Another possibility to run this card is using bounce effects. Sinmply activate Vedalken Mastermind's once you life total would hit 20, then let your life go down again, play Transcendence, rinse and repeat.
Flames of the Blood Hand technically also works with this card, but isn't really worth using in general. On the other hand you can always still use this against your opponent, of course.
bram-s-wallace
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
You can combine stigma lasher and soul's fire. play stigma lasher and soul's fire yourself using stigma lasher to deal damage to you. That means you can't gain life. Play this card and you'll win if they can't destroy it. Update: your right Mode I didn't know there were cards like that.. cool.
Great card when combined with say Form of the Dragon, but also quite dangerous. Oddly enough, turns life gain decks into offensive monsters as they just play all their life gain on you.
Omenchild
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
haha i guess theres a glass ceiling for everyone
AbyssalManZero
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
2 1/2 star rating...
This is an... Ummm-- unusual card lol...
KicktheCAN
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(2 votes)
Sanguine Bond.
ohthecommotion
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
@hand_bannana: If I'm not mistaken, this plus Rain Of Gore = infinite life loss combo, and the game's a draw.
Still, I love this card. I so badly want to make a deck that abuses it. It's just...difficult =P
Kataklyzmik
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Any suggestions if I use Glacial Chasm here? If the cumulative upkeep of GC is paid, do I still gain life? If not, can I pay negative?
faisjdas
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ahhhh, I lost the game!
anytwofactors
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
@MrPink343: Actually, since setting your life total to 5 would cause you to gain or lose enough life to be at 5, you would then gain double the amount you lost, thus rendering form of the dragon a horrible card to use with this.
hid@n
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This adds such a twist to the game, very cool.
TheSwarm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
What struck me was it doubled your life span, if you have 1 life it sort of reverses it, instead you have 19 life. So really it isn't that bad of a card. Remove it and you have 19 life again. A bit clumsy but thats what first came to mind.
Hand_Bannana
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this plus rain of gore = u can never die. then add 2 greater auramancy. @ohthecommotion ya ur rite, i just realized that...well, if it happened what would you do? i have no idea honestly what happens legally whan you run into an infinate combo like this one
Azazyel
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Trascendence + Leyline of Punisment + Indestructibility/Greater Auramancy =
...
...Platinum Angel really isn't that expensive at all. Use that instead, and just give it Shroud.
This combos interestingly with Lich itself, actually. Sure, the not losing the game thing is redundant, but when you are damaged and have to sacrifice a permanent, the resulting life loss will replace that permanent with two cards...also, the idea of a Transcended Lich is humorous to be :P
SlickDragon
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you want a Transcended Lich, try fighting a DemiLich.
a7141988
★★☆☆☆ (2.4/5.0)(4 votes)
I play this in my EDH deck so that I can lose the game whenever I feel like it lol, actually I'm just trolling.
This + nefarious lich. Whenever you lose life, you draw twice that many cards. ^^
zfabaksem
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Anyone tried combining this card with a card that gives it phasing? I havent checked if theres such a thing, but I this card would be really annoying.
Rezzy64
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Has anybody seen this card with Rain of Gore? It's downright silly! It seems to work though. The cards don't seem to cancel each other out because of Rain of Gore's "instead" clause, it seems to just stick you at negative infinity life.
Salient
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I guess that makes Platinum Empyrion the Zen master of Transcendence.
Arachibutyrophobia
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
this card confuses me
Atali
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Everlasting Torment irritates me due to the Wither clause, I don't really fancy giving my opponent wither. Rain of Gore causes an immediate draw, as it sets up an infinite loop with no exit (lose 1, transcendence gains 2, gore replaces with lose 2, transcendence gains 4, gore replaces etc) Stigma Lasher is interesting because the can't gain life effect can't be removed, unlike all of the enchantments. The main destruction target is transcendence itself of course, but it's worth consideration. My favorite is Forsaken Wastes, as it has a built-in removal deterrent, and can kill your opponents without needing to attack them. Sulfuric Vortex is my second choice due to the strong direct damage support of red and the double speed clock, though double red in the cost can be hard to wrangle with the triple white.
Paleopaladin
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
phyrexian mana spells FTW!
Toan133
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So one thing about this confuses me. Is it that every 1 damage I take ALSO gives me 2 life (for a net of +1) or that I don't take the damage at all and I still get the 2 life (for a net of +2)?
