Axis of Mortality MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityMythic
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Axis of Mortality provides unique strategic options in life-total driven decks, expanding win conditions.
  2. Although potent, its higher casting cost and mana specificity may limit its deck compatibility.
  3. Leverage its effect with enchantment removal or life manipulation strategies to counteract it.

Text of card

At the beginning of your upkeep, you may have two target players exchange life totals.

The Church of Dusk teaches there is no gain without loss, no triumph without sacrifice, no drink of exquisite crimson without a dying gasp.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Axis of Mortality provides a unique form of card advantage by allowing you to strategically manipulate life totals. It can gain virtual card advantage in matchups where your life total can be leveraged for beneficial exchanges.

Resource Acceleration: While not providing direct mana acceleration, this card opens up the potential for resource acceleration by changing the rules of engagement. When used wisely, it allows you to deploy resources more aggressively knowing you can swap life totals if necessary.

Instant Speed: Although Axis of Mortality isn’t used at instant speed, it allows you to activate its ability at the beginning of your upkeep. This offers you a form of instant-speed interaction because you can adjust your strategy just before your turn unfolds, giving you a crucial edge in the game’s progression.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Axis of Mortality does not require a discard, managing and optimizing its unique ability can be equivalent to a tactical discard, as it demands substantial deck manipulation to ensure its effectiveness.

Specific Mana Cost: Axis of Mortality’s casting cost demands a precise mana combination – two white and four others – which could be challenging in multicolored decks that need to manage a diverse mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total of six mana needed, Axis of Mortality arrives late in the game. This high mana cost may slow down your deck’s momentum, potentially making it less competitive against decks favoring low-cost, high-impact cards.


Reasons to Include Axis of Mortality in Your Collection

Versatility: Axis of Mortality offers a unique ability that can be integrated into a variety of deck strategies. It’s particularly useful in decks that manipulate life totals for either a defensive playstyle or an aggressive one aimed at a sudden victory.

Combo Potential: This card opens up possibilities for combos with life-gain, life-loss, and even life-switching mechanics. Its ability to exchange life totals can be combined with cards that have conditions based on life totals to create game-winning moments.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta defined by fluctuating life totals or where life total manipulations play a key role, Axis of Mortality can be a game changer. It allows you to adapt to the ever-shifting landscape of competitive play, keeping opponents on their toes and redefining win conditions mid-game.


How to Beat Axis of Mortality

In the realm of MTG, Axis of Mortality emerges as a unique enchantment that can dramatically swing life totals, potentially leading to unexpected defeats or victories. To counteract this card, one must adapt their strategy. Removal of enchantments becomes crucial, considering cards like Disenchant or Naturalize that can directly target and eliminate Axis of Mortality from the battlefield.

Alternatively, manipulation of life totals to ensure you’re not left vulnerable when Axis of Mortality’s ability triggers is key. Cards that offer life gain or ones that can adjust life totals, like instant spells or creatures with lifelink abilities, can mitigate the impact of the life switch. Decks focusing on aggressive play and a quick win can also outpace the Axis, rendering it less effective. Playing around Axis of Mortality demands not only strategic removal but also careful consideration of the timing, using it when your opponent might least benefit from the life exchange.

Mastery over your MTG matches often comes down to anticipating potent threats like this and having the right answers in your deck. Thus, staying ahead of Axis of Mortality’s life-altering ability can be the difference between an unforeseen demise and a well-earned victory.


BurnMana Recommendations

The MTG battlefield is a canvas for strategic genius, and Axis of Mortality could be your brushstroke of brilliance. With its ability to upend life totals, this card presents a thrilling twist to conventional gameplay. Whether you’re a strategist looking to exploit life total mechanics or a die-hard enthusiast for the element of surprise, this card deserves a slot in your collection. If you’re ready to harness the true potential of Axis of Mortality, elevate your deck-building skills, and add a layer of complexity to your matches, let’s dive deeper. Learn how to master this enchantment’s capabilities and turn the tides of battle in your favor. Join us now, refactor your MTG deck strategy, and become a formidable player.


