Combo-Control Prime Speaker Zegana.
Rough speed outline to combo out [goldfishing]: 4-6 Turns [5 is average].
The "Oops I Win" combo. End step Mystical Tutor for Tooth and Nail. Cast Tooth and Nail for Palinchron, Deadeye Navigator. Generate infinite mana (Soulbind, flicker for 2, Palinchron ETBs untap 7, net positive of 5, re-soulbind and repeat). Cast Prime Speaker Zegana, flicker Deadeye, soulbind to Zegana, flicker her to draw as many cards as you choose. Destroy the board with
Brutalizer Exarch
and/or Venser, Shaper Savant. This is a 1-2 card [tutorable] combo.
Green Sun's Zenith
, Worldly Tutor,
Brutalizer Exarch
, Chord of Calling, and Summoner's Pact nearly always target Prophet of Kruphix first. Playing Prophet, untapping, playing Zegana to draw three, cloning to draw four, etc. etc. is a good way to build up momentum. If Prophet is already in-play [or unavailable] all of the creature tutors can easily search for/begin the Fierce Empath chain to victory [see #3].
Fierce Empath will usually fetch Deadeye Navigator. Navigator flickers Fierce Empath, fetching Palinchron. Cast Palinchron for infinite mana [see #1]. Excellent play with a Prophet of Kruphix.
Infinite Mana #2: Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger and Palinchron (Palinchron untaps 7, Vorinclex makes 7 lands tap for 14, Palinchron self-bounce/recast loop costs only 11, net positive of 3). Adds durability in case of Deadeye being exiled to Praetor's Grasp, Bitter Ordeal, Swords to Plowshares] etc. Vorinclex also has excellent synergy with Zegana [drawing 8] and Prophet of Kruphix [setting up for an explosive turn].
Infinite Mana #3: Phantasmal Image with Palinchron on the field also generates infinite mana [2 CMC to cast Image, untapping seven, four mana to bounce it back to the hand with Palinchron's activated ability. Net positive of 1. Loop for mana.] Great with Chord of Calling, as Phantasmal Image has only 2 cmc.
Infinite Turns: Eternal Witness+Progenitor Mimic or Deadeye Navigator with a Time Warp or Time Stretch in the yard/hand. Looped turns can also be accomplished with Eternal Witness+Any of the bounce/clone spells and a time warp/stretch. Regrowth and Noxious Revival also can help to get the engine started.
All clone effects double as powerful draw/ 'reload' spells with Zegana [Clone Zegana, allow copy to die, draw trigger uses last known value.] Because of the subtheme on mana Elves and creatures that fetch a land when they enter the battlefield, the clones can also be used to ramp.
Regrowth/Noxious Revival offer durability and flexibility. The combination of these [targeting each other] makes the deck mill-proof, which is important if I've locked the game, but someone has completed an infinite/arbitrary amount of life combo [this loop allows me to declare as many combat steps as necessary, since players cannot choose 'infinite' for a life total]. Similarly, all graveyard recursion synergizes with extra turns and helps fight against disruption. As an additional niche case, Noxious Revival can also stimy reanimator combos for zero mana [VERY funny against 5C Hermit Druid decks.]
'Weaknesses' of the deck include metas with heavy spot removal [e.g. Terminate, Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Reality Shift.], library or hand disruption [e.g. Thoughtseize, Bitter Ordeal, Praetor's Grasp ] and permanents such as Ob Nixilis, Unshackled
Rule of Law
/
Curse of Exhaustion
/Arcane Laboratory/Eidolon of Rhetoric, Portcullis, Torpor Orb/Hushwing Gryff, Humility, Timesifter,
Stranglehold
, /
Aven Mindcensor
/
Mindlock Orb
, and Spirit of the Labyrinth-type effects. The counterspell options and sideboard cards help a great deal to counteract effects like this, but other answers in the maindeck include
Brutalizer Exarch
, Beast Within, Venser, Shaper Savant and Cyclonic Rift (all of which are able to be tutored). These options have proved adequate against prison-style decks like this [Zur, Linvala etc.]. The general speed of the deck usually outraces soft-locks.
Elves/Mana Dorks. Many players object to the use of mana dorks instead of the more durable artifact options, but dorks in conjunction with Prophet of Kruphix allows me to instant-speed mana-ramp on other player's turns to fuel the combo on my next main phase. As mentioned earlier, the dorks also synergize with clones, allowing them to double as ramp [you haven't lived until you've cloned a Priest of Titania twice before untapping on your fourth turn]. Games which are wrath-heavy tend to buy more time to combo out 'naturally', and tend to favor this deck regardless.
There exists significant tension between the control elements and the ramp elements in this deck, and there are many great counterspells I haven't [yet] included [see Maybeboard]. The ability to 'reload' into counterspells with Zegana offers an incredible degree of mid-to-late game control, but they also risk causing the deck to sputter and stall. Sideboard accordingly to match the meta.
This deck is not easy to pilot, and requires aggressive mulliganing, pitching back all non-ramp/elf/land cards from your opening hand. Opening hands REQUIRE green mana in order to function properly, hence the skewed mana base. Islands can always be fetched later.
This deck WILL make you a target at almost any table after a few games if your playgroup is of the 'game-memory'-inclination. It has a extremely high win percentage and has steamrolled both of my local metagames. Fortunately [and unlike most combo decks], it fields an excellent defensive ground game and packs an extensive control suite to protect your combo. It can and will win you games that begin and end as '3 vs 1' matchups, though whenever possible you can and should engage in politics to shunt aggro.
As with all combo decks, control players are your primary enemy at the table. Time your important spells accordingly. Remember that EDH is not solitaire: 4-turn wins might make for a better story, but waiting the extra turns so that you can have counterspell backup (or so that the less-cautious combo decks can run into early-game Force of Wills etc.) is often the better play.
If you like combo, you'll find this deck to be fun as hell. Its flexibility, responsiveness, and explosive potential make for great games. Just be nice and don't overplay it at the more casual tables ;D.
Finally, this is a work in progress, and I happily accept any advice/feedback in the comments. =] Thanks for reading.
