Magic Deck Vortex: November 2005 Combos

[ Back ] [ Home ] [ Up ] [ Next ]
November (2005) Featured Combos. Last updated 11-28-05 (30/30 Combos - 13 Deck Links - 6 Infinite Combos) You can discuss this combo page in the forums - check out this thread. Thanks.
Skull of Orm - Lethal Vapors
These two cards work very well together, ensuring your opponent won't be able to get many creatures on the boards without skipping a turn - and even then, you can return the Lethal Vapors to your hand again with the Skull and play it the next time you have mana open. This won't ensure the opponent has no creatures since your opponent can give up his or her next turn during their existing turn to play a bunch of creatures. This is why creature removal is a must with this combo - much like you see in the deck linked to the left.
Possessed Portal - Crucible of Worlds
The possessed portal is a TOUGH card to work with ... especially since during each players turn they either have to discard a card or sacrifice a permanent and neither ever gets to draw a card. Crucible of Worlds gives you a slight advantage since during your turn you can play a land card from your graveyard as if it were in your hand... and during your opponent's turn sacrifice it. Then next turn play it again using the Crucible. This isn't going to make you immune to the Portal but it will give you an edge... which important when using this card.
Pangosaur - Limited Resources
Pangosaur is a great bargain standing 6/6 for only 4 mana. Unfortunately, he is a bad bargain at the same time since all someone has to do it play a land - and it is bounced back to your hand quicker than you can say "Pangosaur". How can you keep players from playing lands? Pardic Miner? No - it's a one shot deal. Solfatara? No - same problem. Territorial Dispute? Too expensive. Why not Limited Resources? It's only one white mana and as long as there are 10 or more lands in play, players can't play lands. To speed up the land drops for you an your opponent you may want to include New Frontiers. Follow that up with limited resources and then Pangosaur.
Haunted Angel - Light of Day
While the deck link to the left is much cooler than just the combo to the right, here's the combo. Haunted Angel is an efficient 3/3 flyer for 2W but when she hits the graveyard your opponent gets a 3/3 black Angel creature token with flying. How do you stop this? Light of Day. Now your opponent's black angel can't attack or block. This works well with Hunted Lammasu from Ravnica too (Light of Day).
Mindslicer - Skulltap
Use Skulltap two draw two cards, but as the additional cost of sacrificing a creature - why not sacrifice the Mindslicer. Everyone loses their hands and you still get to draw two. You will be two cards ahead of everyone else in the game. Don't believe me? Here's a quote from John Carter @ www.wizards.com: Sacrificing the creature is an additional cost. You put the spell on the stack and pay the cost to play the spell. This triggers Mindslicer when it was sacrificed while paying the cost. Then you resolve the ability, and everyone discards his or her hand. Then you resolve the spell and draw two cards.
Brainspoil - Battle of Wits
I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but just in case -- I don't like Battle of Wits decks. Who wants to fumble around with a 200+ deck? Shuffling it has to suck. Well, that and getting your Battle of Wits into play is going to be difficult - considering you have a 2% chance of drawing it in your opening hand or from your library during the course of the game. Well - if you add Brainspoil to you deck (amongst other tutors, of course) you increase your chances of getting it. Just transmute the 'Brainspoil' and grad the Battle of Wits from your deck. While this is more synergy that a combo, I felt it should be added to the combo page. Enjoy shuffling you deck monstrosity!
Fecundity - Tombstone Stairwell
Tombstone Stairwell is a card that forces symmetry - unless you can manage to rid your opponent's graveyard of cards in it - but that's not the point of this combo. You see, at the end of each turn the tokens created by Tombstone Stairwell are 'buried' and thus go into your graveyard. For each one, you get to draw a card from Fecundity. But, Fecundity is also a symmetrical effect - so keep your opponent low of creatures in the graveyard with other spells and effects.
Tortured Existence - Basking Rootwalla or Arrogant Wurm
It's like raise dead on a stick except that the additional cost to play it is to discard a creature card. Why not discard a creature card with Madness. Namely, Basking Rootwalla. Discard card it to return a creature card from your graveyard only to play it for free. Any creature card with Madness works well with this strategy.
