Axelrod Gunnarson wants a deck that deals one damage at a time, again and again. It also suits a deck that gains life over and over and gets rewarded for it.
Mana cost
Black, Red ()
Power / toughness5 / 5
RarityRare
Trample
Whenever a creature dealt damage by Axelrod Gunnarson this turn dies, you gain 1 life and Axelrod Gunnarson deals 1 damage to target player or planeswalker.
Picked for what they do in Axelrod Gunnarson's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Axelrod Gunnarson's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Open the full glossary
explain how Axelrod Gunnarson works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary
Wizards of the Coast1 Oct 2009
Each time a creature is put into a graveyard from play, check whether Axelrod Gunnarson had dealt any damage to it at any time during that turn. (This includes combat damage.) If so, Axelrod Gunnarson's second ability will trigger. It doesn't matter who controlled the creature or whose graveyard it was put into.
Wizards of the Coast1 Oct 2009
If Axelrod Gunnarson and a creature it dealt damage to are both put into a graveyard at the same time, Axelrod Gunnarson's second ability will trigger.
Wizards of the Coast1 Oct 2009
The player you target with Axelrod Gunnarson's ability doesn't have to be the player that controlled the creature that was put into a graveyard.
Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryBRPlayers write colors as letters: B for black, R for red.PingersPinger decks deal one damage at a time, again and again, to pick off small creatures and wear opponents down. The damage usually comes from creatures you tap to deal 1 damage, or from cards that deal damage whenever something happens.Open the Pingers pageRepeatable DamageDeals damage again and again rather than once. It comes from an activated ability you can use every turn, or a trigger that fires whenever something happens. Walking Ballista, Impact TremorsOpen the Repeatable Damage pageBurnDeals damage directly, to creatures or to players. Because it can hit a player as easily as a creature, the same card can remove a blocker or finish off an opponent. Lightning Bolt, Blasphemous ActOpen the Burn pageDamage RemovalRemoves creatures by dealing damage to them rather than by destroying them outright. This includes fight cards, where your creature deals the damage. Damage only kills a creature if it at least equals its toughness, so it can miss the biggest ones, and it does not kill a creature that cannot be destroyed. Lightning Bolt, Rabid Bite, PyroclasmOpen the Damage Removal pageLifegainLifegain decks gain life over and over and use cards that reward each gain with extra cards, creatures or damage to opponents. Everyone starts at 40 life in Commander, so the extra life also keeps you safe while you set up.Open the Lifegain pageLifegain EngineGains you life again and again, on a trigger that keeps happening, rather than once. You start at 40 life in Commander, so life is something to spend as well as a cushion, and a card like this sets off every card that rewards you for gaining it. Soul Warden, Trostani, Selesnya's VoiceOpen the Lifegain Engine pageLife GainGains you life, once or over and over. Soul Warden, The Great Henge. In Commander life is something to spend, not just a cushion, and many of these cards also set off others that reward gaining life.Open the Life Gain pageDeath TriggerTriggers when a creature dies, whether it is this creature, one of yours or an opponent's. These are the cards that pay you in an Aristocrats deck: something else makes creatures die, and these decide what you get each time. Blood Artist, Solemn SimulacrumOpen the Death Trigger pageAristocratsAristocrats decks sacrifice their own creatures on purpose and profit every time one dies, often by draining life from each opponent. A sacrifice outlet, a card that lets you sacrifice whenever you like, decides when that happens.Open the Aristocrats page
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