What is this pile trying to do?
The deck itself may seem like just a pile of cards, but in all reality it is a relatively fast creature based combo deck. Piloting similarly to the more popular “Blood-Pod” were creatures are valued out into a combo finish off of many of the creature tutor lines. With the inclusion of Blue we open up our combo lines to have a win from a straight 2 drop on Birthing Pod, but we also gain a huge value creature in
Thrasios, Triton Hero
as our commander. Unlike
Tymna the Weaver
who needs more bodies to connect for damage to gain advantage we can just use mana. The addition of Blue adds another aspect to the game; Counterspells. Stopping combos without them even hitting the field or protecting ours adds a line of knowing how to use our mana efficiency.
Combos
There are several creature combo lines available in our colors that will go infinite to end the game on the spot.
*Infinite Mana*
Knowing how we pay off the infinite mana is important in the list. There are multiple ways to achieve infinite mana in the colors, but the main pay off is sitting directly in our command zone. Thrasios will be cast off the mana and proceed to draw our entire deck and put all lands into play tapped. From here we start timetwister loops with natures claim, and noxious revival. This chain will then give us infinite life and colored mana. With infinite colored mana we then cast our Kiki-Jiki and Splinter Twin combos for the win.
Other wins that are sort of dead cards if not used in the combo is to just cast
Laboratory Maniac
. Maniac has no purpose in the list other than just Thrasios and has since been cut and moved to the maybe pile.
Bloom Tender/Freed from the Real
The main infinite mana line I use in the list is low to the ground and is already included in our mana ramp section.
This combo involves both of the cards listed in its name.
Bloom Tender
taps for 1 colored mana for each color permanent you control. Bloom Tender alone will tap for just a green, but if a blue permanent is in play will also tap for a green and a blue.
Freed from the Real
lets us untap enchanted creature for one blue mana. Bloom Tender will tap for GB and a B will be paid to untap infinitely resulting in infinite green mana and 1 blue mana!
Druid/Vizier
The combo works by having
Devoted Druid
in play (without summoning sickness) and then casting
Vizier of Remedies
. Devoted druid already taps for green and a -1/-1 counter can be put onto him to untap him and be activated again. Vizier of Remedies has a replacement affect that will subtract one -1/-1 counter when it would be put on the creature each time it would be place. The -1/-1 counter on Devoted Druid would be cancelled out as it would be placed on. Druid can now tap for green mana and be untapped for free resulting in infinite green mana!
Palinchron
Palinchron is often a one card combo in many decks. In cEDH is a little slow and does not make the cut in this list. Can still be run.
Common partners with Palinchron:
Deadeye Navigator
Phantasmal Image
Riku
A mana doubler (High Tide, Mana Flare ect)
Arbor Elf/Utopia Sprawl or Wild Growth/Freed from the Real
Similar to the Freed from the Real and Bloom Tender Combo although more convoluted as it needs another card in the mix. Enchant a forest with Utopia Sprawl and name blue. Arbor Elf repeatedly taps and untaps the forest netting one green mana as the blue is dumped into Freed from the Real to untap.
Note you can Enchant a Dual land forest with Utopia Sprawl to net different colored mana instead
Skirk Prospector
This Combo will make both infinite red mana and infinite Karmic Guide creatures with haste.
- Start with Skirk Prospector on the field and Kiki-Jiki in the graveyard
- Cast Karmic Guide returning Kiki-Jiki to play
- Tap Kiki-Jiki to make a copy of Karmic Guide.
- Hold priority with Karmic Guide trigger on the stack and sacrifice Kiki-Jiki to Skirk Prospector
- Karmic Guide Trigger then resolves bringing back Kiki-Jiki
- Repeat the Loop
Skirk Prospector will add one red mana for every sac of Kiki-Jiki and there will be X Karmic Guides in play with haste (X is how many times the loop was repeated)
The best infinite mana combos are cards you already run in the list that can work without adding too many dead cards into the list. I would recommend sticking to the Druid/Vizier and Freed from the Real combos
*Infinite Damage:*
Infinite damage is one of the more niche and complex combos played in the list.
Goblin Sharpshooter/Splinter Twin
This a newer combo I am including and trying in the list as the cards included can play into other lines in the list. Twin combos into our Kiki-Jiki lines as a redundant piece to Kiki. Goblin Sharpshooter is something interesting to take into the deck. He is an interactive piece of removal that doubles as combo enabler. He is also lethal to infinite creature deaths from opponents (Eat it Breya). The combo between the two are a little hard to see at first but lead to infinite damage to our opponents.
note we need a 1/1 creature on the battlefield, can be an opponent’s creature, to start the combo
The combo is a loop that can be explained
-
Goblin Sharpshooter
is in play and is then enchanted with
Splinter Twin
creating a second copy of Sharpshooter
- Copy Sharpshooter taps and pings a 1/1 creature killing it, triggers cause the original Sharpshooter and copy to untap
- Tap the original Sharpshooter to create a second copy. Tap copy 1 to deal 1 to an opponent. Tap copy 3 to shoot itself to die. Triggers untap the original and copy 1
- Repeat the process netting 1 damage each loop until our opponents are all dead.
