MTG Combo: Dualcaster Mage + Ghostly Flicker + Inalla, Archmage Ritualist

Floklo on Inalla Combo

3 years ago

Hey Odyssey, I really love your deck list and and write-up on Inalla, Archmage Ritualist. After taking a closer look at the Dualcaster Mage + Ghostly Flicker + Inalla, Archmage Ritualist combo, I've come to the realization that it can create infinite tokens and infinite mana. I found your description of the Dualcaster combo a little hard to follow, since there were a few instances where triggers and spells were left unresolved. I've provided a modified description of the combo below so that no triggers are dropped and the combo is executed in such a way that you create the maximum amount of mana per token created. For the sake of clarity, I sequenced the combo differently and broke it down into three distinct phases. Assume all lands enter the battlefield untapped and produce 1 mana.

Phase 1 - Initiate the Combo

1. On your pre-combat main phase, cast Ghostly Flicker, targeting two tapped lands.
2. Hold priority and cast Dualcaster Mage, targeting Ghostly Flicker.

Phase 2 - Create a Stack of Inalla's Triggered Ability

1. Dualcaster Mage ETBs. This triggers two triggered abilities: Inalla's ability and Dualcaster Mage's ability. Put Inalla's ability on the stack first. Put Dualcaster's ability on the stack second, targeting Ghostly Flicker. (+1 Inalla Ability)
2. Dualcaster Mage's ability resolves and creates a copy of Ghostly Flicker. For this copy, target one tapped land and Dualcaster Mage.
3. The copy of Ghostly Flicker resolves. An untapped land ETBs. Tap this land immediately to add 1 mana. As before, Dualcaster Mage ETBs and triggers two triggered abilities. Put Inalla's ability on the stack first. Put Dualcaster's ability on the stack second, targeting the original Ghostly Flicker. (+1 Mana, +1 Inalla Ability)
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 an arbitrary amount of times.
5. Repeat step 2 except this time target two untapped lands.
6. Two untapped lands ETB. Tap these lands immediately to add 2 mana. (+2 Mana)

At this point, your stack will consist of the the original Ghostly Flicker on the bottom and X amount of Inalla's triggered ability on top. You will also have X + 1 mana in your mana pool. The next phase will be concerned with resolving all of Inalla's triggered abilities.

Phase 3 - Create an Army and a Ton of Mana

1. The topmost Inalla triggered ability resolves. Pay the cost and create a token of Dualcaster Mage. (-1 Mana, -1 Inalla Ability)
2. A token of Dualcaster Mage ETBs. Only the token's triggered ability will resolve. Inalla's ability will not trigger for tokens. Put the token's ability on the stack, targeting the original Ghostly Flicker.
3. The token Dualcaster Mage's ability resolves and creates a copy of Ghostly Flicker. For this copy, target two untapped lands.
4. Two untapped lands ETB. Tap these lands immediately to add 2 mana. (+2 Mana)
5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 until there are no Inalla triggered abilities remaining on the stack.
6. Resolve the original Ghostly Flicker cast in phase 1. Two untapped lands ETB. Tap these lands for 2 mana. (+2 Mana)

At the end of this combo, you will have created X Dualcaster Mage tokens and have 2X + 3 mana in your mana pool. This mana can be used to pay for attacking taxes from cards such as Ghostly Prison or Propaganda. Alternatively, you can simply use the mana to cast Inalla, Archmage Ritualist to make her activated ability available to you. Since you have so much mana, she is almost uncounterable. Since the combo is infinite, Naban, Dean of Iteration will not change the amount of tokens you can create, but he will change the ratio of the amount of mana you can produce per token. With him on the battlefield, you will be able to make 6X + 5 mana per X tokens created.