All 30 You Win the Game Cards in Magic Ranked

Thassa's Oracle | Illustration by Jesper Ejsing

To win a game of MTG, your opponent must have 0 or less life, or zero cards in their library to draw from. There’s also the 10 poison counters win condition, which started as an alternative win condition but can be considered a third way to win based on how much poison there is in competitive Magic.

Now, there are cards in the game that present alternative win conditions, and today we’re going to take a look at all of them, from the easiest-to-enable to the hardest ones.

Which ones, if any, should you use in future decks? Let’s find out!

What Are You Win the Game Cards in MTG?

Ramses, Assassin Lord | Illustration by Manuel Castañon

You Win the Game cards let you win in alternative ways besides milling, poisoning, or reducing your opponents’ life total to 0.

For example, a card like Approach of the Second Sun wins you the game if you cast it twice in a game; no matter how many remaining life or other resources your opponents have, you’ll win that game. The same can be said of Felidar Sovereign, a creature which requires you to have 40 or more life on your upkeep to win.

Since winning the game is the goal of any MTG player, WotC wouldn’t go easy on us, and these cards risk unbalancing the game. There are other cards in MTG’s history, like Door to Nothingness, which will make another player lose the game, but these cards won’t be covered here.

Honorable Mention: Celestial Convergence

Celestial Convergence is an enchantment that makes the player with most life or tied with most life win the game. Of course, you can win if you’re that player, but the template here is a little different, so it didn’t make our list. 

#30. Hedron Alignment

Having the same card in different regions is very hard to pull off. You’ll need to have a copy of Hedron Alignment in your hand, graveyard, in exile, and in play. One possibility is to play Intuition, which covers one card in your hand, graveyard, and the third one which you can play.

Exiling is possible via cards like Chrome Mox, delving it, or hating it via Faerie Macabre. Either way, you can see that it's very, very hard to pull this off, and in EDH it’s almost impossible because cards can’t have the same name. Unless you use name-changing cards in silver border, you can’t. The best use for Hedron Alignment in EDH is in scry-heavy decks since you can scry at will if you have enough mana.

#29. Azor’s Elocutors

Azor's Elocutors is a way to win a game in a prison deck, filled with enchantments, Sphere of Safety, Ghostly Prison, and the like. All you have to do is to avoid taking damage from any source in five turns, which is, safe to say, difficult. If you’re playing EDH against 3 other players, they’ll do their best to remove your game-winning enchantment from play or to deal you damage. You’ll need to have a lot of resources to hold up from there, be it counterspells, protection, or damage prevention, and that’s why this win condition isn’t much recommended.

#28. Barren Glory

To win with Barren Glory, you can’t have anything else besides it. To do that, you’ll need this card to be under an Oblivion Ring or similar card, and get rid of all things at once. One possibility is to cast Apocalypse, a card that gets rid of everything, including your hand, leaving you only with Barren Glory, but that needs to be done on your upkeep, so there are options like Leyline of Anticipation or Emergence Zone to give these spells flash.

#27. Ramses, Assassin Lord

For this win condition to work, you need to have Ramses, Assassin Lord in play and to kill a player. Not exactly kill a player, but the player needs to lose the game and be dealt damage by your assassins. That’s kind of interesting, because you can win a 4-player game by attacking and killing the weakest one.

But you know, this is one of the main ways to win a game of MTG anyway. And if Ramses is on the battlefield, other players will notice when a certain player risks being eliminated and take your creature out. Ramses is a good creature and a lord for an assassin typal deck, but it’s just not a good win the game card. And in 1v1 it doesn’t do anything special either.

#26. Near-Death Experience

Near-Death Experience needs you to have 1 life exactly, and that can be risky to pull off. After all, your enchantment must sit in play for a round, and at the beginning of your upkeep you want to pay life enough to reach 1 life exactly. Your best bet to pull it off is to play a commander like Selenia, Dark Angel that allows you to lose life on demand or having cards like Wall of Blood in play. Just beware of any red player that can have a ping effect, or else your Near-Death Experience will be a Full-Death Experience.

