Best Commander Combos In Magic The Gathering

When it comes to winning an EDH game, there are an endless amount of possibilities. It’s possible to deal 21 points of general damage to one target at a time. Alternatively, using a Grafted Exoskeleton or Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon could infect and kill an opponent.

You could use Haze of Rage 5 or 6 times every round and kill everyone out with Krenko, Mob Boss tokens. What about a Narset deck with Storm Herd and Jeskai Ascendancy? The list goes on and on indefinitely.

So, while we can all agree that there are millions of ways to do it, today’s post focuses on the most effective approach to win an EDH game: beating all of your opponents at the same time. The most frequent and effective approach to declare victory in cEDH is to win the game right then and there.

In an ideal world, you’d win by using an alternate victory condition or an indefinite loop. This increases the likelihood of a victory as a consequence. While it’s entertaining to pick off your opponents one by one, it’s not the most effective method to win in EDH.

After all, you don’t want one of your opponents to stage a comeback of spectacular proportions. Not to mention the bragging rights for removing an entire table five times.

Fortunately, just because you’re attempting the triple fatality doesn’t mean it has to be tedious. Here are my top eight favorite ways to end an EDH table. Enablers are frequently the most important cards for victory. Thus leaving them off this list would be a disservice. Nobody in the Legacy Omni-show deck considers Release the Ants to be the MVP. Finally, without further ado…

Basalt Monolith and Rings of Brighthearth

This is a tried-and-true unlimited mana combo that has been around for the better part of the Commander’s career. It’s now much more accessible and cheap for everybody, thanks to Commander Legends containing a reprint of Rings of Brighthearth at rare.

You’ll also need two mana of any color in addition to these parts to pull off this combination. The combination goes like this: spend three mana to tap Basalt Monolith, trigger its untap ability, then pay two more mana to replicate the untap ability with Rings of Brighthearth.

This adds a second untap ability to the stack, this time with Basalt Monolith as the target. Tap the Monolith for three mana once the copied ability resolves, then let the second untap ability resolve. You’ve returned to the beginning of the loop with the addition of three colorless mana. This technique may be repeated until you have as much mana as your heart desires.

You may utilize the mana to win with a huge card like Jaya’s Immolating Inferno or Blue Sun’s Zenith, or you can use Codex Shredder if you want to keep it colorless. The concept is the same as the original combo: tap your Codex Shredder to mill an opponent once you have unlimited mana.

Activate Basalt Monolith’s ability, then replicate it with Rings of Brighthearth; the difference this time is that you use the copied ability to untap the Codex Shredder. You may continue this technique to mill your opponents totally!

Blue has the most effective tutors for this combination: Fabricate or Whir of Invention and Trophy Mage can hunt for either component.

Avenging Huntbonder and Player Killers

There are a few animals that are inexpensive and grow to a large, fat size rapidly. Take, for example, Mortivore. Mortivore is likely a 10/10 by turn five or six in any regular multiplayer game with a load of Wrath of God (as one kind of mass removal) and self-milling and targeted removal.

In 20-life formats, where a single Mortivore hit can kill, they are regarded as player killers, but in Commander, where you have twice the starting life, an 11/11 Mortivore is merely irritating. But what happens if it gains a double strike counter, allowing it to punch twice every combat?

It can now kill in a single attack step by crushing individuals twice for a huge amount of damage. With a double strike, they reclaim their reputation. Unlike an aura or equipment, the counter cannot be addressed; thus, your only option is to pursue the creature. (This is one of Mortivore’s excellent qualities since it will be protected by regeneration.) Serra Avatar and Lord of Extinction are two more PKs who might benefit from a double strike counter.

Palladium Myr and 2x Myr Galvanizer

Because all of the cards in this combination are colorless, they may be used in any deck; however, because you’ll need two copies of Myr Galvanizer, it won’t work in singleton formats like EDH (unless you can clone token copies). Fortunately, the spells aren’t too costly, requiring only three mana apiece.

Palladium taps for two, and each Galvanizer can tap to untap each other myr you control. When you combine them, you have an endless cycle of taps and refreshes that gives you limitless mana. Remember that these materials are colorless, which limits the spells you may use them for.

Dramatic Reversal and Isochron Scepter

The classic combination Dramatic Scepter is a win condition in many Commander strategies. Dramatic Reversal is cast using Isochron Scepter, a strong engine that powers numerous combinations.

Each of your non-land permanents is untapped by Dramatic Reversal. With enough mana pebbles on the battlefield to recast Dramatic Reversal and still have mana left over, this leads to unlimited mana.

Felidar Guardian and Restoration Angel

This two-card combination is as straightforward as it gets: one monster flickers the other, leading in an endless number of enter-the-battlefield triggers. This interaction may not appear to be especially effective at first glance, yet its adaptability and versatility are unparalleled.

These may be used in conjunction with an Altar of the Brood to mill your opponents, an Impact Tremors to deal endless damage, or a Soul Warden to grant unlimited health. If you want to make things even more complicated, throw in a Panharmonicon: Restoration Angel may flicker another creature at the same time, and Felidar Guardian can flicker a land in addition to the Angel, giving you unlimited mana.

While there aren’t many inexpensive instructors in white alone for this combination, there are many in green. Shared Summons is arguably the greatest option because it can summon both creatures, but Eldritch Evolution and Eladamri’s Call are also viable options. The main strength of this deck is that both components are strong and impactful on their own; these cards may be quite useful in your game plan, especially if you have a lot of enter-the-battlefield triggers.

