An especially potent wrath against aggressive decks that clears the board and undoes the early game damage of the creatures swept up in the fumigation. This sweeper was a great tool for control in Standard and still sees play in Commander. FumigateДЇumigate is a Wrath of God that gains one life for each creature destroyed. One of the most infuriating cards to play against (especially in Limited), Approach is a card that vexes aggressive decks. This seven life helps give you enough time to later cast it again to win the game. Approach gains seven life to buy time when you first cast it from your hand and then goes into your deck seventh from the top. Approach of the Second SunДЄpproach of the Second Sun is an alternate win condition that still sees play in Pioneer Lotus Field and was a major player in Standard. Soul Warden and SoulвЂ™s Attendant are the pieces of the вЂњSoul SistersвЂќ decks that gain life whenever a creature enters the battlefield.

While it wonвЂ™t win the game on its own it can lead to aggro decks being a step too slow against decks like Azorius Control. Authority of the ConsulsДЄ staple sideboard card in its Standard format, Authority of the Consuls shuts down haste creatures like Glorybringer and gets you incidental lifegain against all aggressive creature decks. A lot of the most powerful lifegain payoffs are from white decks that leverage it as a primary win condition. White is the main color for lifegain in Magic so it has a long list of powerful cards for this list. Cards like Swords to Plowshares that can gain you life but mostly give opponents life instead donвЂ™t count.Д¬ards with lifelink will also be treated as lifegain cards since they gain you life by dealing combat damage. For this list IвЂ™m primarily focusing on cards that gain you life, rather than gaining any player life. Lifegain cards gain you life whether through triggers, activated abilities, or just the resolution of a spell.

Suture Priest | Illustration by Igor Kieryluk

Creatures of aether best deck