MTG Salvation

One of the possible infinite comboes in this format is Naru Meha, Master Wizard and Illusionist's Stratagem. Credit to the great DirkGently for pointing it out to me. For those unfamiliar, it is similar to the Dualcaster Mage + Heat Shimmer combo of normal EDH, and it works like this:

1. Cast Illusionist's Stratagem (targetting whatever)
2. In response, case Naru and let her resolve. Her ability triggers. Use it to copy Illusionist's Stratagem targeting Naru + whatever.
3. Copy resolves, flickering Naru + whatever and drawing you a card. Naru returns to the battlefield and triggers, copying the original Stratagem still on the stack.

By itself, this draws your entire library. From there, however, we have many different possibilities and can do any number of them. I've listed the possibilities below roughly in order of how good they are.
- gain an extremely large amount of mana by also flickering Sailor of Means or Prosperous Pirates
- Bounce all opposing creatures with Academy Journeymage or Angler Drake.
- "Freeze" all opposing creatures, possibly for multiple consecutive turns, with Watertrap Weaver
- Flood the board with tokens thanks to Iron League Steed and Experimental Aviator
- Mill opponents to death with Homarid Explorer
- Gain a boatload of life with Filigree Familiar or Reservoir Walker
- Bounce some other merfolk to turn River Sneak into a one-shot kill.
- Gain a boatload of energy with Reservoir Walker or any number of other creatures, then use it for...profit? With Era of Innovation, Aethersquall Ancient, Gonti's Aether Heart, Multiform Wonder, and Electrostatic Pummeler you should be able to find a kill.
- Cast a bunch of spells with Torrential Gearhulk

The beauty of this combo is that it has tremendous redundancy, is all at instant speed, and rewards us for running plenty of #value cards that we probably wanted anyways. A suggested list is...



Gameplan is to just play a value game. Counter spells, draw cards, use EtB triggers, all that good stuff. While it's theoretically possible to win off of just valuing opponents to death and beating down with fliers and unblockables (especially if you use Naru or Primal Wellspring to double up a Saheeli's Artistry, River's Rebuke, or Karn's Sundering), the threat is that you eventually infinite off with Naru Meha. Note it isn't truly infinite, as you have a finite library, but drawing your entire deck and activating some combo of EtB abilities 20-40 times should be GGs most of the time. It also sets up Timestream Navigator + Strider Harness if somehow you can't win on the spot.

I really felt like Flood of Recollection, Tempest Caller, Iron League Steed, Jace, Ingenious Mind-Mage, the supporting Grasping Current, and a 25th land should have made it in but couldn't settle on cuts. I also almost entirely eschewed energy although of course Glimmer is too legit to quit. Thoughts?

UPDATE: List is more combo, less wizard.

Nice combo. The bottleneck, besides drawing Illusionist's Stratagem, is the 8 mana you need. You have Primal Amulet, Baral, Chief of Compliance, Vodalian Arcanist, Sailor of Means, Prosperous Pirates, Gilded Lotus to help, but I'd run some more mana fixers to shorten this clock. These are options:

• Mox Amber
  
• Pyramid of the Pantheon
  
• Cultivator's Caravan
  
• Powerstone Shard
  
• Hierophant's Chalice
  
• Orazca Relic
  
• Manalith
  
• Jhoira's Familiar
  
• The Immortal Sun

Trophy Mage works nice with Naban, Dean of Iteration.

I feel that once you've got the combo, then tapping/returning creatures is complete waste of time. You can draw as much of your deck as you want, so it's actually how you choose to win which is important. Any value tempo, without the combo, is not very strong in multiplayer imo.

For example say it's the Timestream Navigator + Strider Harness. You need 10 mana the first turn, then 7 mana on subsequent turns. Hopefully you'll be playing more mana fixers as suggested. All you'd need is Mist-Cloaked Herald or Daring Saboteur or Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive.
The other thing is that if your opponents had disruption, then they would have used it on Naru Meha, Master Wizard, as it's not wise to let your opponents draw their deck. So you'll probably be safely doing the Timestream Navigator + Strider Harness combo as your finisher.

The token generators are kill cards on the table at time of combo, so for sure play Iron League Steed. Double check for any other token generators.

As I say all the creature tapping/returning I think could be removed.

• Watertrap Weaver
  
• Filigree Familiar
  
• Storm Sculptor
  
• Academy Journeymage
  
• Angler Drake

[edit]
Search for Azcanta - you need to filter through your deck to get Illusionist's Stratagem.
Unwind - allows you to counter disruption a bit better
Dowsing Dagger / Lost Vale - just another way of getting an extra 3 mana quickly, and often an opponent left with their pants down.
Kefnet's Monument - more cost reduction

I saw this earlier, having been a fan of Ghostly Flicker and Archaeomancer in pauper. My concern is that if Naru gets countered or killed (while his effect is on stack), it's really going to throw a wrench into the plan. Enough so, I'm not sure if you'll recover before aggro or midrange decks get a chance to knock you out. The amount of mana you'd need to set this combo into motion and keep counter magic up is not going to be very forgiving against decks like Kumena.

