The Command Tech: The Boogeyman Archetype of EDH

Written by Jeff Tan

        Combination (aka combo) is defined in Magic The Gathering as utilizing 2 or more cards that could either stretch your advantage to certain victory or potentially win you the game in an instant. By extension, combos also include using 2 or more cards that combine to form advantage flipping effect that would render several of your opponents hard-worked turns meaningless. This concept exists in many of MTGs formats ranging from:

        Standard’s Saheeli Cat combo (now banned), to modern’s Living End Aggression, to Legacy’s Show and Tell surprise

 

Saheeli Cat Infinite Combo

Living End Cascade Combo

OmniTell Legacy Combo

        The result is usually a chain of cards that make your opponent go, “Oh… damn.” This is none more true than in EDH, where thousands of potential card combinations not only net fantastic results, but also make people want to scratch their heads in bewilderment as to what just happened or is still happening.

Combo in EDH

        In EDH combo decks are highly feared, maybe even frowned upon; and for good reason. Competitive EDH combo decks could potentially explode as early as turn 1 if the players aren’t careful (Hermit Druid). But that is a rather rare scenario that requires a hand of exactly the right cards to set the combo off. In a deck of 99 cards, getting the 6-7 cards for your combo is not exactly easy. However, what makes combo interesting in EDH is that you have the option of placing one of your combo pieces as your commander (Prossh), ensuring that at the very least 1 of your components is always readily available. Not only that, combos are not limited to just combo decks. Some decks can be control or aggro but still have components in the deck for a swift game ending move but only use them when the opportunity arises and not as the main strategy.

   

Hermit Druid Combo

        Why doesn’t everyone just play combo then? You ask. Well, simply put, combos normally require several cards in specific zones to execute. Your combo might require you a specific creature in play, an enchantment in play, enough lands, and a sorcery in your hand. While you may think that its probably not very hard to get to that point, you would also have to contend with 3 other players who are either building up their aggressive board, preparing their disruption spells, or even preparing their own combos. Knowledgeable players are very well informed of the cards that have potentials to combo out, and can usually estimate how long the game has left. This would then turn them into snitches who would inform the whole table that doom is upon them. Holding your combo pieces together against 3 players who are now intent on stopping you with everything they have is NOT easy. Unless of course you had enough time to build your hand and board presence to shield your combo from anything and everything, thus, allowing you to gloriously slam your destructive power against your cowering opponents.

 

Niv-Mizzet Mind over Matter Draw-Ping Combo

        “So, combo is weak then? If players know these things, then trying to combo is a pointless effort since you would always be the target.”

        Well that would be a Yes and No.

Playing the Combo Game

        While combos are indeed easily disrupted most of the time, it depends on how prepared the board is. It is NOT normally a good idea to try to combo off ASAP against 3 people. Just seeing the color combinations of the commanders, players can already anticipate what combos are potentially in the opponents’ decks. Given this, combo players tend to sculpt their hand and board towards a perfect scenario for them. Sometimes this involves playing the timid sheep card; making as if the combo player has nothing to do but play lands and impactless spells. While the sheep does this, they will also try to drive the attention of the most threatening player towards the player who has the most potential to stop him/her from comboing. The longer the game goes, the higher the potential for a sudden combo off. During the turns that have passed, and players are preoccupied against the aggressive player who now has a 10/10 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger in play preparing to smash someone’s face in. The combo player would look for the opportunity to suddenly just take the game. But take note that not everyone will take the bait. More often than not, the players WILL notice what’s happening on the combo player’s board. This is where combo players must carefully assess the cards they need to keep in hand when they are ready to combo off.

   
 

Common Protective Spells

        However, there are times when you will always be the known threat due to the nature of the deck. Decks like Jhoira of the Ghithu, Prossh, Skyraider of Kher, Saskia, the Unyielding, and many more, are known members on the “kill them before they do something” list. In this case, the combo player must use his/her resources to distract the opponents from the plan or alternate plan. Since they know what to expect, you must also have a back-up plan/combo.

   

        For example, Jhoira of the Ghithu is a known board breaker. Her ability to suspend cards for only 2 mana is a well known threat since the ability is not usually counterable. The way she works is that she suspends big-ass spells like Ugin, Obliterate, or Ulamog; and when the suspend finally ends, they get casted FOR FREE on their upkeep. To make things worse, the player chooses the order of resolution which usually involves Boardwipe -> big creature -> big planeswalker -> Powerful enchantment/artifact. However, the thing is, opponents can see this coming since suspend reveals your arsenal to them. This sends them into a furious rage, pointing their expensive sheets of cardboard right at you. To avoid getting into this predicament, opponents would resort to killing/countering Jhoira over and over again. Without her ability, the deck would slow down considerably. This is where the back up plan comes into play. While the opponents are scared of Jhoira’s arrival, the combo player would intentionally attempt to cast Jhoira or cast one of the board wipes just to bait the counter spells. Once enough has been spent, the Jhoira player would now attempt their alternative combo which involves Deceiver Exarch + Splinter Twin/Kiki Jiki, Mirror Breaker. The distraction was necessary for the opponents to feel safe. When they least expect it, slam the surprise on the board and revel in their fear.

