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Alternate-Win or -Loss
Mechanic
Introduced Ice Age
Last used Strixhaven: School of Mages
Scryfall Search
Template error: Scryfall search missing search term.

Alternate-win cards provide additional means for winning the game.[1] A related set of alternate-loss cards describe conditions under which their controller loses the game.[2] Alternate-win or -loss cards are called “alt cons” (from "alternate win/loss condition") by R&D.[3]

Description

Alt cons are generally permanents, with triggered abilities which explicitly state that their controller wins or loses if certain conditions are met. Some such cards instead state that another player loses the game, which may not immediately end a multiplayer game. Alt cons cards tend to be printed at rare, but almost never at mythic rare.[4][5] The first mythic rare card with alternative win condition was printed in Dragon's Maze with Maze's End.

List of alternate-win cards

Card Colors Set Condition
Angel of Destiny {W} Zendikar Rising At the beginning of your end step, if you have at least 15 life more than your starting life total, each player Angel of Destiny attacked this turn loses the game.
Amulet of Quoz {C} Ice Age Target opponent may ante the top card of his or her library. If he or she doesn't, you flip a coin. If you win the flip, that player loses the game. If you lose the flip, you lose the game. Activate this ability only during your upkeep.
Approach of the Second Sun {W} Amonkhet If Approach of the Second Sun was cast from your hand and you cast another spell named Approach of the Second Sun this game, you win the game.
As Luck Would Have It {G} Unstable If there are 100 or more luck counters on As Luck Would Have It, you win the game.
Azor's Elocutors {W/U} Return to Ravnica At the beginning of your upkeep, put a filibuster counter on Azor's Elocutors. Then if Azor's Elocutors has five or more filibuster counters on it, you win the game.
Barren Glory {W} Future Sight At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control no permanents other than Barren Glory and have no cards in hand, you win the game.
Battle of Wits {U} Odyssey At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have 200 or more cards in your library, you win the game.
Biovisionary {G}{U} Gatecrash At the beginning of the end step, if you control four or more creatures named Biovisionary, you win the game.
Celestial Convergence {W} Prophecy At the beginning of your upkeep, remove an omen counter from Celestial Convergence. If there are no omen counters on Celestial Convergence, the player with the highest life total wins the game. If two or more players are tied for highest life total, the game is a draw.
Chance Encounter {R} Odyssey At the beginning of your upkeep, if Chance Encounter has ten or more luck counters on it, you win the game.
Coalition Victory {W}{U}{B}{R}{G} Invasion You win the game if you control a land of each basic land type and a creature of each color.
Darksteel Reactor {C} Darksteel When Darksteel Reactor has twenty or more charge counters on it, you win the game.
Door to Nothingness {W}{U}{B}{R}{G} Fifth Dawn Target player loses the game.
Epic Struggle {G} Judgment At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control twenty or more creatures, you win the game.
Etrata, the Silencer {U}{B} Guilds of Ravnica Whenever Etrata deals combat damage to a player, exile target creature that player controls and put a hit counter on that card. That player loses the game if they own three or more exiled cards with hit counters on them.
Felidar Sovereign {W} Zendikar At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have 40 or more life, you win the game.
Happily Ever After {W} Throne of Eldraine At the beginning of your upkeep, if there are five colors among permanents you control, there are six or more card types among permanents you control and/or cards in your graveyard, and your life total is greater than or equal to your starting life total, you win the game.
Hedron Alignment {U} Oath of the Gatewatch At the beginning of your upkeep, you may reveal your hand. If you do, you win the game if you own a card named Hedron Alignment in exile, in your hand, in your graveyard, and on the battlefield.
Helix Pinnacle {G} Eventide At the beginning of your upkeep, if there are 100 or more tower counters on Helix Pinnacle, you win the game.
Hellkite Tyrant {R} Gatecrash At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control twenty or more artifacts, you win the game.
All cards with Infect/Poisonous Varies When an opponent has ten or more poison counters, they lose the game.