OmegaSerris
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Rain of Gore WILL work, but you need a Disenchant (Naturalize, Demystify, etc) on hand to interrupt the combo. Since each trigger is dependent on the resolution of the previous one, you can disenchant in response to one of them and kill the combo once your life gets as far below zero as you feel comfortable with. I believe a Stifle will stop it as well.
But without some instant speed way messing with the cycle, everyone else is correct in that the game ends in a draw. "Going infinite" in anyway causes the game to end. The "infinite" combos people mention (Myr Galvanizer/Palladium Myr) aren't truly infinite because the player ends it at some point. You can't have infinite mana, you can have 1,285,203 or , but not . This is because all cards that give you mana, tokens, life, etc do so in finite amounts, meaning you need infinite triggers/activations to get there. (No, Un-cards don't count. :-P)
OneFishTwoFish
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Sanguine Bond causes your opponent to lose twice as much life as you net-gain. If you cause yourself to lose a massive amount of life (like with Volcano Hellion), you can kill your opponent with Sanguine Bond while the trigger to lose the game is still on the stack.
In fact, because you lose only when that state-trigger resolves and because state-triggers don't retrigger until the first instance leaves the stack, you've effectively got infinite life as a resource for instant-speed spells and abilities. Put an ability onto the stack; let the trigger resolve and gain life. Let the ability resolve if you want; then repeat the cycle until you can win.
This will net you infinite mana with Channel. When you pay your life for mana, it will trigger Transcendence to gain you double the life. As long as you let one trigger resolve at a time, you can continue infinately.
The only problem is you will end up gaining twice the amount of life that you paid, thus making you lose the game when the triggers resolve. If you have a disenchant of some kind, you could get rid of your Transcendence before they resolve and give you a lot of life.
EDH! Just wait til you're low enough life to play this without losing, then donate it to someone else, preferably someone who would then lose immediately.
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I once Donated this to my opponent. He was playing with a lifegain deck. He was not amused.
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It's sort of like Phyrexian Unlife's older, more expensive brother. He does have his uses though, Sanguine Bond can scare your opponent from attacking you at all.
Kelptic183
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I know a guy who plays this in Zedruu EDH. Don't attack me, bro, I'll go below twenty and kill you!
mdakw576
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
my favorite story involves this card and zedruu
my friends and i were playing 2-headed giant. We were getting pwned, we had like 5 life and our only creature was my zedruu while my other friends had like 10 creatures and 60 life. end of their turn, I enlightened tutor for this. my ally asked, when I revealed the card for the tutor, "is that legal"? I had 9 mana and the correct colors.
LordZogar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@MrPink343: Though intuition tells us that setting our own life total to 5 every turn by using Form of the Dragon would be a great combo, the reality is that the combo won't work because of the way the rules are written. Setting your life total to a number that is lower than your current life total is considered losing life equal to the difference between your current life total and the new one. Let's imagine your life total at the beginning of your turn is 14. At your upkeep, Form of the Dragon triggers and will make you lose 9 life to set your life total to 5. This loss of life will make Transcendence trigger, and when the trigger resolves, you will gain 18 life to your 5 life, putting you at 23 life. Transcendence will see your life total is 20 or more, and you will lose the game as soon as the "lose the game" trigger resolves. Even if your life total is 6, the gradual life gain in this combo is guaranteed to kill YOU in 4 turns (unless you have some other card to stop the life gain).
TPmanW
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Fun to donate in edh. Tried running this in my zedruu edh deck once. results were... mixed.
THIS *** IS UNBELIEVABLY BROKEN >.< JUST BY BEING RBW! O.O oh and there are tons of Angels, Demons, and Dragons with giant spells just tacked onto them. all of this can be made rather DUMB with Aurelia. I mean it. I really mean it. Kaalia is going to get banned one of these days, and that is when Archenemy will really take off as a format because a good number of EDH Generals will be Banned, providing enough variety of Broken Multiplayer Deck options to be challenging Archenemies to try to beat :P
Avacyn + Worldslayer + Nevinyrral's Disk is just too damn filthy for words in this type of build o.O
azure_drake222222
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card, with the best luck, gives you 36 life. Play it at 1, then destroy it at 19.
Interesting card, not something you want to slap in anything.