 

Common Protective Spells

How far can combo go?

        With all of this talk of impending doom for opponents, we must not forget that combos don’t necessarily have to be game ending. While many combos are intent on burying your opponents in the ground, there are many different kinds of combos that we have to consider. These combos dont necessarily have to end the game, but they do intend to give you as much advantage as possible over the competition. Most non-combo decks in EDH use these non-lethal, small combos to advance their own game plan, and most of the time to grand results. Something as simple as:

Turn 1 land -> Sol Ring -> Talisman of Dominance -> Mana vault

   

This is a turn one 7 to 8 mana ramp mini-combo

        Another specific example would be:

Meren Commander -> Spore frog

 

Meren Spore Frog Combat Lock

        Simple, yet effective. This seemingly insignificant pair of cards don’t mean nothing at first, but then you realize that you can no longer combat the player to death since Spore Frog will prevent all combat damage this turn by sacrificing itself only to be brought back INTO PLAY by Meren through her triggered ability.

        For me personally, i think we could categorize combos into three: Advantage, Lock, and Win.

        Advantage combos are combos that either propel your game plans at light speed or set the stage for your game plan. This usually involves chaining of cards in order to get as many resources as possible or using combos that eliminate your opponent’s ability to react/fight back.

        Lock Combos are card combinations that shut down entire decks of your opponent. A great example of this would be Azor, the Lawbringer being blinked over and over by Eldrazi displacer versus a Kess player, whose deck is composed of 80% instants and sorceries. This simple two card combo would completely shut down Kess from doing anything for possibly the rest of the game.

 

VS

Azor Lock Versus Kess

        Win Combos do exactly what it says, WIN at an instant. While it may not be within one turn, most decks that utilize instant win conditions can quickly and consistently set up their boards and are incredibly resilient. One such example would be Food Chain and Prossh. While you cannot just simply slam food chain without enough mana on board to cast the Prossh, the way Prossh decks are set up is that at the first few turns, they accumulate seemingly harmless creatures such as mana dorks and Wood Elves and such. By the time Food Chain lands on the field, they would have those dorks and the Wood Elves to use as Food Chain fodder, thus, allowing the player to have the mana to cast Prossh and perform the infinite combo. BUT, do take note that Prossh does NOT have haste. I cannot tell you how many times I have missed my combo by rushing to do it only to realize I did not have the 3rd card necessary to win.

 

Prossh - Food Chain Infinite Mana (for creatures) Combo

Comboing into the Future

        I personally love combo decks. I feel like in a format like EDH, the field is ripe for letting lose all sorts of funky combos that keep the game interesting.

        What i can say to those who might be interested in making combo decks in the future is that, you have to be creative in playing the decks. Its not as simple and straight forward as one may think and many times you feel bad that your idea does not work. But once you actually pull off that one sweet combo you have always wanted to do in a game, the thrill is intense. Just as intense as the anxiety you’ve probably inflicted on your opponents as they tried to stop you. Of course, dont get carried away though. There is truth to the idea that combo decks get tiring after a while. Doing the same angle over and over again just makes the game less interesting for EVERYONE. Don’t be THAT guy. EDH was meant to be fun through experimentation.

        For those FIGHTING combo decks, don’t be haters. It would only put yourselves in positions where you are more concerned with keeping the player down than actually enjoying the game. My point of view of the whole, “Combo players are as*****s” thing is that combos are just part of the game and you can’t really just exile someone from your crew from playing just cause of that. Maybe you should look towards how you can actually modify your EDH decks to fight back against your playgroup. Part of the EDH fun is the deckbuilding. When encountering new things whether combo, aggro, or getting locked out of the game by control, just enjoy the ride and learn and adapt on your next game. At the end of the day, this is still a game of MTG where people play to WIN. We still have to level up our own games and improve our plays and deck building skills. I feel that once a multitude of players do this, EDH games become not only a source of fun, wacky moments, but improves how we process the game as well, making us better players in the end.

Comboing into the Future

        I have so many more things to say but this is probably enough for now. Maybe the Cebu Commander Community will publish more works like this or better in the future and I will definitely try to contribute more. If theres a specific topic anyone wants to hear from us, dont be shy and just send any of us a PM. Til next article!