Orzhov Sky Purge (Budget Flyers)

A controlling Orzhov deck that trades card-for-card with a dense removal suite and wins in the air with evasive, lifelinking fliers.

Vampire Nighthawk dominates combat with flying, deathtouch, and lifelink, making it both a wall and a finisher. Serra Angel and Absolving Lammasu close games from above while their lifelink keeps you out of burn range. Duress strips opposing removal and counterspells before you commit a flier, and your suite of Pacifism, Banishing Light, and Murder keeps the ground clear so your attackers get through unblocked.

Keep hands with 2–3 lands, at least one cheap interaction spell (Murder, Pacifism), and one flying threat. Mulligan hands that are all lands or all expensive spells with no removal. A hand of Scoured Barrens, Duress, and Vampire Nighthawk is a snap keep.

Early: disrupt with Duress and answer the opponent's first plays using Murder and Pacifism. Mid: stabilize the board with Banishing Light, then deploy Vampire Nighthawk and Absolving Lammasu to begin attacking while gaining life. Late: close out with Serra Angel and your other fliers, using your remaining removal to punch through blockers and keep the opponent off balance.

Watch for decks that go wider than your one-for-one removal can handle, and for counterspells that punish your expensive fliers. Planeswalker-heavy decks are awkward since much of your removal is creature-focused—lean on Banishing Light and Duress there. The high land count means occasional flooding, so mulligan toward hands with action.