Jace, Wielder of Mysteries {U} War of the Spark Static effect:If you would draw a card while your library has no cards in it, you win the game instead.
Loyalty symbol down-8: Draw seven cards. Then if your library has no cards in it, you win the game.
Laboratory Maniac {U} Innistrad If you would draw a card while your library has no cards in it, you win the game instead.
Liliana's Contract {B} Core Set 2019 If you control four or more Demons with different names, you win the game.
Mayael's Aria {R}{G}{W} Alara Reborn At the beginning of your upkeep, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control if you control a creature with power 5 or greater. Then you gain 10 life if you control a creature with power 10 or greater. Then you win the game if you control a creature with power 20 or greater.
Maze's End {C} Dragon's Maze If you control ten or more Gates with different names, you win the game.
Mechanized Production {U} Aether Revolt At the beginning of your upkeep, create a token that's a copy of enchanted artifact. Then if you control eight or more artifacts with the same name as one another, you win the game.
Mirrodin Besieged {U} Modern Horizons At the beginning of your end step, draw a card, then discard a card. Then if there are fifteen or more artifact cards in your graveyard, target opponent loses the game.
Mortal Combat {B} Torment At the beginning of your upkeep, if twenty or more creature cards are in your graveyard, you win the game.
Near-Death Experience {W} Rise of the Eldrazi At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have exactly 1 life, you win the game.
Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God {U}{B}{R} War of the Spark Loyalty symbol down-8: Each opponent who doesn't control a legendary creature or planeswalker loses the game.
Now I Know My ABC's {U} Unhinged At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control permanents with names that include all twenty-six letters of the English alphabet, you win the game.
Phage the Untouchable {B} Legions Whenever Phage deals combat damage to a player, that player loses the game.
Princess Twilight Sparkle {W}{U} Ponies: The Galloping {W}{U}{B}{R}{G}: If you control Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity, everypony wins the game.
Revel in Riches {B} Ixalan At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control ten or more Treasures, you win the game.
Simic Ascendancy {G}{U} Ravnica Allegiance At the beginning of your upkeep, if Simic Ascendancy has twenty or more growth counters on it, you win the game.
Strixhaven Stadium {C} Strixhaven: School of Mages Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to an opponent, put a point counter on Strixhaven Stadium. Then if it has ten or more point counters on it, remove them all and that player loses the game.
Test of Endurance {W} Judgment At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have 50 or more life, you win the game.
Thassa's Oracle {U} Theros Beyond Death If your devotion to blue is greater than or equal to the number of cards in your library, you win the game.
The Cheese Stands Alone {W} Unglued If you control no cards in play other than The Cheese Stands Alone and have no cards in your hand, you win the game.
The Cinematic Phoenix {B}{R} Heroes of the Realm Tap six untapped creatures you control: Return The Cinematic Phoenix from your graveyard to the battlefield. If you tapped six legendary creatures this way, you win the game.
Topdeck the Halls {R}{W} Holiday card At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control twelve or more decorated permanents, you win the game.
Vorpal Sword {B} Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms {5}{B}{B}{B}: Until end of turn, Vorpal Sword gains "Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, that player loses the game."
Vraska the Unseen {B}{G} Return to Ravnica Loyalty symbol down-7: Put three 1/1 black Assassin creature tokens onto the battlefield with “Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player loses the game.”
Vraska, Golgari Queen {B}{G} Guilds of Ravnica Loyalty symbol down-9: You get an emblem with “Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, that player loses the game.”
Vraska, Scheming Gorgon {B} Rivals of Ixalan Loyalty symbol down-10: Until end of turn, creatures you control gain deathtouch and “Whenever this creature deals damage to an opponent, that player loses the game.”
^† Oracle text as at April 2013.
^‡ This effect causes one or more other players to lose the game, which can cause their controller to win the game.

