Aphelia, Viper Whisperer + Astarion, the Decadent

Aphelia, Viper Whisperer

Astarion, the Decadent

How it works

1. Activate Aphelia by paying 4, causing an opponent to lose half their life total, rounded up, whenever they are dealt combat damage by a Gorgon or Snake this turn.
2. Deal combat damage to the opponent using a Gorgon and/or Snake.
3. Aphelia triggers, causing the opponent to lose half their life total, rounded up.
4. At the beginning of your end step, Astarion triggers, causing the opponent to lose life equal to the life they've lost this turn.
5. The opponent loses the game due to having 0 or less life.

This clever pairing turns Aphelia, Viper Whisperer and Astarion, the Decadent into a swift executioner by weaponizing life-loss math. First, you activate Aphelia's heavy mana ability so that any combat damage dealt by your Snakes or Gorgons halves an opponent's life total in a single stroke. When those creatures connect, Aphelia's trigger shears away the first half of their life, and because Astarion, the Decadent tracks all life lost that turn under his Feed mode, the end step finishes the job by draining the exact remaining half of their life away.