Overview

20 Ways to Win is a deck of "you win the game" cards. Go-Shintai of Life's Origin is a legendary enchantment creature that makes a 1/1 colourless Shrine enchantment creature token whenever it or another nontoken Shrine you control enters. For {W}{U}{B}{R}{G} and a tap, it returns target enchantment card from your graveyard to the battlefield, which is exactly what a deck with 18 enchantments wants.

The 99 cards are 25 creatures, 1 planeswalker, 6 artifacts, 18 enchantments, 5 instants, 7 sorceries and 37 lands. More than a dozen of them can win the game by themselves, such as Felidar Sovereign, Hellkite Tyrant, Test of Endurance, Helix Pinnacle and Revel in Riches. The rest of the deck gains life, makes tokens and protects the plan, and the mana base leans heavily on Gates and dual lands.

Key Cards

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Felidar Sovereign
Life Total Win · Lifelink
A 4/6 for {4}{W}{W}. It has vigilance and lifelink, so it gains life every time it connects, and at the beginning of your upkeep, if you have 40 or more life, you win the game. Heliod, Sun-Crowned and the deck's other lifegain cards help you get there.
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Mayael's Aria
Power Win · Counters
An enchantment for {R}{G}{W}. At the beginning of your upkeep, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control if you control a creature with power 5 or greater. Then you gain 10 life if you control a creature with power 10 or greater, and you win the game if you control a creature with power 20 or greater.
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Halo Fountain
Token Maker · Untap Win
An artifact for {2}{W}. It makes a 1/1 Citizen token for {W} and a tap while untapping a tapped creature you control, draws a card for {W}{W} while untapping two, and wins the game for {W}{W}{W}{W}{W} and a tap while untapping fifteen tapped creatures you control.
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Approach of the Second Sun
Seven-Mana Win · Library Trick
A sorcery for {6}{W}. If you cast it from your hand and you have already cast another spell named Approach of the Second Sun this game, you win the game. Otherwise it goes seventh from the top of your library and you gain 7 life, so you cast it, draw it again and cast it a second time.

Playing the Deck

The early game is about mana and a first enchantment. Sol Ring, Arcane Signet and Chromatic Lantern help a five-colour mana base, Circuitous Route fetches basic lands and Gates, and the Guildgates and other dual lands make up most of the rest of the mana. Sanctum Weaver taps for as much mana as you have enchantments, and Fertile Ground and Trace of Abundance ramp from the land itself. Ghostly Prison keeps opponents from attacking you freely while you set up.

The middle of the game is about picking the win condition your hand can reach. Biovisionary wins at the beginning of the end step if you control four or more creatures named Biovisionary, and a kicked Rite of Replication makes five token copies of it. Twenty-Toed Toad wants twenty counters on it or twenty cards in your hand, and Triskaidekaphile wants exactly thirteen cards in hand. Monologue Tax makes the Treasures that Revel in Riches wants, and Hellkite Tyrant wants twenty artifacts. Heliod, Sun-Crowned turns each life gain into a counter on a creature or enchantment and can give another creature lifelink, which feeds Felidar Sovereign and Test of Endurance.

The late game is about sweeping the board and finishing. Supreme Verdict, Austere Command and Tragic Arrogance clear the table, The Eternal Wanderer can temporarily exile a threat or make a Samurai token, and Go-Shintai of Life's Origin returns your best enchantment, such as a win condition that was destroyed. Sphinx's Revelation gains life and draws cards at once, which pushes towards the life total wins.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths: The deck has many ways to win, so an opponent cannot stop it by answering one card. It also has real protection: Ghostly Prison, Clever Concealment (which phases out your nonland permanents), the sweepers and Shalai, Voice of Plenty (which gives you, your planeswalkers and your other creatures hexproof) help it survive until a win condition lands.

Weaknesses: Many of the win conditions are slow, such as the twenty-counter and hundred-counter effects, and they usually need a few turns and protection to work. A fast opponent can win first, and many of the win conditions are enchantments that an opponent can destroy, though Go-Shintai can bring one back.

Verdict
20 Ways to Win is a quirky puzzle deck that suits players who enjoy winning in ways the rest of the table does not expect. It rewards careful play and a good read of which win condition is nearest, and it collects a lot of rarely played alternate win conditions in one box.

Want to see what a fully optimised Go-Shintai of Life's Origin build looks like? Try the Oracle.

✦ Build with The Oracle

Frequently Asked Questions

What cards are in the 20 Ways to Win decklist?
The 20 Ways to Win precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by Go-Shintai of Life's Origin. The full 20 Ways to Win decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.

When was 20 Ways to Win released?
20 Ways to Win was released on December 2, 2024 as part of Secret Lair Commander Decks.

Who is the commander of 20 Ways to Win?
20 Ways to Win is led by Go-Shintai of Life's Origin, a Five-colour (W/U/B/R/G) legendary enchantment creature.

How many creatures are in 20 Ways to Win?
The 99 cards besides Go-Shintai of Life's Origin include 25 creatures.

How many lands does 20 Ways to Win have?
20 Ways to Win has 37 lands in the 99 cards besides Go-Shintai of Life's Origin, including basic lands.

Full Decklist

All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box 20 Ways to Win precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.

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