Complete stupidity when Hardened Scales and Sage of Hours are out together.
The combo mainly involves the three cards Hardened Scales, Sage of Hours, and Solidarity of Heroes.
The combo works because Hardened Scales is unbelievably compatible with Heroic abilities that add counters. Play an instant that add counters to a creature and BOOM. The creature's Heroic ability goes on the stack, followed by Hardened Scales, and then the instant resolves which triggers Hardened Scales a second time! So, let's put Sage of Hours in as our Heroic creature and Solidarity of Heroes in as our instant that put counters on. Fully explained, this is how it's done:
Play both Hardened Scales and Sage
Target Sage with Solidarity of Heroes
Sage's heroic triggers (total counters=1)
Hardened Scales triggers (total counters=2)
Instant resolves (total counters=4)
Hardened Scales triggers (total counters=5)
Activate Sage's ability
Now this combo can be pulled off as early as turn 3 in a standard game with Khans of Tarkir just coming out. This combo is easily compatible with any green mana ramp deck and a lot of new blue/green creature decks.
Casting Howl of the Horde makes the combo even more insanely stupid. After swinging with any creature you can cast Howl, it's Raid ability will trigger and then you can cast Solidarity of Heroes which will be copied twice for a grand total of doubling Sage's counters three times.It'll go a little something like this:
- Play both Hardened Scales and Sage
- Swing with a creature
- Go to second main phase
- Cast Howl of the Horde
- Cast and target Sage w/ Solidarity of Heroes
- Howl of the Horde triggers
- Howl of the Horde's Raid ability triggers
- Solidarity of Heroes is copied twice
- Sage's heroic triggers (total counters=1)
- Hardened Scales triggers (total counters=2)
- 1st instant resolves (total counters=4)
- Hardened Scales triggers (total counters=5)
- Target Sage w/ Solidarity of Heroes#2
- Instant resolves (total counters=10)
- Hardened Scales triggers (total counters=11)
- Target Sage w/ Solidarity of Heroes#3
- Instant resolves (total counters=22)
- Hardened Scales triggers (total counters=23)
- Activate Sage's ability
- Enjoy your next 4 turns or you can keep your 24/24 creep until needed!
I tried to build a deck that can support the combo and still be good to run without it. Any and all help is appreciated, thanks!