Herald of the Forgotten and Cycling Lands

Herald of the Forgotten is a wonderful method to get some early cycled permanents back into play. You might think that animals like the Krosan Tusker and comparable powerhouses are entertaining! Sure, go ahead.

However, experts believe that lands are the most dependable means of abusing them. A few-cycle lands like Ash Barrens may be found in most contemporary Commander strategies. We have a lot of cycling love, including one-mana cyclers and two-mana creators like Sheltered Thicket, that you may lean into as well.

We have a large enough group of cyclists that we should seriously consider cycling lands for the Herald! Even a mono-white deck contains three white and two colorless cyclers (and needs the card flow they offer).

Riku of Two Reflections and Palinchron

This approach necessitates three colors, and each of its components demands a significant amount of mana, yet you’re only after two pieces. And, because Riku is legendary, you could utilize him as your commander in EDH, avoiding the need to track him down.

In either case, field Riku then plays Palinchron and clones him using Riku’s two-cost ability. Palinchron’s entrance replenishes your mana by untaping up to seven lands. Riku can only clone non-token creatures, so return him to your hand using Palinchron’s four-cost ability.

You spend six mana and earn seven each time you run this procedure, giving you an endless supply of both mana and Palinchron tokens. They don’t have haste, but they’ll be ready to ransack enemy life points on your next turn.

Deadeye Navigator and Peregrine Drake

It takes a lot of mana to get started with this combo, but it’s well worth it. You’ll need Peregrine Drake on the battlefield first. You can untap five lands when Peregrine Drake enters the battlefield. After that, use Deadeye Navigator. Its Soulbond ability will tie the two cards together. Then you may blink Peregrine Drake for two mana. Per activation, this combination gives you three mana.

Naru Meha, Master Wizard, and Ghostly Flicker

Ghostly Flicker has never been cast just for the sake of being useful in Commander, and that won’t change here. It joins forces with Naru Meha, Master Wizard, to produce a powerful and versatile combination that works best in wizard tribal decks, but can be used in any blue deck.

Cast Ghostly Flicker and hold priority to begin the combination, then Naru Meha. She’ll enter the battlefield and duplicate Ghostly Flicker, which will target her and any other permanent, triggering her enters-the-battlefield ability once again, restarting the process. Infinite flickers and creatures departing and entering the battlefield result as a result of this.

With this combination, there are nearly infinite ways to win. If you flicker a land with the Master Wizard, you’ll create unlimited mana and deal infinite damage to your opponents if the land is a Sunscorched Desert. If you have Sage’s Row Denizen on board, your opponents’ libraries will be destroyed immediately.

There are a few tutoring alternatives for this: Ghostly Flicker may be obtained through Drift of Phantasms, while Naru Meha can be obtained through Vedalken Aethermage. If you’re in Dimir, you can tutor up either piece with Mystical Teachings or other transmutation cards like Dimir House Guard or Perplex.

You could also play Naru Meha as your commander; this not only provides you continual access to one part of the combination, but it also allows you to play cards like Displace or Illusionist’s Stratagem as redundant copies of Ghostly Flicker!

Umbral Mantle and Karametra’s Acolyte

The mantle is a powerful equipment spell that connects to a creature for three mana. You can then spend three and untap the unit to grant it +2/+2 for the rest of the round. Then you only need a creature that can tap for at least four mana (three won’t give you unlimited resources, but it will give you infinite stats for the turn).

Karametra’s Acolyte is an excellent pick for mono-green decks since she taps for mana equal to your dedication (the number of green symbols in the prices of your permanents). “Gyre Sage” and “Marwyn, the Nurturer” are other viable options. You’ll have endless mana and an impossibly strong creature—one trample-infused or unblockable assault will end it all.

Basalt Monolith and Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy

Basalt Monolith is the focal point of a slew of simple infinite-mana combinations. The easiest is when Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy, is used. Kinnan is a commander who specializes in decks that cast big spells quickly with mana dorks and rocks.

Kinnan and Basalt Monolith are the first two cards in this basic two-card combination. A Monolith of Basalt may be tapped. Kinnan will increase the amount of mana it produces by one. Use three of your four mana to untap Basalt Monolith. Rep for an unlimited supply of colorless mana.

Birgi, God of Storytelling and Grinning Ignus

Since her release in Kaldheim, Birgi, God of Storytelling, has been making ripples throughout Magic, and it’s simple to understand why. As mentioned earlier, she is one of the most potent solo mana engines ever printed in my essay on Commander mana bases. It didn’t take long for players to figure out that there are numerous methods to go infinite with her, the most popular of which is with Grinning Ignus.

You’ll get one red mana if you cast Grinning Ignus while Birgi is gone. Using that mana to trigger Grinning Ignus’ ability will return you to the beginning of the loop with enough mana to recast Grinning Ignus. You can do this as many times as you like, resulting in an infinite number of creatures entering and exiting the battlefield, as well as an arbitrarily huge storm count.

The most straightforward method to win with this combo is to repeat it until a Grapeshot is fatal to all of your opponents. Like Brain Freeze, Temporal Fissure, or Mind’s Desire, other storm payoffs will also work if you have the necessary mana. If you want, Bontu’s Monument can be used as a non-storm victory condition, or you can stick to red with Warstorm Surge.

There aren’t many flexible tutors for this combo, but if Birgi is your Commander, Grinning Ignus becomes a one-card combo; having one-half of your victory condition in the Command Zone is a huge consistency gain that shouldn’t be underestimated. If you prefer, you may use Flamekin Harbinger to get Grinning Ignus, or you can use Drift of Phantasms to get either monster if you’re in Izzet colors.