Welcome to the Masoshist Combo Deck (Starring whippers: Chandra and Gideon!)
This is a Mardu Control / Combo deck winning thanks to "Mirror Universe" effect Axis of Mortality provides. If you are looking for an unsual, underplayed, very elegant but yet EFFECTIVE way to win, this deck is for you.
Main trick: pay as many life as you can in response to the Axis of Mortality effect in the stack, usingAdanto Vanguard (and formerly Glorifier of Dusk too. I removed the Glorifiers because they are not vital for this deck)
Finish the opponent attacking with your creatures (Vanguard /Gideon) or with direct damage (Lightning Strike, Ribbons, Chandra herself...).
If you have Gideon's Emblem it may be a oneshot too as you don't die by having 0 life.
Combo:
Adanto Vanguard + Axis of Mortality
+ Damage
And !
Adanto Vanguard + Axis of Mortality + Gideon of the Trials
(oneshot)
Utility Choices:
Chandra, Torch of Defiance: use her to dig for combo pieces, take her red mana to cast Axis or Glorifier. And finish the opponent with her. The perfect whipping Lady.
Gideon of the Trials: Board control, attack damage, deadly in some matchups, but ... with the Emblem out, you don't die at 0 hp. So it may be instawin if the combo is out. Right? Plus his weapon is a whip. Isn't it :)
Lightning Strike : Control the board or finish the opponent.
Cut / Ribbons / Ribbons : Same thing but better vs creatures. Ribbons Is a great finisher!
Painful Lesson : Perfect in this masoshist's deck :p. You can draw your combo parts OR finish the opponent with that spell targeting him/her. Harming yourself can even be useful before switching HPs... Cool for flavor too.
Cast Out : Control the board or cycle for combo.
Settle the Wreckage : Kill your opponent's creatures and not yours.
Sweltering Suns : Kill your opponent's creatures and not yours (thanks to ability of Vanguard). Cycleable for combo.
I used to play Ramunap Ruins to harm myself and finish opponent. But it has been banned in january 2018 - had to remove them. It's not that bad because I could add 2 mountains which significantly reduced the number of tapped Dragonskull Summits.
General Strategy:
Just destroy everything you can (like a "machinehead deck"). Don't be too afraid to take damage, or don't play this deck. Attack the opponent as long as you are not 100% sure to go for the combo. T2 Vanguard, T3 Gideon, T4 Chandra + Cut sometime is waaaaay enough for the win. T5 Axis is generally a great surprise for a new opponent you never played against.
If the combo doesn't work on the matchup, you can remove the Axis of Mortality and part of the "Paylife" creatures for a more "Mardu control deck". With a few Duress and Dragons Together with the Planeswalkers, it can be enough to be lethal.
Live Paper tournament history:
07/10/2017: 3 Wins, 1 Draw (Carta'jeu, Lyon, France, Ixalan Showdown) - Mardu
14/10/2017: 2 Wins , 2 Losses (Carta'jeu, Lyon, France, Ixalan Showdown) - Mardu
21/10/2017: 3 Wins, 2 losses (Carta'jeu, Lyon, France, Ixalan Showdown) - Mardu
28/10/2017: 2 Wins, 2 losses (Carta'jeu, Lyon, France, Ixalan Showdown) - Mardu
11/11/2017: 4 Wins, 0 losses (Carta'jeu, Lyon, France, Ixalan Showdown) - Mardu
18/11/2017: 2 Wins, 2 losses (Carta'jeu, Lyon, France, Ixalan Showdown) - Mardu
16/12/2017: 4 Wins, 2 losses (Carta'jeu, Lyon, France, Ixalan Showdown) - Mardu
06/01/2018: 3 Wins, 1 loss (Carta'jeu, Lyon, France) - Boros
20/01/2018: 4 Wins, 1 loss (Carta’jeu, Lyon, France, Rivals of Ixalan Win-a-box) - Mardu
27/01/2018: 3 Wins, 1 loss (Carta’jeu, Lyon, France) - Mardu
03/02/2018: 3 Wins, 1 loss (Carta’jeu, Lyon, France) - Mardu
24/03/2018: 2 Wins, 2 losses (Carta’jeu, Lyon, France) - Mardu
24/03/2018: 3 Wins, 2 losses (Carta’jeu, Lyon, France - Store Championship 5th/19) - Mardu
15/03/2018: 3 Wins, 1 loss + 1 win (top 8 quarters), 1 loss (semis) (Carta’jeu, Lyon, France - Ixalan Win a box) - Mardu
20/05/2018: 2 Wins, 3 losses (Carta’jeu, Lyon, France - Ixalan Win a box) - Mardu
25/05/2018: 2 Wins, 2 losses (Carta’jeu, Lyon, FNM) - Mardu
10/06/2018: 3 Wins, 1 loss, 1 Draw (Carta’jeu, Lyon RPTQ) - Mardu
10/06/2018: 2 Wins, 2 losses, 1 Draw (Carta’jeu, Lyon winabox) - Mardu
04/08/2018: 3 Wins, 1 loss (Carta’jeu, Lyon FNM) - Mardu
22/09/2018: 2 Wins, 2 losses (Carta’jeu, Lyon) - Mardu
23/09/2018: 2 Wins, 3 losses (Carta’jeu Winabox, Lyon) - Mardu
Total Mardu W-D-L is now 58-3-35
Total Boros W-D-L is now 3-0-1.
Total Variants W-D-L is now 61-3-36
