Combos:
Frantic Search + Mizzix of the Izmagnus + Reiterate [ https://edhrec.com/combos/ur/6948 ]
Capsize + Dockside Extortionist [ https://edhrec.com/combos/ur/8461 ]
Jeska's Will + Reiterate [ https://edhrec.com/combos/r/7316 ]
Mizzix of the Izmagnus + Reiterate + Turnabout
[ https://edhrec.com/combos/ur/4868 ]
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Props to Daedalus19876 as this is pretty much a copy/paste of their deck with a few changes.
https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/mizzix-edh-the-rising-storm/
The deck primarily aims for one of several infinite-mana combos, which let you cast The Locust God and loot infinitely with his abilities, allowing you to select the cards in your hand and create an infinite number of insects (discarding Kozilek, Butcher of Truth as needed). If these combos are disrupted, the deck is fully capable of winning with other combos that require The Locust God on the battlefield, or through simple aggro damage (giving the deck a good long-game against stax and prison decks). The combo wincons are listed in the section below.
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The core of this deck is similar to many Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind decks: strong reliance on Wheel of Fortune and Winds of Change style effects. The former are better when trying to refill your hand (especially when your opponents’ hands are smaller, so you gain marginal advantage), and the latter are better when you already have a large number of cards.
However, unlike any other Izzet commander, The Locust God brings along his personal army of minions. When this commander was released, there was no other Izzet commander suited to a token swarm strategy (heh - swarm strategy), so the deck is in completely uncharted territory on this front.
This also means we can play many powerful cards that are somewhat atypical for a spellslinger deck, such as Phyrexian Altar , Shared Animosity , or Skullclamp (which in this deck reads "Pay 1: Draw two cards, then create a 1/1 hasty flying Locust"). These token-centric cards are parts of our combo, and synergize well with our commander even without an infinite combo, making them an integral part of the deck.
Overall, The Locust God has many interlinked lines of play, and represents a unique take on the classic Izzet "cardslinger" approach.
This deck runs five major infinite combos, along with several non-infinite win-cons and a significant amount of redundancy and protection. Remember that the deck contains Kozilek, Butcher of Truth as a method to reshuffle your graveyard into library, to allow for truly infinite draw.
The combos and wincons are listed below:
Isochron Scepter + Dramatic Reversal
This combo is a staple of cEDH, and was a natural fit here. This deck runs a very strong Dramatic Scepter package. For those unfamiliar, the combo is Dramatic Reversal imprinted on Isochron Scepter , along with at least in mana rocks. This combo creates infinite and , which can be filtered through The Locust God’s looting ability to create infinite Locusts (discarding Kozilek when necessary) and find whatever other cards you want from your library. There are a significant number of tutors in the deck to find the individual pieces for this combo.
This is by far the fastest combo in the deck, capable of winning on T1 with a hand such as Dramatic Reversal, Isochron Scepter, Mana Crypt, Mox Opal, land, and counterspell backup. This combo also does not require The Locust God to be on the battlefield to go infinite, which makes it a valuable wincon when he is unavailable for whatever reason. Be aware that you DO need him as the sink for the infinite mana under most circumstances, however.
Note that Muddle the Mixture can transmute to find Isochron Scepter, Dramatic Reversal, Grim Monolith, or Mana Drain, depending on what else you have in hand. Spellseeker can also find counterspells backup, Transmute Artifact, or Dramatic Reversal (or, if you're really in a bind, Muddle the Mixture as mentioned above). Transmute isn’t generally very mana-efficient, so transmuting Muddle the Mixture is usually a backup plan.
Primary tutors: Muddle the Mixture / Spellseeker / Mystical Tutor for Dramatic Reversal ; Muddle the Mixture / Transmute Artifact / Fabricate / Whir of Invention / Inventors' Fair for Isochron Scepter.
Skullclamp + Phyrexian Altar/Ashnod's Altar
This is the most well-known win-con for this commander: control a Skullclamp and Ashnod's Altar / Phyrexian Altar (while The Locust God is in play). Each Locust will generate mana, allowing you to repeatedly sacrifice them to Skullclamp. If you're not disrupted, you will generate infinite mana, creatures, and draw. Once you have infinite mana/creatures/draw, you can win with Firestorm (or any other wincon).
The downside to this combo is that 1) it requires 2 non-commander pieces, albeit ones that are strong on their own; 2) it requires you to cast your commander, whose CMC of 6 is not negligible; and 3) you have to have at least 1 insect to start the combo.
Technically, Ashnod's Altar only create infinite colorless mana and draw. However, you can draw until you find Phyrexian Altar to pay the colored costs as necessary (or, if that has been disrupted somehow, mana rocks that can produce colored mana). Conversely, Phyrexian Altar "only" creates infinite draw, but it's easy to find 0-mana mana rocks and play Ashnod's Altar to generate infinite Locusts/mana as well (or as previously stated, win through other cards such as Firestorm).
To initiate this combo, it's easy to tutor/draw Skullclamp (with wheels, Trinket Mage , or Fabricate / Transmute Artifact / Whir of Invention / Inventors' Fair), which allows you to draw 2 cards per 1 mana repeatedly when The Locust God is on the battlefield. This makes it very easy to find the rest of the combo, or a tutor to do so. Despite being a three-card combo, this is one of my most frequent paths to victory.
Primary tutors: Trinket Mage / Transmute Artifact / Fabricate / Whir of Invention / Inventors' Fair for Skullclamp ; Transmute Artifact / Fabricate / Whir of Invention / Inventors' Fair for the Altar.