Quote from Lumovanis »

I saw this earlier, having been a fan of Ghostly Flicker and Archaeomancer in pauper. My concern is that if Naru gets countered or killed (while his effect is on stack), it's really going to throw a wrench into the plan. Enough so, I'm not sure if you'll recover before aggro or midrange decks get a chance to knock you out. The amount of mana you'd need to set this combo into motion and keep counter magic up is not going to be very forgiving against decks like Kumena.

It does have the advantage of being at instant speed, so you can time it in certain situations. In a 4 player game, most control players will probably have to tap out to stop what other opponents are doing at some stage of the game, so being able to do it at instant speed is a big factor.

Quote from darrenhabib »

Nice combo. The bottleneck, besides drawing Illusionist's Stratagem, is the 8 mana you need. You have Primal Amulet, Baral, Chief of Compliance, Vodalian Arcanist, Sailor of Means, Prosperous Pirates, Gilded Lotus to help, but I'd run some more mana fixers to shorten this clock. These are options:

• Mox Amber
  
• Pyramid of the Pantheon
  
• Cultivator's Caravan
  
• Powerstone Shard
  
• Hierophant's Chalice
  
• Orazca Relic
  
• Manalith
  
• Jhoira's Familiar
  
• The Immortal Sun

Trophy Mage works nice with Naban, Dean of Iteration.

I feel that once you've got the combo, then tapping/returning creatures is complete waste of time. You can draw as much of your deck as you want, so it's actually how you choose to win which is important. Any value tempo, without the combo, is not very strong in multiplayer imo.

For example say it's the Timestream Navigator + Strider Harness. You need 10 mana the first turn, then 7 mana on subsequent turns. Hopefully you'll be playing more mana fixers as suggested. All you'd need is Mist-Cloaked Herald or Daring Saboteur or Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive.
The other thing is that if your opponents had disruption, then they would have used it on Naru Meha, Master Wizard, as it's not wise to let your opponents draw their deck. So you'll probably be safely doing the Timestream Navigator + Strider Harness combo as your finisher.

The token generators are kill cards on the table at time of combo, so for sure play Iron League Steed. Double check for any other token generators.

As I say all the creature tapping/returning I think could be removed.

• Watertrap Weaver
  
• Filigree Familiar
  
• Storm Sculptor
  
• Academy Journeymage
  
• Angler Drake

[edit]
Search for Azcanta - you need to filter through your deck to get Illusionist's Stratagem.
Unwind - allows you to counter disruption a bit better
Dowsing Dagger / Lost Vale - just another way of getting an extra 3 mana quickly, and often an opponent left with their pants down.
Kefnet's Monument - more cost reduction

You are probably right; I liked the idea of attacking from a "Wizard Tribal" angle (especially while Naru is underestimated by everyone), but it's probably better to cut a lot of the cards that are just cute in favor of ramp, draw, and filter to make the combo more consistent. In doing so I think Naban gets cut as well, as even with the sick Trophy Mage and commander combos it's "just okay"

Quote from darrenhabib »

[It does have the advantage of being at instant speed, so you can time it in certain situations. In a 4 player game, most control players will probably have to tap out to stop what other opponents are doing at some stage of the game, so being able to do it at instant speed is a big factor.

That's a big assumption, especially after they've seen the deck once. It just seems slow and fragile to me in this environment that seems to favor aggro strategies. I've also seen more lists running Tocatli Honor Guard lately too, which would also be problematic.

I like the idea of Naru as a combo deck for Brawl, but I don't agree with the way you've built her. I think the key here is redundancy, as well as killing the turn you combo off before anybody gets to untap.

My take looks more like Magical Christmas Land.



The deck features the following combos with Naru:

Release to the Wind + Diligent Excavator = Infinite Mill
Release to the Wind + Bontu's Monument = Infinite Drain
Release to the Wind + Aetherflux Reservoir = Infinite Lifegain + Infinite Damage
Baral's Expertise + Diligent Excavator = Infinite Mill
Baral's Expertise + Bontu's Monument = Infinite Drain
Baral's Expertise + Aetherflux Reservoir = Infinite Lifegain + Infinite Damage
Illusionist's Stratagem + Sailor of Means + (any other creature) = Draw your deck with enough mana to switch to a real infinite combo
Illusionist's Stratagem + Prosperous Pirates + (any other creature) = Draw your deck with enough mana to switch to a real infinite combo
Illusionist's Stratagem + Cultivator's Caravan + (one other creature that can crew or two other creatures) = Draw your deck with enough mana to switch to a real infinite combo
Saheeli's Artistry + (one creature and one artifact on the battlefield) = Infinite Copies of every artifact and creature on the battlefield, possibly feeding into one of the above combos

There are also the lesser combos of Illusionist's Stratagem + Vizier of Many Faces or Torrential Gearhulk possibly feeding into one of the above.