CyberShapeshifter
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
It specifies that it triggers when you LOSE life. Does paying life or changing the life total count as losing life in the manner specified?
Caninse
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This might be kinda fun with Havoc Festival...Hmm...you can't gain life, you just keep a steady 0, while your opponent is slowly drained to death...
Tradeylouish
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
1v1 EDH. Zedruu, the Greathearted on the battlefield and 9 mana open. Both players at 40 life. Play Transendence. In response to the state-based trigger, donate it. They lose.
bduddy
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
5/5, if only for demonstrating exactly how stupid the IPG changes were.
car2n
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card has been mocking me to build a deck around it since I first got it. To this day, I have not succeeded.
Comments (57)
Another possibility to run this card is using bounce effects. Sinmply activate Vedalken Mastermind's once you life total would hit 20, then let your life go down again, play Transcendence, rinse and repeat.
Flames of the Blood Hand technically also works with this card, but isn't really worth using in general. On the other hand you can always still use this against your opponent, of course.
Update: your right Mode I didn't know there were cards like that.. cool.
This is an... Ummm-- unusual card lol...
Still, I love this card. I so badly want to make a deck that abuses it. It's just...difficult =P
...
...Platinum Angel really isn't that expensive at all. Use that instead, and just give it Shroud.
Rain of Gore causes an immediate draw, as it sets up an infinite loop with no exit (lose 1, transcendence gains 2, gore replaces with lose 2, transcendence gains 4, gore replaces etc)
Stigma Lasher is interesting because the can't gain life effect can't be removed, unlike all of the enchantments. The main destruction target is transcendence itself of course, but it's worth consideration.
My favorite is Forsaken Wastes, as it has a built-in removal deterrent, and can kill your opponents without needing to attack them.
Sulfuric Vortex is my second choice due to the strong direct damage support of red and the double speed clock, though double red in the cost can be hard to wrangle with the triple white.
But without some instant speed way messing with the cycle, everyone else is correct in that the game ends in a draw. "Going infinite" in anyway causes the game to end. The "infinite" combos people mention (Myr Galvanizer/Palladium Myr) aren't truly infinite because the player ends it at some point. You can't have infinite mana, you can have 1,285,203 or
In fact, because you lose only when that state-trigger resolves and because state-triggers don't retrigger until the first instance leaves the stack, you've effectively got infinite life as a resource for instant-speed spells and abilities. Put an ability onto the stack; let the trigger resolve and gain life. Let the ability resolve if you want; then repeat the cycle until you can win.
Try Channel + Squall Line or Sword of the Ages + Wall of Blood. Add Vedalken Orrery and you can use your non-combat win-method of choice.
Awesome.
The only problem is you will end up gaining twice the amount of life that you paid, thus making you lose the game when the triggers resolve. If you have a disenchant of some kind, you could get rid of your Transcendence before they resolve and give you a lot of life.
Or you could be tricky and end your turn with a Sundial of the Infinite.
my friends and i were playing 2-headed giant. We were getting pwned, we had like 5 life and our only creature was my zedruu while my other friends had like 10 creatures and 60 life.
end of their turn, I enlightened tutor for this.
my ally asked, when I revealed the card for the tutor, "is that legal"?
I had 9 mana and the correct colors.
Worldslayer
Avacyn
Lich
Stoneforge Mystic
Gisela
Solitary Confinement
Demonic Tutor
Idyllic Tutor
...were ALREADY must-haves for my Kaalia of the Vast EDH Deck
NOW you tell me
Transcendence
Form of the Dragon
Nefarious Lich
Stigma Lasher
Sanguine Bond
Everlasting Torment
Rain of Gore
and Vizkopa Guildmage
are ALL ALSO in Kaalia's Colors as well?! o.o
THIS *** IS UNBELIEVABLY BROKEN >.< JUST BY BEING RBW! O.O
oh and there are tons of Angels, Demons, and Dragons with giant spells just tacked onto them.
all of this can be made rather DUMB with Aurelia.
I mean it. I really mean it. Kaalia is going to get banned one of these days, and that is when Archenemy will really take off as a format because a good number of EDH Generals will be Banned, providing enough variety of Broken Multiplayer Deck options to be challenging Archenemies to try to beat :P
Avacyn + Worldslayer + Nevinyrral's Disk is just too damn filthy for words in this type of build o.O
To this day, I have not succeeded.