Jaws of Defeat + Tree of Perdition + Tannuk, Steadfast Second

Jaws of Defeat

Tree of Perdition

Tannuk, Steadfast Second

How it works

1. Cast Tree of Perdition by paying 3.
2. When Tree of Perdition enters the battlefield, Jaws of Defeat triggers, targeting an opponent.
3. If the opponent has 13 or more life, hold priority and then activate Tree of Perdition by tapping it, swapping its toughness with an opponent's life total.
4. Resolve the Jaws of Defeat trigger, causing the opponent targeted in step 3 to lose life equal to Tree of Perdition's toughness.
5. The opponent loses the game as a state-based action due to having 0 or less life.

This ingenious sequence relies on Jaws of Defeat to weaponize the exact mathematical variance between a creature's power and toughness every time one enters your battlefield. By casting Tree of Perdition for its normal cost, you bring in a massive creature whose 13 toughness provides the exact fuel Jaws of Defeat needs to drain a staggering chunk of life. Before that damage trigger resolves, you tap Tree of Perdition to instantly swap that opponent's life total with its current toughness—dropping them to a fragile 13 life and simultaneously inflating its toughness to match whatever high life total they just abandoned. Finally, the waiting Jaws of Defeat trigger resolves, dealing massive life loss equal to that newly minted toughness and effortlessly finishing off the opponent. Meanwhile, Tannuk, Steadfast Second sits calmly on board, granting haste to any other creatures you control while offering its alternate warp cost to weave further chaos into your strategy.