Gray Merchant of Asphodel | Illustration by Scott Murphy Black staples are incredibly cheap, despite how intimidating some EDH decklists look at first glance
Oloro is about as old school as they come for lifegain commanders, offering some of the most consistent and powerful lifegain and card draw potential in Magic
I think the explosion of popularity comes mainly from the commander format, though why wouldnt you just throw a playset into your standard deck as well
Crib Swap A removal spell that can exile target creatures
I tossed in tons of artifacts, enchantments, and creatures that counted as one or the other, like Esper Sentinel and Agent of Erebos
Defiant Strike occasionally sees play in decks that just need targeting spells, and while Honor is a sorcery, a +1/+1 counter is a pretty good output on a 1-mana cantrip