'll gain from the damage.

Osseous SticktwisterOsseous Sticktwister operates like Braids, Arisen NightmareBraids, Arisen Nightmare (also in the deck), accruing value each turn with very little upfront cost required. At the beginning of our end step, if we have achieved delirium in our graveyard, our opponents can choose to sacrifice a nonland permanent or discard a card. Those who don't are hit by Sticktwister for damage equal to its power; and it just so happens that the card has lifelink.

I've inserted lifelinkers into deck slots reserved for essentials like ramp, card draw, removal, and recursion. These include Elegy AcolyteElegy Acolyte, Metamorphosis FanaticMetamorphosis Fanatic, Nullpriest of OblivionNullpriest of Oblivion, Murderous RiderMurderous Rider, Eradicator ValkyrieEradicator Valkyrie, and Cavalier of NightCavalier of Night.

We'll also be running a few staples to keep the deck running effectively; these include Toxic DelugeToxic Deluge, Black Market ConnectionsBlack Market Connections, and Feed the SwarmFeed the Swarm.

Some inclusions don't explicitly offer lifelink but still provide essential services through a lifegain lens. Unholy Annex // Ritual ChamberUnholy Annex // Ritual Chamber would be a poor choice in just about any other deck, but feels right at home alongside Madame Null. Half of the card runs like an improved Phyrexian ArenaPhyrexian Arena that offers a card at the end of the turn and drains two life from each opponent if we control a Demon—and it just so happens Madame Null is one.

The other half, a 6/6 flying Demon token for five mana, isn't entirely uncastable, though I'd say it's definitely not the primary appeal of the card - more of a nice-to-have.

Witch of the MoorsWitch of the Moors is a card I've been wanting to add to a deck since it was first introduced in Jumpstart, and its moment has arrived. At the end of our turn, if we've gained life, each opponent sacrifices a creature and we bring one of ours back from the graveyard to our hand. The amount of card advantage this offers for such a minimal requirement is insane.

And, to the surprise of no one, we'll be running Gray Merchant of AsphodelGray Merchant of Asphodel in case we want to gain life on easy mode.

Speaking of…it's worth discussing Bolas's CitadelBolas's Citadel, a super staple and Game Changer that dominates any pod when it appears. Spike-y players shoehorn it into any black deck they can, so it'd stand to reason that it absolutely belongs in a Lifegain deck that isn't afraid of a little life loss.

Frankly, I don't find the card much fun at all. It warps the action around itself once it comes down; and if no player is holding artifact removal at the time, the game often ends. I also enjoy the challenge of building decks without Game Changers—or Sol RingSol Ring, for that matter—so I've kept Bolas's Citadel relegated to the very-maybeboard.

Gwenom, RemorselessGwenom, Remorseless fits in much better here. She's a lifelinker that also allows us to play lands and cast spells off the top of our library by paying life, but only after she attacks and only until end of turn. This aligns with our deck's combat-focused strategy and doesn't paint nearly as bold a target on our backs when she arrives.

The fact that Madame Null traffics in +1/+1 counters allows us to run a few incredibly strong support cards. The first is Dawnhand DissidentDawnhand Dissident, a new recursion stalwart from Lorwyn Eclipsed that costs a mere single black pip. The blight mechanic, which places -1/-1 counters on our creatures, means little when we're flush with +1/+1 counters to cancel them out. And the card allows us to recast creatures from the graveyard by removing counters of any type from among our creatures as part of the cost, which should never be a problem.

When we're not channeling counters to reanimate creatures, we can use them to take down our opponents' armies. Retribution of the AncientsRetribution of the Ancients acts as a resilient and surprising source of removal in any deck built on +1/+1 counters. It costs one black pip to cast and one more to activate, can be done at instant speed, allows us to remove counters from among many creatures, and gets around indestructible by lowering the target's power and toughness until end of turn.

What starts as a do-nothing enchantment builds quickly to become a must-remove threat with very little effort.

Though our deck remains combat-focused, we're running some traditional lifegain payoff cards that can bring opponents within kill range or buoy ourselves from dropping too far into last place. These efforts start with Vito, Thorn of the Dusk RoseVito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose, Enduring TenacityEnduring Tenacity, and Starscape ClericStarscape Cleric.