This is a new combo that has been discovered in Blood Pod decks and transfers simply into our deck as well. As more people learn about the combo it may become harder to pull off, but both cards are still valuable on their own.
Goblin Bombardment
This is a new combo I was just exposed to and am looking to squeeze into the list as well. This combo initials two combos that I love. Infinite damage and infinite creature. The infinite creatures would be redundant with the infinite damage and is why I group it in the damage section and not the creature.
- Start with Goblin Bombardment on the field and Kiki-Jiki in the graveyard
- Cast Karmic Guide returning Kiki-Jiki to play
- Tap Kiki-Jiki to make a copy of Karmic Guide.
- Hold priority with Karmic Guide trigger on the stack and sacrifice Kiki-Jiki to Goblin Bombardment
- Karmic Guide Trigger then resolves bringing back Kiki-Jiki
- Repeat the Loop
Goblin Bombardment will deal X damage and X Karmic Guides copies will be in play with haste (X is how many times the loop was repeated)
Purphoros God of the Forge/Impact Tremors
Both of these cards deal damage when a creature enters play under your control. Both can be played in the deck as a wincon, but are redundant in how we kill. When we make infinite creatures (which we need to deal the infinite damage) we should have already won the game. If your meta is all Propaganda and Blind Obedience affects these cards may be things you want to consider to add to get around the effects.
*Infinite Creatures:*
What is a red deck without Kiki-Jiki and infinite creatures? These combos are simple and easy to assemble off of tutors and our main wincon off of our Pod lines.
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
+
Felidar Guardian
/
Deceiver Exarch
/
Pestermite
Infamous combos that have been around for years but still hard to stop, the Kiki combos are the main lines to victory. With Kiki-Jiki in play with one of these cards we make a copy that will untap Kiki-Jiki and will loop to make infinite haste tokens of whatever was cloned.
There are other cards that can be added that will combo with Kiki-Jiki as well
Village Bell Ringer is the most common and included when we have Yisan lines.
Zealous Conscripts: one of my favorite cards to copy with Kiki as he can initially steal a piece from an opponent before we combo off
Splinter Twin + Deceiver Exarch/Pestermite
This combo is so strong it has been banned out of the modern format. Having pestermite or Exarch in play and then casting Splinter Twin on them is the end of the game if not stopped. Splinter Twin give the creature it is attached to Kiki-Jiki’s ability to tap and make a copy of the creature it is attached to. Exarch and Pestermite copies will untap the orginal to make more and they will swing with haste and the win.
Dualcaster Mage + Twin Flame/Rite of Replication/ect
There are several instant and sorceries that will make a haste copy of a creature you control, but the main part of the combo is Dualcaster Mage. When the spell is cast targeting a creature you then hold priority and cast Dualcaster Mage. When Dualcaster Mage enters the battlefield he will copy a spell on the stack which will me the copy a creature spell and then will target Dualcaster Mage. The copy will then loop this and make infinite haste Dualcaster Mages.
This combo is mana and spell reliant and hard to pull off. It is fun and cool when it works, but is hard to pull off. Stick to Kiki-Jiki.
Enabling Combo Lines
Birthing Pod
Birthing Pod is the name-say card in the deck and is the main line to victory in our list. Pod as value as both a way to enable our combos to win the game, but also a card that can pull out the cards we need to protect our self from losing the game. Pulling out value creatures to answer the board state is something many people forget that pod can do.
Birthing Pod + 2CMC Creature + 4 Mana + 8 Life
- Start by paying 1 mana and 2 life sacrificing the 2 CMC creature pulling out a 3 CMC;
3 CMC Creature is either Deceiver Exarch or Pestermite that untaps Birthing Pod on entry
- Pay 1 mana and 2 life (2 mana, 4 life) activating Pod sacrificing the 3 CMC creature to find Felidar Guardian that blinks Birthing Pod in Untapped
- Pay 1 mana and 2 life again (3 mana, 6 life) Sacrificing Felidar Guardian
grabbing
Karmic Guide
, Trigger Karmic Guide to grab Felidar Guardian, Blink Pod again
-Pay 1 mana and 2 life (4 mana and 8 life) Sacrifice Felidar Guardian to grab Kiki-Jiki
Activate Kiki-Jiki to make copy of Karmic Guide returning Deceiver Exarch or Felidar Guardian untapping Kiki-Jiki.
