For the longest time, Vish Kal has remained one of my absolute favorite commanders. Ever since I made this jenky Orzhov lifegain deck that wasn't all that great, I've loved this card. He's always been in my mind's eye one of the best commanders in the game, and because of the bias towards him I've always wanted m own dream deck for him. Not to expensive on the wallet, but not too cheap to where the deck won't do the Blood Arbiter justice. I've played with ideas and decks for a for years since I lost my original deck, but I've finally found what I want in his deck. Many people want to play the infinite combo decks in EDH, using life drain combos to just instantly win. Lots of decks enjoy token spam, spewing tokens at a ridiculous pace that no one can keep up with. This deck does neither. Featuring plenty of old cards I had in the deck with tons of cards I like in general, it shares a nice blend of removal, token production, lifegain, card draw, and just generally fun things you can do within the colors you have. Without any more delay, this is my dream Vish Kal deck.
To judge the guilty and innocent is no easy task. To decide the fate of another can bear the weight of the world on one's shoulders. To take away can be the easiest of most difficult decision one could ever make. These all come far too easily for the Blood Arbiter, Vish Kal. Long ago, he was just a vampire. Long ago, he did not bear the burden of judge, he just simply existed. However...one day it all changed. Some say his kin went to far and he took justice into his own hands. Some say he snapped and started ending the lives of those he deemed guilty. No one is sure of the true reason as to why Vish Kal became the judge, but all know him as such. For centuries, he has been the judge of countless beings. He alone has been given the power to give others the guilty or innocent verdict. He alone can then place the perfect sentence for these souls, whether they like it or not. He has become such a legend that they speak his name on planes far and wide across the Multiverse. And now....you have been brought forth to the mighty vampire. The Eternal Judge, the Blood Arbiter, Vish Kal. He says nothing, just nods his head and offers his guidance to you, knowing exactly who you are and why you seek him. With this judgement, the great Vish Kal will lead you to victory.
Vish Kal's deck brings a devastating array of spells and summons to the battle, a toolbox of powerful cards that can change the game in a flash or over a matter of turns. First and foremost is Vish Kal himself, a tremendous 5/5 Flying Vampire with Lifelink for seven mana. Vish Kal is a force to be reckoned with, as his 5/5 body can become even more gargantuan by sacrificing a creature to add +1/+1 counters to himself. As if that wasn't enough, he can remove his 1/+1 counters to give a creature -X/-X based on the counters removed. Not only is this a great way to remove threats off the board, it's an excellent ability for getting indestructible pests out of your way as well. This leads us to the rest of the deck, the key part of your strategy...options.
The easiest option you can see from the get go with the deck is tokens. This deck is filled with token producing cards, like White Sun's Zenith and Increasing Devotion, to help add to your forces. From cards like Requiem Angel, which create 1/1 flying spirits when a non-Spirit creature dies, to the mighty Hero of Bladehold, which creates two 1/1 soldiers that attack with it when it attacks, you have a plethora of options to create a devastating army to overwhelm your enemies. The best part is, you can feed these tokens to Vish at any moment with a Rogue's Passage or Whispersilk Shroud to get in huge commander damage to someone's face, or use them to fuel a powerful -X/-X nuke on a threat!
Another option in this deck is to just beatdown your opponents with just raw value. Cards like Grave Titan and Bloodline Keeper can turn a game around in a hurry, while cards like Harvester of Souls and Bloodgift Demon provide big bodies that produce a nice stream of card advantage. Or just play a Sorin, both variants can do some serious work in a turn or two with creature advantage or removal, forcing your opponents to act quick or face huge consequences. Even better, you can use Mimic Vat or Gift of Immortality to keep a new recurring sacrifice engine going to fuel Vish Kal or just keep a strong offense on your enemies to keep them at bay. If there are too many threats out to handle, just play a removal spell like Anguished Unmaking or a board wipe like Day of Judgement. Need a good card now? Dig with cards like Phyrexian Arena or search for one with Increasing Ambition. With Orzhov colors, you'll find easy access to power whenever you need it, and with Vish Kal to guide you, you should have no problem using this power to punish all opposition.