#25. Triskaidekaphile

To win with Triskaidekaphile, you’ll need exactly 13 cards in your hand, and this simple 2-drop can also help you draw cards. Like Azure Mage, it’s a nice way to spend mana and draw cards, and it has synergies in wizard decks. Actually winning with this card is another matter entirely because Triskaidekaphile is very easily removed from play.

#24. Epic Struggle

Besides being a do-nothing enchantment, Epic Struggle requires you to have 20 creatures in play. Even Halo Fountain requires only 15. Either way, having 20 creatures in play to win is definitely possible, but you should be winning from there with a simple mass-pump effect like Overrun as well.

#23. Chance Encounter

With Chance Encounter, not only do you need to flip 10 coins, you’ll also have to win those flips, so you’ll probably need on average more than 20 flips to achieve this. The best card to meet this requirement is Frenetic Efreet because you can flip an infinite number of coins while it’s in play and surely you’ll win 10 coin flips.

Unstable’s Everythingamajig has a version that allows you to dump mana into coin flips too. The real challenge here is to try to win with this card without resorting to Frenetic Efreet. You’ll have to play some really unplayable cards just for the coin flipping ability and risk losing them in a lost flip.

#22. Mortal Combat

Mortal Combat is a played card in self-mill EDH decks filled with creatures. It’s a good fit in a Grist, the Hunger Tide deck since it’s already a commander that can dump a lot of cards into the graveyard. You’ll typically do that to win with Grist’s ultimate, but Mortal Combat can be an alternate win con as well. Iname, Death Aspect is also a commander that’s able to dump 20+ spirit creature cards from your deck to your graveyard to win using this card.

#21. Happily Ever After

Happily Ever After is a group hug card that gives everyone a card and 5 life. But to win with it is slightly harder, and you'll need six types of permanents as well as five colors of permanents. It sees play in some EDH decks like Kenrith, the Returned King because of the 5-color requirement, and these group hug decks already play cards like these, so it's a nice fit that can be a win condition later on.

#20. Battle of Wits

Although it always has been a meme, there were people playing Modern leagues some 6-7 years ago with Battle of Wits decks. The printing of new tutors like Bring to Light enabled new attempts from players to win the game by playing a 250+ card deck and tutoring this card for the win. In EDH it's impossible to play a 200+ card deck due to the rules of the format, but in its Standard format, Battle of Wits decks were somewhat competitive.

#19. Mayael’s Aria

Mayael's Aria is a nice fit for decks looking to have +1/+1 counter synergies, proliferating, or a tall threat like a Voltron deck. To win you need said creature to have 20+ power, and that can be a lot harder to manage. You'll need to have a big creature to start, but after that it's all upside, and with cards like Colossification it’s a win. This win condition is kept in check by cheap spot removal like Doom Blade or Path to Exile.

#18. Test of Endurance

Test of Endurance just asks you to untap with 50 life. Commander rules allow you to start with 40 life, which is already a huge boost, and there are more than enough ways to gain life, even infinite life. Felidar Sovereign is a better card for this job because it does something else as a 4/6 with vigilance and that requires less life for you to win, but if you’re seeking consistency, maybe give this one a try.

#17. Gallifrey Stands

Gallifrey Stands recovers all the doctors you might have in your graveyard back to your hand, and to win you'll need thirteen different ones in play. If you needed an excuse to fit all possible doctors in a single EDH deck, now you have a reason to do so. Jokes aside, there are exactly 15 cards with the doctor type across colors, so it’ll be very difficult to get a win from these cards.

Fortunately, there are ways to cheat, like playing many changelings or cards like Arcane Adaptation to make everybody in your deck a doctor. This win condition seems doable in a Morophon, the Boundless doctor-typal deck, and it's an incentive to try to build one.

#16. Darksteel Reactor

Darksteel Reactor allows you to win the game if it has 20 or more charge counters, and you’ll add one counter each turn. All you need to do is to wait. Of course, there are a few ways to speed up the process, like using proliferate or cards like Coretapper that allow you to add more counters to Darksteel Reactor.