Confusion in the Ranks - Viashino Sandscout
"I play Viashino Sandscout and I choose your Darksteel Colossus. We switch. OK. It's end of turn. The Sandscout goes back to my hand. Thanks for the Colossus." This is a phrase you could hear assuming that a player has Confusion in the Ranks in play. Any creature that returns to your hand at end of turn works VERY well with Confusion in the ranks since essentially when you play an artifact, creature or enchantment you choose another permanent of the same time an opponent controls and swap. Bonus! You get a deck link too!
Game Preserve - Portcullis
Game Preserve is great. Well, maybe not, but it's an interesting effect that needs a combo. Try Portcullis. If there are two or more creatures in play, remove any creatures that came into play from the game. If the Portcullis leaves play, return those creatures to play under their owner's control. If you stack things in your favor, you will get a creature before your opponent into play and his will be removed from the game. This assumes there is only one creature in play. I won't bother going into what the Game Preserve does... just click on the card pic to the right.
Egg Artifacts from Odyssey - Disciple of the Vault
Now this is no Disciple-Arcbound Ravager combo.... not at all. However, this is a fun way to use him and not get degenerate. The eggs, if in a deck full of them, generate an engine that can go as long as you have mana and as long as you can keep drawing eggs. With the disciple in play, cast a few eggs (you should have a few in your hand if the deck has many of them). Let's say you cast four of them in one turn. Then next turn, use the mana one of theme would give you to activate all of the other eggs (as each one gives you two mana and a card). You will find that the eggs allow you to blaze through your deck rather quickly... and each one will have to go to the graveyard at some point... thus activating the Disciple. Over the course of several turns (or one if you are lucky and have lots of mana) you can kill your opponent. Not quite a 'combo' but the synergy is amazing.
Did you know...?
To the right and left of this text is something called the MDV Deck Link. You will only find these link buttons on the combo pages. When you click on a MDV Deck Link it will take you to a deck related to the combo where you found it. If the button is to the left of the combo text, this means there is a deck already linked. If the link is to the right, there is a deck found or that is going to be posted. Or it is a combo I am currently looking for a deck using it. Mind you, not all decks links are going to center around that particular combo, although some do. Remember, I strongly encourage you to not copy any deck on MDV, but to use it as a reference or inspiration for your own. Enjoy the combo pages! ~John Streetz~
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker - Breath of Fury
Breath of Fury is an interesting variation of Relentless Assault (which I believe was the first card of its kind to grant additional combat phases in the same turn). Anyway, the key to winning with the Aura is having Kiki-Jiki and another creature with haste in play. Here's how it works. Tap Kiki-Jiki and copy your haste creature (making a token creature). Next turn, do the same thing. Attach the Breath of Fury to one of your token creatures and attack, making sure the creature with the aura on it can't be blocked. If it is blocked and doesn't have trample, you won't get infinite attack phases. Anyway, if you do deal damage to a player with your attack, sacrifice the token and put it on the other token creature. Untap all of your creatures, including Kiki-Jiki, and repeat. You will keep attacking as many times as it is necessary to kill your opponent (or opponents). Have fun with this one!
Coalhauler Swine - Pariah's Shield - Blessing of Leeches
Infinite damage loop! YEAH! ... Enchant the Swine with Blessing of Leeches and attack the shield to it as well. Now, either tap a pain land or Shock your swine (or let your opponent deal damage to you). What happens? The damage that would be dealt to you is now dealt to the Swine who in turn deals that much damage to each player. However, that damage is not dealt to you because of the shield - it's dealt to the swine - repeating the chaos loop of crazy damage. Blessing of leeches allows you to regenerate the Swine as many times as it is necessary to kill your opponent. If you need to end the loop just un-attach the shield. Fun stuff - and I even have a deck list from JSweeney for you!
Cephalid Broker - Telekinetic Bonds - Lotus Vale
Here's a nice infinite mill combo for you! I'll break it down into steps: Step 1: Activate Cephalid Broker on opponent. Step 2: Tap Lotus Vale for 3 blue mana. (Three mana floating) Step 3: Untap Vale with Telekinetic Bonds. (One blue mana floating) Step 4: Tap Lotus Vale for 3 blue mana. (Four mana floating) Step 5: Untap Broker with Bonds. (Two mana floating) Step 6: Activate Broker, untap Vale. Repeat. Have fun with this one. I know I will. grin
Mesmeric Orb - Reito Lantern - Time Warp
This infinite turn combo was submitted by Neuromancer and for the record, he highly recommends using Aphetto Alchemist to help speed things along. This combo is much like a digger/browse combo from long ago. Use mesmeric orb to put all of your library into your graveyard and then during your upkeep use the reito lantern to put a card from your graveyard back in your library... except that you didn't have any cards in your library.. so that card you put at the bottom of your library is really the top card of your library too! Thus, if you choose time warp every turn, you can accomplish infinite turns. Not bad. Note: There will be a deck posted for this combo in the next DDB update.