- Proceed to Kiki-Jiki Combo
Birthing Pod + 3 CMC Creature + 3 Mana + 6 Life
This line works exactly as above but is one step less and cost us 1 less mana and 2 less life!
- Pay 1 mana and 2 life (1 mana, 2 life) activating Pod sacrificing the 3 CMC creature
4 CMC Creature is Felidar Guardian that blinks Birthing Pod in Untapped
- Pay 1 mana and 2 life again (2 mana, 4 life) Sacrificing Felidar Guardian
grabbing Karmic Guide, Trigger Karmic Guide to grab Felidar Guardian, Blink Pod again
- Pay 1 mana and 2 life (3 mana and 6 life) Sacrifice Felidar Guardian to grab Kiki-Jiki
- Activate Kiki-Jiki to make copy of Karmic Guide returning Deceiver Exarch or Felidar Guardian untapping Kiki-Jiki.
- Proceed to Kiki-Jiki Combo
Birthing Pod +
Glen Elendra Archmage
+ 2 Mana + 4 Life
Not Currently in the List
- Pay 1 Mana and 2 life (1 mana, 2 life) Sacrifice Glen Elendra
- Grab
Zealous Conscripts
untapping Birthing Pod while Glen Elendra Persists
- Pay 1 mana and 2 life (2 mana, 4 life) sacrifice Glen Elendra for Kiki-Jiki
- Proceed to Kiki-Jiki Combos
Survival of the Fittest
Survival of the Fittest is Pod #2 in this deck. The Combo lines with Survival are a little mor convoluted, but survival can be used to tutor for Druid/Vizier simply, or just grab the creature answers we need. Survival is much more flexible of a card than Birthing Pod is.
3 colorless mana + 2 white mana + 3 green mana + 1 creature in hand + Survival of the Fittest
(This combo may seem mana intensive, but mana ramp in here makes it far easier, and the combo can be made over multiple turns)
- 1 Green mana (1G) pitch any creature to grab Felidar Guardian/Deceiver Exarch
- 1 Green mana (2G) pitch Felidar/Exarch to grab Kiki-Jiki
- 1 Green mana (3G) pitch Kiki-Jiki to grab Karmic Guide
- 3 Colorless and 2 White mana (3C3G2W) casting Karmic Guide returning Kiki-Jiki
- Tap Kiki-Jiki to make a copy of Karmic Guide returning Felidar/Exarch untapping Kiki-Jiki
- Proceed to Kiki-Jiki Combos
Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
Yisan is anothe enabler that can be fit into the list fairly easy. I personally feel he is a little slow for what I am trying to achieve in the deck and takes up a few slots that I would rather be other pieces in my list. Yiasan takes three turns to effectively end the game, whereas the others can end the game in one to two turns.
- Turn One: Resolve Yisan
- Turn Two: Activate Yisan (1) and grab
Quirion Ranger
. Use ranger to untap Yisan (2) for a second activation if mana is available (mana need to be available or needs to add another turn to the clock). With the second activation grab either
Priest of Titania
or Bloom Tender
- Turn Three: Activate Yisan (3) off of our mana dork we got on the second activation to grab
Village Bell-Ringer
which will now untap mana and Yisan. Activate Yisan (4) and grab Felidar Guardian which will blink Village Bell-Ringer. Activate Yisan (5) to grab Kiki-Jiki. Proceed to Kiki the table.
*NOTE: All of these enabled lines tend to end in the Kiki-Jiki combos. These line can be edited to end in another combo, but Kiki-Jiki is ultimately the most efficient win with this deck. We can easily tutor up Druid/Vizier Combo do end the game, but they are less efficient to establish as they need more creatures to pitch to either Pod or Survival.
Stax
The effects that slow down the game and salt all over the battlefield. Stax pieces are necessary evil in this list to make our opponents slow down and play our game and not their own.
Main Pieces
-
Stony Silence
Artifats are the biggest part of the meta and are what win games. It hurts our pod lines but we are expecting it and can play around it
-
Null Rod
same as Stony Silence
-
Stranglehold
Shuts off tutors and turns from our opponents but not us. Tutors are the meta and need to be stopped.
-
Aven Mindcensor
Flash and mess up opponents tutors and fetches
-
Linvala, Keeper of Silence
Another one sided stax affect. Shutting off the creature combos in the meta
-
Eidolon of Rhetoric
Rule of Law on a body. Storming off is how many of the decks in the meta win.
-
Scavenging Ooze
Graveyard hate in our list.
-
Vexing Shusher
Political card and a favorite of mine. Protect our combos with uncounterable but we can make opponents cards that target others uncounterable as well.
Meta Calls