It’s also indestructible, so it’s tougher to deal with outside of exiling effects typically in white. One curious aspect of this card is that it has a much faster infinite combo with Chain of Acid, which lets you copy infinite spells and win via the magecraft mechanic, but that can be done with any indestructible artifact.

#15. Mechanized Production

Mechanized Production is an aura that enchants an artifact and makes a copy of it every turn. You win if you have eight artifacts with the same name – it doesn’t have to be the name of the enchanted artifact, either. Having multiple artifacts with the same name is easier these days due to the prevalence of Treasures, Clues, and Food tokens, but you’ll still need this card alive on the battlefield enchanting an artifact to do the trick.

#14. Simic Ascendancy

Like Revel in Riches, WotC keeps printing better cards that come with +1/+1 counters or interact with them, so it’s not hard to go off with Simic Ascendancy. At least it’s a 2-mana enchantment that can give you counters if you spend mana on it to you can get incremental benefits. There are certain cards that work well with this strategy like Kalonian Hydra, and hydras in general because they’re usually 0/0 that ETB with +1/+1 counters. Proliferate works well here not only by proliferating the growth counters on Simic Ascendancy, but also the counters other creatures, and so on.

#13. Revel in Riches

Revel in Riches is a win condition that’s easier to achieve each year thanks to WotC ramping up the Treasure production. Cards like Old Gnawbone, Ancient Copper Dragon and all-star Dockside Extortionist produce a huge load of Treasure, and it’s not hard to have 10 Treasures in a dedicated deck. Five-mana enchantments are usually bad in 1v1 games, but it’s much more trivial to win via Revel in Riches in EDH. 

#12. Halo Fountain

Halo Fountain stands out as a card on its own, having seen plenty of Standard play because of its first and second abilities. Once Halo Fountain is on, it’s easy to start pumping out creatures or drawing extra cards, seeing as white has fewer options for card draw. Also, there are lots of X spells that create creatures on instant speed, like Call the Coppercoats, Decree of Justice, White Sun's Zenith, so you could set an easy win in EDH by casting a big spell, attacking the next turn, and untapping to win. It’s not very competitive in Standard, but doable in a tier 2-3 Standard environment.

#11. Helix Pinnacle

Helix Pinnacle is a 1-mana enchantment with shroud, and it only asks you to put mana into it. Once you paid 100 mana for the Pinnacle, you win. This card works very well in Commander decks that don’t let the mana empty from the mana pool, like Kruphix, God of Horizons, or cards that let you untap your permanents, like Seedborn Muse or Wilderness Reclamation. Of course, combinations that generate infinite mana get there instantly, but it’s a win con you can build along the way.

#10. Liliana’s Contract

My only gripe with Liliana's Contract is that if you have four different demons in play, you should win the game on a single attack or via the card advantage they provide. Either way, Liliana's Contract is a solid card, allowing you to draw 4 cards and lose 4 life, and you can blink it too. It can grant you a win in a dedicated demons deck or by mixing in some changelings.

#9. Biovisionary

To win with Biovisionary, you need to have four copies of it on the battlefield. That’s doable in 60-card formats by playing four copies but it’s very hard. It’s easier to pull off in EDH, where you have a slower format and plenty of ways to have a dedicated “copy your own creatures” deck. A kicked Rite of Replication does the trick, and in an Esix, Fractal Bloom EDH deck you can make copies of this card by producing tokens as well.

#8. Hellkite Tyrant

Controlling 20 artifacts is no easy feat, even if you’re playing affinity with all artifact lands at your disposal. The best thing about Hellkite Tyrant is that it’s a giant flying dragon that eventually steals their artifacts. In EDH there are plenty of good artifacts to steal, varying from Treasure to Clues and mana rocks. This card is an awesome dragon to put in big red decks or dragon decks. It gets some value from your opponents, and sometimes you’ll get a win with its special ability.