List of alternate-loss cards

Card Colors Set Condition
A Good Thing {W}{B} Mystery Booster If you have 1,000 or more life, you lose the game.
Amulet of Quoz {C} Ice Age Target opponent may ante the top card of his or her library. If he or she doesn't, you flip a coin. If you win the flip, that player loses the game.
If you lose the flip, you lose the game. Activate this ability only during your upkeep.
Chance for Glory {R}{W} Guilds of Ravnica [2] Creatures you control gain indestructible. Take an extra turn after this one. At the beginning of that turn's end step, you lose the game.
Demonic Pact {B} Magic Origins At the beginning of your upkeep, choose one that hasn't been chosen —
• Demonic Pact deals 4 damage to any target and you gain 4 life.
• Target opponent discards two cards.
• Draw two cards.
• You lose the game.
Final Fortune {R} Mirage Take an extra turn after this one. At the beginning of that turn's end step, you lose the game.
Forbidden Crypt {B} Mirage If you would draw a card, return a card from your graveyard to your hand instead. If you can't, you lose the game.
Form of the Squirrel {G} Unhinged As Form of the Squirrel comes into play, put a 1/1 green Squirrel creature token into play. You lose the game when it leaves play.
Glorious End {R} Amonkhet End the turn. At the beginning of your next end step, you lose the game.
Immortal Coil {B} Shards of Alara When there are no cards in your graveyard, you lose the game.
Intervention Pact {W} Future Sight[6] At the beginning of your next upkeep, pay {1}{W}{W}. If you don't, you lose the game.
Last Chance {R} Portal Take an extra turn after this one. At the beginning of that turn's end step, you lose the game.
Lich {B} Limited Edition Whenever you're dealt damage, sacrifice that many nontoken permanents. If you can't, you lose the game.

When Lich is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, you lose the game.
Lich's Mastery {B} Dominaria When Lich's Mastery leaves the battlefield, you lose the game.
Nefarious Lich {B} Odyssey If damage would be dealt to you, exile that many cards from your graveyard instead. If you can't, you lose the game.

When Nefarious Lich leaves the battlefield, you lose the game.
Nine Lives {W} Core Set 2021 When Nine Lives leaves the battlefield, you lose the game.
One With Death {B} Mystery Booster You lose the game.
Pact of Negation {U} Future Sight[6] At the beginning of your next upkeep, pay {3}{U}{U}. If you don't, you lose the game.
Pact of the Titan {R} Future Sight[6] At the beginning of your next upkeep, pay {4}{R}. If you don't, you lose the game.
Phage the Untouchable {B} Legions When Phage the Untouchable enters the battlefield, if you didn't cast it from your hand, you lose the game.
Rocket-Powered Turbo Slug {R} Unhinged Super haste (This may attack the turn before you play it. (You may put this card into play from your hand, tapped and attacking, during your declare attackers step.
If you do, you lose the game at the end of your next turn unless you pay this card's mana cost during that turn.))
Seek Bolas's Counsel {U}{B}{R} Mystery Booster At the beginning of your upkeep, pay {U}{B}{R}. If you don't, you lose the game.
Slaughter Pact {B} Future Sight[6] At the beginning of your next upkeep, pay {2}{B}. If you don't, you lose the game.
Summoner's Pact {G} Future Sight[6] At the beginning of your next upkeep, pay {2}{G}{G}. If you don't, you lose the game.
Transcendence {W} Torment When you have 20 or more life, you lose the game.
Triskaidekaphobia {B} Shadows over Innistrad At the beginning of your upkeep, each player with exactly 13 life loses the game.
Warrior's Oath {R} Portal Three Kingdoms Take an extra turn after this one. At the beginning of that turn's end step, you lose the game.
^† Oracle text as at April 2013.

List of alternate-draw cards

Card Colors Set Condition
Celestial Convergence {W} Prophecy At the beginning of your upkeep, remove an omen counter from Celestial Convergence. If there are no omen counters on Celestial Convergence, the player with the highest life total wins the game. If two or more players are tied for highest life total, the game is a draw.
Divine Intervention {W} Legends When you remove the last intervention counter from Divine Intervention, the game is a draw.

Nowadays, R&D avoids making draw effects.[7]

References

  1. Magic Arcana (August 15, 2005). "Let Me Count the Ways...". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. a b Mark Rosewater (September 24, 2018). "Stories from the City". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. Mark Rosewater (September 12, 2017). "Why do you print alternate win condition cards at rare?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  4. Mark Rosewater (September 12, 2017). ""We do it this way" is not a reason!". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  5. a b c d e Magic Arcana (June 07, 2007). "No Really, You'll Lose the Game". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. Mark Rosewater (October 22, 2019). "What if it was 'deal 20 damage to each player"?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
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