These cards ping opponents for life loss whenever we gain life—an equivalent amount for Vito and Enduring, and one ping per trigger for Starscape—and have a way of lingering on the battlefield for longer than they probably should. Vito supplies lifelink, as well.

I chose not to include Sanguine BondSanguine Bond because I've always found it a bit awkward. It's a five mana enchantment that has no effect on the board when it arrives and has been outclassed by many cheaper alternatives. That art, too, unsettles my very core.

Aristocrats staples also pad life totals quite nicely by profiting off the death our deck delivers in spades. South Wind AvatarSouth Wind Avatar, arriving in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, plays somewhere between Vito-esque burn and an Aristocrats card. It pings each opponent for one whenever we gain life, and provides life equal to the toughness of our creatures when they head to the graveyard. Its versatility more than makes up for its higher mana value.

Blood ArtistBlood Artist and Zulaport CutthroatZulaport Cutthroat shouldn't be new to Aristocrats veterans, serving as the cheapest and most effective life drain creatures available.

Pay special attention to Funeral Room // Awakening HallFuneral Room // Awakening Hall. One half of the Room enchantment resembles Bastion of RemembranceBastion of Remembrance, a three-mana Aristocrats enchantment not included here only for space considerations. The other half operates as a mass reanimation spell a la Rise of the Dark RealmsRise of the Dark Realms that brings back every creature from our graveyard to the battlefield.

Both sides function well in this deck - the peanut butter and chocolate of the black color identity.

Grave VenerationsGrave Venerations is another newbie that does a bit of everything. It supplies the monarch, provides a steady source of recursion, and pings opponents Aristocrats-style. It's the rare jack-of-all-trades, master of most.

How Does This Madame Null, Power BrokerMadame Null, Power Broker Deck Win?

The primary victory condition of this deck is to beef up our creatures by paying life when they enter, then gaining life while simultaneously dealing damage to our opponents via the honorable ways of combat. Lifelinking creatures in this deck also boast evasive and annoying abilities, such as flying and deathtouch, to help push the pain through defenses.

Plus, our Aristocrats and Vito-like pain-from-gain cards help bring our opponents within striking distance.

Madame Null also sports a handful of bonus win conditions that enhance normal operations. Midnight SnackMidnight Snack provides Food tokens every turn and can be sacrificed to deal an exorbitant amount of damage after a particularly lifegain-y turn. Bloodchief AscensionBloodchief Ascension doesn't perfectly align with what our deck wants to do, but remains an absolutely busted card capable of copious life total decimation on its own. It triggers whenever a "card" is put in our opponents' graveyards from "anywhere," meaning it drains an opponent for two life whenever they cast a spell, crack a fetch land, let a permanent die, or discard from their hand.

It also costs only and comes online after our opponents spend three turns losing life, which is a totally normal part of Commander already. Don't forget that it's a "may" ability, and we certainly "may" want to always let the triggers resolve.

Wound ReflectionWound Reflection is another deceptively impactful card. Unlike Bloodletter of AclazotzBloodletter of Aclazotz, which was a bit too pricy for this deck, Wound Reflection triggers at the end of every turn, not just ours, and drains our opponents for the same amount of life they've already lost that turn. Perhaps we're responsible for that life loss, but even our opponents attacking each other will count. It only takes one turn cycle later in the game to rack up major pain.

I've opted not to include Exquisite BloodExquisite Blood or Bloodthirsty ConquerorBloodthirsty Conqueror, which form an infinite combo with Vito and his brethren. This deck wants the agony to linger, not to put opponents out of their misery too quickly.

Madame Null, Power Broker Commander Deck List

The Art of the Demonic Deal

Madame Null offers reward only at great risk, but the efficiency of its lifegain selection maintains consistency without its power level getting out of hand. I'd rate this iteration at Bracket 3, which can be upgraded by adding Bolas's CitadelBolas's Citadel and some infinite combos, if you'd like.

The deck is still plenty intimidating and will surely lead to some exciting and perplexing board states. Do we dip into our low life total or hoist our flag only to half mast? Either way, it's going to hurt.

Are there any Commander decks you've built that dole out equal punishment to you as well as your opponents? Share your most painful deck lists if you'd like!