MTG List: Infinite Combo for Sam's Jhoira Deck

fjbernet3rd


Description

This combo has 4 Categories:

  1. Tap to bounce spell
  2. Untap Creatures
  3. Zero Mana Artifact
  4. Kill Condition

I'll go over the parts and how they interact. Disclaimer: this is not a great combo and is pretty easily disrupted, but it's kinda cool with Jhoira.

Category 1: Tap to bounce spell

There are only two spells that fall into this category:

  1. Banishing Knack
  2. Retraction Helix

There are no replacements. In order for this combo to work, you much have one of these two spells in hand and cast it targeting one of the creatures in category 2.

Category 2: Untap Creatures

There are five creatures in this category:

  1. Battered Golem
  2. Mirran Spy
  3. Nettle Drone
  4. Traxos, Scourge of Kroog
  5. Zephyr Scribe

Each of these (in their own way) will untap when an artifact is cast or enters the battlefield. After casting one of the spells in category 1, they will also have the ability to "tap: return target nonland permanent to its owners hand".

Category 3: Zero Mana Artifacts

There are 53 possible cards in this category. I have listed a few that I think would be good targets. To get the full list, go to here.

One of these artifacts must be on the battlefield or in your hand ready to cast after targeting one of the creatures in Category 2 with a spell in Category 1. You then tap the creature from Category 2, targeting the zero mana artifact, bouncing it back to your hand. You then cast the zero mana artifact, untapping the creature from Category 2. Repeat the process however many times you want.

I think the best card in this category is Welding Jar because it can also protect a lot of your other artifacts even if you're not comboing off with it. And truth be told, zero mana artifacts are just good in this deck because they represent a free draw with Jhoira.

side note There a lot of artifact cost reducing cards in this deck already, so any 1 mana artifact will also work in this category if its cost has been reduced to zero.

Category 4: Kill Condition

This is the most diverse of the groups. I'll go over each card I've included in this primer, but there are more. Once you have assembled the combo above, if you have Jhiora out, you can draw through your entire deck, looking for which ever kill condition you desire.

The above combo +

  1. Altar of the Brood = milling everyone out
  2. Elusive Spellfist = giant unblockable creature (this can only kill one person though :/ )
  3. Golem Foundry = infinite 3/3 Golem tokens (this one should be done on the end step of the player before you so your tokens aren't summoning sick when it's your turn)
  4. Golem's Heart = infinite life
  5. Molten Nursery = infinite damage to any number of targets
  6. Impact Tremorsfoil = infinite damage to each opponent (this only works if the zero mana artifact is Ornithopter or Memnite)
  7. Laboratory Maniac / Jace, Wielder of Mysteries and Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain (to draw your entire deck) = alternate win condition

Most of these combos are EXTREMELY budget friendly. The real cost is card slots in your deck. You want as many artifacts as possible in a Jhiora deck. The spells in Category 1 are just dead cards in your hand until you combo off with them. Most of the other cards can be useful in a Jhiora deck even when not comboing off, which is why I think a Jhiora deck is probably the best place for this combo.

If you want to just have an infinite combo as an out in your deck, rather than a dedicated combo deck, you should only include 2 cards from each category that are already good in the deck. If you want a dedicated combo deck, then you would need to include more than just the two, plus a bunch of tutors to go and get the pieces you need. This is where the budget friendliness ends and we get to

Category 5: Tutors

Well this has been fun. If you're not interested in the combo at all, don't feel any pressure to use. Consider this an early Birthday Gift. :D