Kindred Discovery + Firestorm
And now we come to the classic 1-card combo! I built this deck before Kindred Discovery was spoiled, but I was ecstatic when it was revealed because it was exactly what I needed to kick the deck into the stratosphere.
For anyone who hasn't seen this combo before, this is how it works: name “Insect” on Kindred Discovery while The Locust God is on the field, and as soon as any Locust ETBs or attacks, you draw infinite cards. Now, this is a problem if you don't have a way to terminate the loop, because you’ll deck yourself…
Most decks run Laboratory Maniac + Flash and plan to win when they run out of cards. While he was in earlier versions of this deck, I find this to be an insufficient solution because an opponent can kill you with a Doom Blade, and because Laboratory Maniac is completely useless at all other points in the game.
Instead, this deck plans to terminate the combo by casting Firestorm with ~5 cards left in library in response to one of the draw triggers. There are guaranteed to be enough targets (your opponents, their creatures, and a bunch of Locusts) on the battlefield, which solves one of the normal problems with Firestorm. Even if you do not have the available when starting the combo, Simian Spirit Guide can generate it (assuming he hasn’t been used earlier in the game). With your deck in your hand, you have access to Force of Will and Pact of Negation to protect your wincon, as well as normal counterspells if you happen to have enough mana.
If Firestorm is in the GY, you can hold up mana to cast Izzet Charm (or any other instant-speed loot spell) to discard Kozilek, Butcher of Truth and shuffle your GY into library. If Firestorm is exiled (say, off of Diminishing Returns), you can terminate the loop with Stifle IF you started it with a single card drawn (which is highly recommended). If you used Stifle to terminate the combo, you can then cast sorcery-speed things to win, but be aware that any card being drawn (including from an insect attacking) starts the loop again.
Primary tutors: None for Kindred Discovery, though Firestorm is “tutored” in the course of the combo automatically. This is why this combo is not the primary wincon - not enough consistency. Still, it’s helpful to have one single-card combo with absolutely zero telegraphing, in case you can catch your opponents unawares.
Non-Infinite Wincons (Strong Synergies)
Sometimes you just can’t win with an infinite combo. Either your opponents will have drawn the perfect silver bullet, or Null Rod is on the field, or you just can’t find a tutor. That’s fine! This deck also runs several non-infinite ways to win, or to slant the board so ridiculously in your favor that you should be able to FIND a way to win. In no particular order:
Consecrated Sphinx + any wheel: Draw 40+ cards in one easy step! If you can’t find a way to win with that many cards in hand, the problem isn’t the deck, it’s you.
Opposition + Verity Circle : While both of these cards are strong on their own, they get disgusting when played together along with The Locust God. Whenever you use Opposition to tap down an opposing creature, you get to draw a card via Verity Circle, then make an Insect with The Locust God, then tap down another creature, etc. Initially, this will let you tap down all of your opponents’ creatures every turn. After this point, since you’re effectively casting Deploy to the Front every turn, you start tapping down all of their lands/artifacts during upkeep.
Opposition + tokens: Opposition is a vicious stax card in this deck, if you’ve got a few Locusts sitting around. You can use it to lock down a voltron commander, tap your opponents’ mana during their upkeep (or just deny their access to a color), tap down all Island's before comboing off, remove blockers… The possibilities are endless. It’s a terrifying card here, and is a wincon in its own right. In a pinch, it can also tap down a Winter Orb / Static Orb right before your untap step ;)
Shared Animosity + tokens: Seems pretty self-explanatory. Shared Animosity reads “X Locusts swing for X^2 damage”, meaning that 7 Locusts are a lethal alpha strike against whichever opponent is most troublesome. Not coincidentally, that’s the number of cards Wheel of Fortune draws: " Shared Animosity, Wheel of Fortune, 49 damage” is a great line of play to kill someone out of the blue for .
Cyclonic Rift + any wheel: Cyclonic Rift is already a great card, but it’s even nastier here. You can hold up 7 mana to cast Cyclonic Rift at the end of your opponent’s turn, then during your turn cast Wheel of Fortune. You just perma-removed all of your opponents’ nonland cards, while leaving your own board state unaffected. I’ve won several times due to concessions from doing this.
…and of course, after a few wheels, you’ll be swinging 20+ evasive damage per turn. Without a board wipe, that can end the game alone.
The fact that we can win without relying on infinite combos is what separates this deck from every other Izzet spellslinger deck: when our combo is disrupted or destroyed, or when a stax lock comes down, we can easily compete with aggro or midrange decks on an equal footing. It's also what makes this deck so fun - there are a thousand viable strategies, and it never feels repetitive! :)
UR is a color combination somewhat lacking in unconditional tutors, but the many Wheel of Fortune / Windfall -style effects make it easy to draw into the pieces you need. I am running eight of what I consider "strong draw" effects that can refill your hand, though a couple are conditional: Consecrated Sphinx , Jace's Archivist, Diminishing Returns, Recurring Insight, Reforge the Soul, Time Spiral, Wheel of Fortune, Windfall. There are also more conditional cards that can still draw a huge number of cards in the right circumstance: Mystic Remora, Rhystic Study, Verity Circle, and Skullclamp (if The Locust God is on field). Between these options, it’s generally not too hard to find the cards you need, though tutors should still be spent wisely.
That being said, it's often hard to decide if you should toss half of one combo in order to dig for the next, which is the hardest part of mastering this deck ;) Feel free to ask for my opinion, if you want to get a feel for the kinds of decisions the deck requires!
