Ever wanted to make your playgroup question your sanity? Fancy yourself a maniac? Well, you'll have to be somewhat to want to pilot this deck, much less do it successfully. Important to note is that this deck doesn't have win conditions so much as make-an-opponent-lose conditions due to their single use nature. One of the Multiple win conditions of the deck as well as its inspiring combo is one of the Targeters such as
Nomads en-Kor
infinitely targeting a Target such as
Daru Spiritualist
, followed by a swap such as
About Face
to get a very high power creature either swinging in for lethal or tossed at an opponent by a Fling effect. Ah, but this is a four card combo, you say? Well I did say you'd have to be a bit loose in the head to begin with, so let's run down the main categories:
Targeters -These folks can infinitely target a creature you control. Shuko has no color requirements but is sorcery speed, and
Soltari Guerrillas
can target creatures opponents control for a bit of bonus shenanigans that I'll explain later. Note that the en-Kor creatures can redirect damage from themselves, which might be helpful if we want to chump and lose something else instead or redirect to an indestructible.
Targets - These guys are the reasons you want to target things. Whether becoming infinitely large in some fashion like
Angelic Protector
,
Task Force
or Crackdown Construct, Milling some or all of your library to fill your graveyard a la Cephalid Illusionist, stealing via
Fractured Loyalty
or Killing outright via Dismiss into Dream, it will be a good time. Furthermore, Cho-Manno, Revolutionary provides an undamagable blocker/en-Kor outlet.
Swap - Pretty Self explanatory, these folks swap power and toughness. Some are cantrips like
Twisted Image
, some are swap on a stick like
Merfolk Thaumaturgist
, and for added chaotic bonus
Mannichi, the Fevered Dream
Swaps the board. All of these are at instant speed for maximum shenanigans, and synergize well with our...
Shrink -Make something a 0/1 or 0/2, removing abilities in the process? Sounds good to me, and makes for some lovely swapping targets. Nearly all are instant speed, and our shrinkers on a stick, while not removing abilities, are reusable for great utility. If
Mannichi, the Fevered Dream
's ability resolves, Sudden Spoiling wipes a player's board in a way that can't be responded to except with triggered abilities. Darksteel Mutation can blank somebody's commander until you decide to swap it, or can be tossed on one of your own creatures to create a blocker/en-Kor outlet.
Ramp/Draw - Pretty self-explanatory, lets us get lots of mana to play lots of things.
Recur/Tutor -Also pretty self-Explanatory, lets us gather various combo-riffic pieces that we may want. One important interaction to note is that milling a large amount of our library with Cephalid Illusionist until after Dusk / Dawn gets chucked allows us to load up our hand with pieces by casting it for its aftermath cost. Hardcasting D/D is also pretty great as it will miss most of our tiny creatures.
Pillowfort - Well most of these aren't actually too pillowfort-y, they all serve the same purpose: help us survive until we can combo off or do something silly. Vedalken Orrery in particular can allow us to fire off Conflux or aftermath Dusk / Dawn right before we untap, to avoid attracting disaster before we cause it ourselves.
Wincon - My favorite part, as it has a bunch of options. Missing a swap? Assault Formation has got you covered, making your tiny-power-huge-toughness creatures smack down like it's Tuesday night. Not sure how to slip through? Emerge Unscathed and Break the Line can make your guys unblockable, though be careful to use break the line before comboing off.
Mossbridge Troll
can run with reckless abandon at your opponents, unable to die even if it wanted to, and pumpable to lethal if your other creatures aren't quite providing enough oomph. Fling, Rite of Consumption and Brion Stoutarm are also happy to lend their services, throwing a whole lot of pain at your opponent. Or (for just Fling and Rite) perhaps their pesky Llanowar Elves, if you're feeling particularly deranged. If you're bored of an opponent, just show them to the Door to Nothingness. Heck, mill yourself out with Cephalid Illusionist then use a Psychic Spiral to deck an opponent, flavorfully driving them insane. If all else fails, you do have Progenitus in the commmand zone, but that's too easy.
There are loads of interactions I didn't mention, and one of the most important parts of piloting this deck is politics - channel your inner harmless-crazy-old-coot-next-door-that-gives-out-decade-old-brochures-and-uses-dry-potato-skins-as-paper until you can go in for a kill.
