Serra Avatar + Swords to Plowshares + Sanguine Bond

3-card combo · WB

Verdict

Yes — one white mana kills a player outright as long as Serra Avatar's power matches or exceeds whatever life they have left.

Serra Avatar $6.16 ↗

Cards required: 3
Cheapest stack total: $17.64
Color identity: WB
Popularity: 2,426 decks
Format: Commander

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Serra Avatar's power equals its controller's life total, so Swords to Plowshares exiles it and returns that exact number as life gained — Sanguine Bond then drains one opponent for the same amount. The combo fits naturally into white-black lifegain commanders like Oloro, Ageless Ascetic or Kambal, Consul of Allocation, where the life total climbs high enough to guarantee lethal drain.

Recipe

How it works

Prerequisites

Your life total is higher than or equal to an opponent's.

Steps

Cast Swords to Plowshares by paying , exiling Serra Avatar and gaining life equal to its power.
Sanguine Bond triggers, causing target opponent whose lifetotal is less than or equal to Serra Avatar's power to lose life equal to the life you gained.
The opponent loses the game due to having zero or less life.

Result

Near-infinite lifegain; Near-infinite lifeloss for target opponent; Target opponent loses the game

Variations

Cheaper, tighter, alternate lines

Boon Reflection doubles the life gained from Swords to Plowshares, which also doubles the Sanguine Bond trigger — useful when an opponent has been gaining life of their own. Vizkopa Guildmage is a budget-friendly Sanguine Bond substitute that activates at instant speed, but requires 3 mana to set up versus Sanguine Bond's static trigger. This line kills exactly one opponent per loop; to win the table, a second activation needs Serra Avatar back in hand, which happens naturally since the exile from Swords to Plowshares puts it on the bottom of the library — shuffle effects or a second copy close the gap.