commander · Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos
Growing Threat (MOC).
An Orzhov Phyrexian proliferate and artifact deck led by Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos, incubate tokens to create Phyrexian threats and win through an army of transformed artifacts backed by exile removal.
The Commanders
Growing Threat is an Orzhov Commander deck built around the Phyrexian invasion from March of the Machine. It runs on the incubate mechanic: you make Incubator tokens that flip into Phyrexian creatures once their counters reach two. Brimaz makes those tokens and proliferates them, so a slow incubation turns into a sudden flood of Phyrexians. It's a midrange deck that grinds toward inevitability.
Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos is a double-faced card showing his Phyrexian corruption. He's a legendary Cat Nightmare, and whenever a Phyrexian you control deals combat damage to a player, he incubates two. Incubate makes an Incubator token with that many +1/+1 counters; pay two mana to flip it into a 0/0 artifact creature that gets +1/+1 for each counter on it. Every combat step that connects incubates more tokens, and proliferate makes them transform faster than opponents can keep up with.
Moira and Teshar is the artifact recursion option. Whenever you cast a historic spell, she returns a non-Phyrexian artifact creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Against removal-heavy pods, that keeps the artifact base alive through any board wipe. Most of your permanents are artifacts or legends, so she triggers off the deck's normal curve without any extra work.
Key Cards
Blade Splicer
Makes a 3/3 Golem artifact creature token when it enters, and gives all your Golems first strike. In an artifact-heavy deck it lands as an instant 3/3 first striker. With Moira and Teshar bringing artifact creatures back from the graveyard, Blade Splicer keeps re-entering to spit out more Golems. First strike plus the Phyrexians tilts combat math your way.
Myr Battlesphere
Makes four 1/1 Myr tokens when it enters. When it attacks, tap any number of your Myr; it gets +1/+0 and deals that much damage to the defending player. Tap all four and Battlesphere swings for 5/7 plus four to the face, so nine damage from one attacker. Brimaz keeps incubating more tokens and Moira and Teshar keeps bringing Battlesphere back, so that nine-damage threat comes around again and again.
Norn's Inquisitor
A March of the Machine exclusive. Whenever a token you control transforms, you proliferate. That lines up perfectly with Brimaz's incubate engine: every Incubator that flips fires Norn's Inquisitor to proliferate all your remaining tokens. Transform three Incubators in a turn and you get three proliferate triggers, which push every other Incubator and counter on the board forward. It's the deck's best enabler for the incubate loop.
Phyrexian Delver
When Phyrexian Delver enters, return a target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield and lose life equal to its mana value. The life is a fine price in a deck with plenty of other lifegain. Bring back Myr Battlesphere right away and you've redeployed nine more damage. Delver makes the graveyard a second hand of expensive threats you can recast at creature speed.
Utter End
Exile any nonland permanent. Four mana at instant speed, no conditions. The deck wants clean answers, since an artifact plan can get outraced by some combo decks. Utter End hits enchantments, artifacts, commanders, planeswalkers, and creatures alike. It's the go-to catch-all in Orzhov, which doesn't have green's tools for noncreature threats.
How to Play
Ramp into Brimaz by turn four and start incubating tokens every combat step. Get Norn's Inquisitor down as soon as you can, since every Incubator that flips proliferates the rest. That loop speeds up on itself: Incubators that would take four turns to transform take two. Add Golem tokens off Blade Splicer and Myr tokens off Battlesphere to pad out the Phyrexian board.
Win on steady combat pressure from a board of Phyrexian artifacts that keeps growing, or just reanimate Myr Battlesphere over and over with Phyrexian Delver and Moira and Teshar. Utter End and Swords to Plowshares keep the board clear while you build. Close the game before opponents find an answer to the incubate engine.