Cards like Axis of Mortality

Axis of Mortality stands out in MTG as an intriguing life-based strategy enhancer. This unique enchantment shares thematic elements with cards like Reverse the Sands, which also manipulate life totals. While Reverse the Sands allows players to reallocate life among players in a single move, Axis of Mortality provides a recurring swap of life totals at each upkeep, offering strategic depth over multiple turns.

Comparably, we find Soul Conduit with its direct swap effect similar to Axis of Mortality, albeit as a one-time activation which makes it a less flexible option than the recurring nature of Axis of Mortality. Additionally, there is the noteworthy Beacon of Immortality, capable of doubling a player’s life total. Like Axis of Mortality, it can significantly swing the dynamics of a game, yet without the strategic control over multiple lifetimes provided by Axis of Mortality’s consistent trigger.

In essence, while there are several MTG cards affecting life totals, Axis of Mortality offers a distinctive recurring control mechanism, setting a stage for creative and potentially game-ending scenarios turn after turn.

Reverse the Sands - MTG Card versions
Soul Conduit - MTG Card versions
Beacon of Immortality - MTG Card versions
Reverse the Sands - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Soul Conduit - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Beacon of Immortality - Fifth Dawn (5DN)

Cards similar to Axis of Mortality by color, type and mana cost

Aysen Highway - MTG Card versions
The Cheese Stands Alone - MTG Card versions
Transcendence - MTG Card versions
True Conviction - MTG Card versions
Martyr's Bond - MTG Card versions
Leyline Binding - MTG Card versions
Sigarda's Summons - MTG Card versions
Barren Glory - MTG Card versions
Celestial Mantle - MTG Card versions
Exclusion Ritual - MTG Card versions
Fall of the Thran - MTG Card versions
Song of the Worldsoul - MTG Card versions
Nykthos Paragon - MTG Card versions
Sworn to the Legion - MTG Card versions
Battle at the Helvault - MTG Card versions
The Night of the Doctor - MTG Card versions
From the Rubble - MTG Card versions
Aysen Highway - Homelands (HML)
The Cheese Stands Alone - Unglued (UGL)
Transcendence - Torment (TOR)
True Conviction - Starter Commander Decks (SCD)
Martyr's Bond - The List (PLST)
Leyline Binding - Dominaria United Promos (PDMU)
Sigarda's Summons - Innistrad: Double Feature (DBL)
Barren Glory - Future Sight (FUT)
Celestial Mantle - Jumpstart (JMP)
Exclusion Ritual - New Phyrexia (NPH)
Fall of the Thran - The List (PLST)
Song of the Worldsoul - Commander 2019 (C19)
Nykthos Paragon - Modern Horizons 2 Promos (PMH2)
Sworn to the Legion - Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate (HBG)
Battle at the Helvault - Commander Masters (CMM)
The Night of the Doctor - Doctor Who (WHO)
From the Rubble - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Axis of Mortality MTG card by a specific set like Ixalan and Ixalan Promos, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Axis of Mortality and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Axis of Mortality Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-09-29 and 2017-09-29. Illustrated by Bastien L. Deharme.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12017-09-29IxalanXLN 32015normalblackBastien L. Deharme
22017-09-29Ixalan PromosPXLN 3s2015normalblackBastien L. Deharme

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Axis of Mortality has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Axis of Mortality card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2017-09-29 If a player can’t gain life, that player can’t exchange life totals with a player with a higher life total. If a player can’t lose life, that player can’t exchange life totals with a player with a lower life total. In either of these cases, neither player’s life total will change.
2017-09-29 If one of the targeted players is an illegal target when the triggered ability of Axis of Mortality tries to resolve, the exchange won’t happen. Neither player’s life total will change.
2017-09-29 In a Two-Headed Giant game, each player is considered to have the same life total as their team. If the two targeted players are on different teams, those players gain or lose the appropriate amount of life so that the teams end up exchanging life totals. If the two targeted players are teammates, they can’t exchange life totals.
2017-09-29 When the life totals are exchanged, each player gains or loses the amount of life necessary to equal the other player’s previous life total. For example, if player A has 5 life and player B has 3 life before the exchange, player A will lose 2 life and player B will gain 2 life. Replacement effects may modify these gains and losses, and triggered abilities may trigger on them.

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