Corpse Dance - Composite Golem - Tendrils of Agony or Brain Freeze
This infinite damage or milling combo was submitted by Horst Bünger. Here's how it works. With Composite Golem in play, sacrifice it to add WUGRB to your mana pool. After that, cast Corpse Dance with a kicker (4B total) and reanimate the golem. Now you have Corpse Dance in hand and the Golem on the table. Back right where you started... Repeat this infinite times. You won't net any infinite mana, but with a Tendrils of Agony you can deal infinite damage and gain infinite life (thanks to storm). Or, with Brain Freeze, you can mill infinite cards from your opponent's library (also thanks to storm). Note: Memory Crystals will turn this into an infinite mana combo.
Auriok Salvagers - Black Lotus or Lion's Eye Diamond
This infinite mana combo was submitted to MDV - although I don't have the email anymore so I do not recall the submitter's name. Anyway, this is a great combo since you know everyone owns a Black Lotus. With both cards in play, sacrifice the Lotus and add 3 colored mana to your mana pool (all white). Then, use the salvager's ability for 1W (leaving W) to return the lotus to your hand. Play the lotus for zero mana (that's right - no mana - no wonder this card is broken) and repeat for infinite white mana. It doesn't have to be all white mana as you can alternate between white and another color provided by the lotus. Excuse me while I try to find my Black Lotus that I don't actually own. Note: You could replace Lotus with Lion's Eye Diamond.
Pentavus - Doubling Season
This combo was submitted by Gene. With Doubling Season you can double the number of tokens and/or counters that are generated by a card. So. Assuming you cast Pentavus for 7 after you've played the Season, it now comes into play with 10 counters on it. When you pay 1 and remove a counter from it, instead of generating one 1/1 Pentavite artifact creatures with flying, it generates two! And, when you sacrifice a Pentavite in play and pay 1, instead of putting just one +1/+1 token back on the Pentavus ... put two. I was going to suggest adding Ashnod's Altar to the mix to make infinite creatures, but that doesn't do it - if only you didn't need to pay 1 to add or remove counters from the Pentavus.
Words of Wilding - Sylvan Library
This combo was submitted by Neuromancer. Three 2/2 bear tokens for 3 mana every turn and no draw isn't a bad thing at all. Even Two 2/2 bear tokens for 2 mana every turn and one card is good. You see, Sylvan Library lets you draw two extra cards. If you choose to keep those cards you have to pay 4 life for each. However, if a replacement effect turns that drawing a card into something else, you don't have to pay 4 life. Enter words of wilding (or any other words enchantment for that matter). Note: There will be a deck posted for this combo in the next DDB update.
Tranquil Thicket (Cycling Lands) - Life from the Loam
This combo was submitted by Capo Divento. Again, this another instance of synergy, but it is good synergy that deserves a spotlight on MDV's combo page. The cycling lands are great - pay 1 or 2 mana (depending on which set they are from) to discard it from your hand and draw a card. Why not keep cycling them by using Life from the Loam to put them back into your hand? It's efficient. It helps to think your deck. It's elegant. (I can't believe I just used that word on Magic Deck Vortex!). I'm done.
Your Combo Here!
You can discuss this combo page in the forums - check out this thread. You could have your combo featured in this spot right here (not literally, but on a future combo page). Email the webmaster with any combos you'd like to submit. Try to make sure your combo works and that there isn't already that combo on any other MDV combo page. You can always Search Magic Deck Vortex with the new search tool to make sure before submitting it. I greatly appreciate your efforts to make these combo pages better. Every once in a while I have a page chock-full of your submitted combos... although I will admit about 75% of all submitted combos are duplicates.