#7. Felidar Sovereign

Felidar Sovereign requires you to have 40 life at the beginning of your upkeep to win, and hey, that’s your starting life in EDH. Problem is that even if you’re at 40+ life, the moment you cast Felidar Sovereign, other players will try their best to attack you or kill your win condition, making this a little more balanced. There are more than enough combos in MTG to gain infinite life, so you’ll have a turn to guarantee this card lives.

#6. Maze’s End

To win with Maze's End, you’ll need 10 gates with different names and to activate its ability. What’s more, activating the ability of Maze's End is a nice ramp ability, so you can slowly work toward this win condition. There are 22 different gates printed in MTG to this day, 27 if you count the Alchemy ones on MTG Arena, so that gives you enough lands to win, besides the good land tutors available like Circuitous Route, Scapeshift, and Crop Rotation. 

#5. Laboratory Maniac

Laboratory Maniac would probably make the top of the list 6 or 7 years ago. It’s a 3-drop that asks you to empty your library and draw from it to win instead of losing. Although it has stronger competition nowadays, it works fine and it’s easy to pull off. Laboratory Maniac is not strictly worse than Thassa's Oracle, seeing as some combos require you to have this card in play and draw cards later.

#4. Approach of the Second Sun

Approach of the Second Sun deserves a high place simply because it’s a realistic way to win in formats other than EDH. It’s seen strong play in its Standard format, Pioneer, and others. In EDH it’s fairly easy to copy it with effects like Narset's Reversal, or cast it, tutor it, and cast it again, giving Azorius () or Jeskai () control decks a strong win condition.  

#3. Jace, Wielder of Mysteries

Like Laboratory Maniac, Jace, Wielder of Mysteries wins you the game if you would draw a card but your library is empty. It’s a little better than Lab Maniac because it’s a solid card to play in a midrange-control deck, and it triggers its own win condition with its abilities. At least it’s a planeswalker that draws you a card each turn.

#2. Coalition Victory

Coalition Victory requires you to have 5 different land types and 5 different colors of creatures. That condition can be easily achieved in commander with a creature and something that gives lands every basic land type, like Prismatic Omen. Or creatures like Fallaji Wayfarer and Sphinx of the Guildpact.

It’s been banned in Commander since 2007, so it doesn’t see much play in the other formats it could, Legacy and Vintage. People argue that it would be a safe unban because there are better wincons available in the format, and you still need five colors of mana and cast an 8-mana spell.

#1. Thassa’s Oracle

Thassa's Oracle, or Thoracle, is one of the main win conditions in cEDH, and it saw heavy play in Pioneer before the banning of Inverter of Truth. The main aspect that makes Thoracle the best card to win the game is that you win on its ETB.

Most cards from this list require you to wait until your next upkeep to win, and that can be more easily disrupted. This card is also a 2-drop that combos directly with other cards like Demonic Consultation or Tainted Pact, so you’ll have an empty library after casting one of those spells, and achieve a win early in the game.

Does “You Cannot Lose the Game” beat “You Win the Game?

It doesn’t, depending on the ability’s wording.

Say I have Lich's Mastery in play that says “I can’t lose the game” and another player resolves Thassa's Oracle with an empty library. They’ll win that game. The restriction on Lich's Mastery says that I can’t lose for having 0 or less life, or for drawing from an empty library, but that doesn’t prevent another player from outright winning the game.

If I had Platinum Angel in play it would be another matter entirely, because Platinum Angel states that I can’t lose and my opponents can’t win the game. In this last case the win condition presented by Thassa's Oracle won’t work.

Wrap Up

Tidy Conclusion | Illustration by Bastien L. Deharme

And there you have it folks, all the “you win the game cards” in MTG. It’s nice that the game has alternative ways to win, and MTG designers love to create special win conditions to influence people’s deckbuilding.

Spike players that like to win first and foremost would rather have the easiest win conditions to enable, while people that like a harder challenge can be attracted by some of the weirder entries on this list.

What about you? What are your favorite alt-win conditions? Have you already won a game with some of the trickier win cons? Let me know in the comments section below, or over at Draftsim’s Twitter.

Thanks for reading and stay safe!