ABOUT MTGPICS COMBOS

Combos shown on this website are of "General purpose". Some of them were played or are still played in competitive events (each combo shows the number of mtgtop8 decks that run it, which gives an insight of how competitive it is), some of them were never played in competition but provide an interesting point of view on card playability.

Each combo has a category (see below) and shows the cards needed to perform it, with their relevant zone(s). Cards which start in library are displayed as text only, below the other cards: they are not needed when starting the combo, and will naturally be found while performing the combo.

Each combo also displays in which format you can play them. Some combos are banned in all formats, but kept in the database (who knows, if in the future this or that card becomes unbanned). There is no direct way to know if your combo is legal in peasant or pauper, but each combo displays the maximum rarity of its cards, which gives you most of this information.

Some combos use "generic cards", which are placeholders for effects provided by many cards (e.g. "a creature that taps for mana" or "a permanent that allows to sacrifice a creature for a cool effect", etc.). It avoids having tons of combos in the database that are all the same.

Unfortunately, for now combos don't have any explanatory comment linked to them, but it might arrive one day (-:



ABOUT COMBO CATEGORISATION

Please note that combo categorisation does not take into account playability. If a meek combo using 3 cards that cost 12 manas in 4 different colors provides infinite mana, it will be categorized as "Infinite". The number of mtgtop8 decks playing this combo can be a judge of the efficiency of any given combo. But people classifying combos do not care about playability, only about the effect (when it works!). Here are the possible categories:

See combo

A combo that allows you to win (immediately or not), except those who result from an infinite loop. Examples:
• Thought Lash + Laboratory Maniac (click here)
• Hive Mind + Pact of Negation (click here)
• Phyrexian Devourer + Triskelion + Necrotic Ooze (click here)
• Scapeshift with 8 lands sacrificed to get Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle + 7 Mountain (mountains need not to be basic, click here)

Remark: combos that incur a loss of 20 life are considered as winning combos, even though it is not sufficient in Multiplayer Commander.

See combo

Lock that does not kill (prevents opponent(s) from playing most of their cards). Examples:
• Crucible of Worlds + Smokestack (prevents opponent(s) to get mana, therefore to play, click here)
• Isochron Scepter + Orim's Chant (prevents an opponent to play and attack, click here)
• Lantern of Insight + Codex Shredder (prevents an opponent to draw good cards, click here)
• Rest in Peace + Energy Field (prevents all damage, click here)
• Sensei's Divining Top + Counterbalance (counters most spells, click here)
• Goblin Sharpshooter + Basilisk Collar (kills most creatures, click here)

See combo

Effect that you can get as many times as you wish (even if it means you'll end up winning). Examples: enters-battlefield, token or counter creation, mana production, life gain, card drawing, etc.
• Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar + Zombie (to be used with an effect that cares about entering battlefield / dying, else it's useless, click here)
• Worldgorger Dragon + Dance of the Dead (creates infinite mana, therefore needing a 3rd card to be useful ; this loop is also an unstoppable loop leading to a draw if there is no other creature card in graveyards, click here)
• Mana Echoes + Sliver Queen (kills next turn with an army of 1/1 Slivers, click here)
• Animar, Soul of Elements + Ancestral Statue (huge Animar that kills if there is no non-white and no-black creature blocking, and which also provides infinite enters-battlefield / leaves-battlefield effects if relevant, click here)
• Painter's Servant + Grindstone (mills all cards of a library ; the combo can be stopped by Emrakul, the Aeons Torn in the library, however, but there are always counter-effects to all combos, click here)
• Helm of Obedience + Rest in Peace (mills all cards of a library, this time it works even if there is Emrakul, the Aeons Torn in the library, click here)
• Curiosity + Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind (loop limited by library size, but it should be enough to kill anyway, click here)

		Powerful Creature Any really powerful creature and/or that has really nice abilities.
See combo

Powerful interaction. It usually does not kill directly (it's not a win) because there are additional conditions to be met to kill, but it is very close to a win (and it's neither a lock nor an infinite combo). Examples:
• Stifle + Phyrexian Dreadnought (click here)
• Dark Depths + Vampire Hexmage (click here)
• Flash + Worldspine Wurm (click here)
• Entomb + Exhume on a powerful creature (click here)
• Mindslaver + Goblin Welder with a few artifacts (click here)

See combo

Good interaction that is not in the previous categories, but still gives an advantage. Examples:
• Faithless Looting + Lion's Eye Diamond (click here)
• Titania, Protector of Argoth + Sylvan Safekeeper (click here)
• Necroskitter + Black Sun's Zenith (click here)
• Invigorate + Kavu Predator (with a Forest on the battlefield that needs not being basic, click here)
• Green Sun's Zenith that goes for a Dryad Arbor, which is a reason why Dryad Arbor is played as a 1-off in many Zenith decks (click here)

See combo

Interaction that could be categorised in one of the previous categories, but there is better or very similar in the database with at least one of the cards in the combom (in that case, the similar combos are shown).

See combo

Cards that used to work together in the past, but rules have changed and it does not work anymore today. Examples:
• Stasis + Wall of Roots + Magma Mine (click here)
• Winter Orb + Relic Barrier (click here)
• Time Vault + Flame Fusillade (click here)
• Hunted Horror + Brand (click here)

See combo

Here, it's very clear that rules say it does not work, and never allowed it to work. Examples:
• Force of Will + Eternal Scourge (you wanted to exile it to play it later, but it's not blue, click here)
• Wrath of God + Voice of Truth (you wanted to keep your creature after the mass destruction, but protection does not allow you to, click here)
• Sylvan Safekeeper + Harrow (you wanted to sacrifice the same land to get two effects, but hey, if a croissant and a cookie each costs 1 euro, you can't get both for only 1 euro, click here)
• Sheoldred, the Apocalypse + Day's Undoing (you wanted to drain 14 life points with this combo, but unfortunately the triggered abilities won't resolve because your turn ends, click here)