Auratouched Mage - Flickerform - Galvanic Arc
This combo was submitted by so many people that I felt mandated to post it - thanks to everyone who submitted this one. Let's pretend for a minute that all of these cards only cost one mana to play and/or to activate. Play Auratouched Mage and search for either Flickerform. That aura comes into play attached to the mage. Now, 'flicker' the mage. All auras attached to it are removed from the game and then at the end of turn come back into play (all aura attached to the mage still.) This triggers all comes into play effects so search for an aura again, only this time the Galvanic Arc. Repeat the 'flickering' until you have lots of Galvanic Arcs on the mage - so that each time he flickers in the arcs deals 'three times the number of arcs on him' damage to an opponent (or a creature). Now, let's 'unpretend' these spells all cost one mana to play and activate. This is an expensive combo. It is still fun. If you make a deck using this combo and it works well, please post it in the casual deck forum.
Defense of the Heart - Forbidden Orchard
This combo was submitted by Loot Waffle. Defense of the Heart is a nice card, but it not nearly as good (in my opinion) as Pattern of Life. But I digress. Defense of the Heart is like Tooth and Nail except that it only triggers during your upkeep when an opponent has three or more creatures. If you want an easy way to make sure your opponent has 3 or more creatures try Forbidden Orchard. Every time you tap it for mana it gives an opponent a 1/1 spirit - nothing too harmful. These tokens will help you trigger the Defense of the Hart card faster and with more control.
Uba Mask - Wheel and Deal
This combo was submitted by Michael Leek. Almost like a Mind Twist for 3U. With Uba Mask in play, cast Wheel and Deal. Your opponent(s) will discard his or her hand and then draw seven cards... and then of course you draw a card. BUT! Uba Mask provides a replacement effect which means any card drawn is instead removed from the game and can only be played the same turn it was drawn. So... this means unless your opponent will be able to cast all seven cards that turn.. they are gone forever. It's like a Mind Twist and a mill for seven, except the milled cards are removed from the game. Cool stuff. If only we could make a deck with Uba Mask that doesn't hinder you as much as it hinders your opponent(s).
Jolrael, Empress of Beasts - Flame Wave
This combo was submitted by Silver Dragon. Mind you that you could replace Jolrael with any number of other cards that turn your opponents lands into creatures. But. Back to this combo. Discard two cards and pay 2G to turn all of target opponent's lands into 3/3 creatures. Then follow that up with a flame wave. Any creature (or land for that matter) that your creature had in play with less than 5 toughness is destroyed and it deals 4 damage to the head too. Not bad for a one sided Armageddon (and maybe even wrath of god) for only 5GRRRR and two cards. Recommendation: Replace Jolrael with Natural Affinity. It's still expensive but effective.
Elven Warhounds - Lure or Shinen of Life's Roar
This combo was submitted by Ry. Elven Warhounds is one of those cool green creatures that's just too expensive. I would have much rather seen him as a 1/2 for 2G or 1/1 for GG. However, if you want to look beyond the high casting costs team the Warhounds up with Lure or Shinen of Life's Roar (which essential perform the same task). Now, all creatures that blocked the Warhounds (which in a normal situation should be all of them) are put on top of their owner's libraries.
Ashes of the Fallen - Patriarch's Bidding
This combo was submitted by Kevin Shanahan. Oooh... another Ashes of the Fallen combo. If you don't feel like making a tribal deck but still want to make the most of your Patriarch Bidding cards, don't worry. Mix and match all of the creature types you want, just make sure you play Ashes of the Fallen and announce something silly like Beebles. Now, when you cast the bidding and announce Beebles, all creatures in your graveyard are returned to play even though they really aren't all Beebles.
Academy Researchers - Mythic Proportions
This combo was submitted by Mank808. I'm surprised I didn't post this sooner. The researchers are VERY cool especially with big aura (enchant creatures) and cards like Enchantment Alteration. If you cast the researchers while you have Mythic Proportions in your hand, when the wizards come into play put the aura on them. Now you have a 10/10 trampling wizard. Scary though, eh? For your opponent!
Death Pit Offering - Golgari Germination
This combo was submitted by Matt Smith. Make sure you have the Germination enchantment in play first (along with a few other nontoken creatures). Then play Death Pit Offering. All of your creatures in play are put into your graveyard (via sacrificing them) and now creatures you control get +2/+2. Thanks to the Ravnica enchantment you get a 1/1 green Saproling creature token for each nontoken creature that went the graveyard, except that with the Death Pit Offering now on your side they are all 3/3. It's an efficient use of the Death Pit Offering so that all of your creatures you have to sacrifice aren't sacrificed in vein.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions regarding this, please post your comments in the forum thread found here. Thanks for visiting Magic Deck Vortex - what the casual player's use!