In case you haven’t realised it, Bloodchief Ascension is the latest crazy-good card in Zendikar.

Here are the stats:

Bloodchief Ascension
B
Enchantment
At the beginning of each players end step, if an opponent lost 2 or more life this turn, you may put a quest counter on Bloodchief Ascension.
Whenever a card is put into an opponents graveyard from anywhere, if Bloodchief Ascension has three or more ascension counters on it, you may have that player lose 2 life. If you do, you gain 2 life.

Achieving ascension here is virtually the equivalent of winning the game. And it is very, very easy to achieve.

Here’s what I think will be a typical game in Zendikar.

Y-T1: Swamp, Bloodchief Ascension
O-T1: Forest, Birds of Paradise
Y-T2: Dragonskull Summit, pass.
o-T2: Sac Land, Lotus Cobra, crack Sac land. You Lightning Bolt opponent and Disfigure the Cobra. Fetch island, pass turn. 1 Counter. Opponent at 16.
Y-T3: Dragonskull Summit, pass.
o-T3: Forest, Some large creature. In response you Hideous End. Opponent at 14, 2 counters.
Y-T4: Mountain, Lightning Bolt the face. Pass turn. 3 counters, 11 life.
O-T4: Sac land, Lotus Cobra, crack Sac land… you Archive Trap. Opponent takes 26 life, you gain 26 life. GG.

And that’s just a random guess at the options. What about…

Y-T1: Swamp, Vampire Lacerator
0-T1: Sac Land, pass.
Y-T2: Dragonskull Summit, Bloodchief Ascension, attack for 2. 1 Counter. Pass. Opponent cracks Sac land for Forest. Opponent at 17
O-T2: Sac Land, pass. You lightning bolt to the dome. 2 counters. Opponent at 14.
Y-T3: Dragonskull Summit. Attack with Vampire Lacerator. Pass. 3 Counters.
O-T3: Opponent sacs land, takes 3 damage (1 from land, 2 from Bloodchief Ascension…), you gain two life, they play some big stupid dork.
O-T4: Dragonskull Summit. Blightning, Lightning Bolt.

GG indeed.

And that’s just scratching the surface. What about Duress? Thoughtseize? Burning Inquiry, of all things. Mind Shatter. In-sane.