Since all of our infinite combos go infinite off either Cultivator's Caravan or Bontu's Monument, Trophy Mage and Whir of Invention can always find a combo piece, and Glint-Nest Crane often can too. (It's around 60% to hit a card, which isn't amazing, but it's pretty good to staple onto a 1/3 flying blocker)

We then have some cheap bounce/protection/card draw/value engines while we build up the mana. The only irreplaceable piece is Naru... and she's always hanging out in the command zone! In the event that a combo gets broken up and strands her on the battlefield, either bounce spell, Release to the Wind, Baral’s Expertise, or Vizier making a copy and killing the original can all get her back where she belongs.

It's possible I'm a few cards off here and there, but I think the general strategy is significantly more powerful than building an entire deck around Illusionist's Stratagem that still isn't infinite when it goes off. Remember, that card draw isn't optional! (Also, note that you need to have at least two targets initially, since copies can’t change number of targets!)

Although I'm not sure how strong this will be in multiplayer, a similar list headed by Baral is probably one of the best things you can do in 1v1. There's a reason he's banned in 1v1 Commander.

What a Jerk

Quote from ZerrisX »

I like the idea of Naru as a combo deck for Brawl, but I don't agree with the way you've built her. I think the key here is redundancy, as well as killing the turn you combo off before anybody gets to untap.

My take looks more like Magical Christmas Land.

Magical Christmas LandMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
Commander: 1 4 Naru Meha, Master Wizard Creatures: 10 2 Baral, Chief of Compliance 2 Diligent Excavator 2 Glint-Nest Crane 2 Vodalian Arcanist 3 Nimble Obstructionist 3 Sailor of Means 3 Trophy Mage 4 Vizier of Many Faces 5 Prosperous Pirates 6 Torrential Gearhulk Artifacts: 9 1 Silent Gravestone 2 Thaumatic Compass 2 Treasure Map 3 Bontu's Monument 3 Cultivator's Caravan 3 Orazca Relic 4 Aetherflux Reservoir 4 Primal Amulet 5 Gilded Lotus	Instants and Sorceries: 15 1 Opt 1 Spell Pierce 2 Blink of an Eye 2 Negate 2 Pull from Tomorrow 3 Release to the Wind 3 Supreme Will 3 Unwind 3 Whir of Invention 4 Glimmer of Genius 4 Hieroglyphic Illumination 4 Illusionist's Stratagem 5 Baral's Expertise 5 Spell Swindle 6 Saheeli's Artistry	Enchantments: 1 2 Search for Azcanta Lands: 24 1 Arch of Orazca 1 Desert of the Mindful 1 Field of Ruin 1 Inventors' Fair 1 Ipnu Rivulet 1 Memorial to Genius 1 Scavenger Grounds 1 Zhalfirin Void 16 Island

The deck features the following combos with Naru:

Release to the Wind + Diligent Excavator = Infinite Mill
Release to the Wind + Bontu's Monument = Infinite Drain
Release to the Wind + Aetherflux Reservoir = Infinite Lifegain + Infinite Damage
Baral's Expertise + Diligent Excavator = Infinite Mill
Baral's Expertise + Bontu's Monument = Infinite Drain
Baral's Expertise + Aetherflux Reservoir = Infinite Lifegain + Infinite Damage
Illusionist's Stratagem + Sailor of Means + (any other creature) = Draw your deck with enough mana to switch to a real infinite combo
Illusionist's Stratagem + Prosperous Pirates + (any other creature) = Draw your deck with enough mana to switch to a real infinite combo
Illusionist's Stratagem + Cultivator's Caravan + (one other creature that can crew or two other creatures) = Draw your deck with enough mana to switch to a real infinite combo
Saheeli's Artistry + (one creature and one artifact on the battlefield) = Infinite Copies of every artifact and creature on the battlefield, possibly feeding into one of the above combos

There are also the lesser combos of Illusionist's Stratagem + Vizier of Many Faces or Torrential Gearhulk possibly feeding into one of the above.

Since all of our infinite combos go infinite off either Cultivator's Caravan or Bontu's Monument, Trophy Mage and Whir of Invention can always find a combo piece, and Glint-Nest Crane often can too. (It's around 60% to hit a card, which isn't amazing, but it's pretty good to staple onto a 1/3 flying blocker)

We then have some cheap bounce/protection/card draw/value engines while we build up the mana. The only irreplaceable piece is Naru... and she's always hanging out in the command zone! In the event that a combo gets broken up and strands her on the battlefield, either bounce spell, Release to the Wind, Baral’s Expertise, or Vizier making a copy and killing the original can all get her back where she belongs.

It's possible I'm a few cards off here and there, but I think the general strategy is significantly more powerful than building an entire deck around Illusionist's Stratagem that still isn't infinite when it goes off. Remember, that card draw isn't optional! (Also, note that you need to have at least two targets initially, since copies can’t change number of targets!)

Although I'm not sure how strong this will be in multiplayer, a similar list headed by Baral is probably one of the best things you can do in 1v1. There's a reason he's banned in 1v1 Commander.

What a Jerk

Wow, I also completely missed just how good Release to the Wind is with Naru, and Baral's Expertise is sick too. Extremely good catch and puts this over the top. Well done!