Azula's Crimson Verdict

A Rakdos lifedrain midrange deck that uses cheap lifelink and drain creatures to stabilize and pressure, then wins with the infinite combo of Enduring Tenacity and Bloodthirsty Conqueror.

Enduring Tenacity turns every point of life you gain into opponent life loss, so Vampire Nighthawk's lifelink and Vault Plunderer's enter-the-battlefield drain become double-duty threats. Bloodthirsty Conqueror converts any opponent life loss into life gain for you, which immediately retriggers Enduring Tenacity. With both on board, a single life gain trigger (even one point) starts an infinite loop that drains the opponent out. Duress clears the way for the combo by stripping counterspells or removal, while Nowhere to Run and Long Goodbye eliminate blockers and threats.

Keep hands with 2–4 lands, at least two early plays (cheap creatures or removal), and a clear plan. Keep any hand containing Enduring Tenacity plus a lifelink or drain creature. Ship hands with only one land, no early interaction, or too many expensive cards (4+ mana). On the draw, you can keep a slightly slower hand if it has Duress to disrupt the opponent.

Early: deploy cheap threats like Vault Plunderer and Vampire Spawn to drain and trigger Enduring Tenacity, using Burst Lightning, Lightning Strike, and Nowhere to Run to clear blockers. Mid: resolve Enduring Tenacity and attack with Vampire Nighthawk to swing life totals, while holding Duress to protect your combo pieces. Late: drop Bloodthirsty Conqueror to close the loop and win on the spot, or use Rooftop Assassin as an evasive finisher if the combo isn't assembled.

Fast aggro can outrace this deck before the combo comes online, so prioritize early removal and lifelink blockers. Board wipes like Sunfall punish over-committing to the board. Enchantment removal stops Enduring Tenacity, and graveyard hate disrupts its return. The combo is inconsistent with only two copies of each piece, so the deck must often win through incremental drain and combat damage.