Where to begin? To the untrained eye, this may look like a pile of cards with strategies that are all over the place with no clear path to victory. To the cEDH savant, this will appear to be a streamlined combo engine of death with consistency and inevitability. An article is probably required to fully explain all of the interactions here, but I'll give it a shot.
There are many game winning lines, but I'll go over the basics:
Flash/Hulk Line #1: Use Flash to put Hulk in play and have it sacrificed, fetching Cephalid Illusionist, Nomads en-Kor, Grand Abolisher, and any 1-drop creature. Use Nomads ability targeting the Cephalid repeatedly to mill your entire library. Sacrifice the Cephalid, the Nomads, and the 1-drop creature to Dread Return targeting Angel of Glory's Rise, which will bring back (among others) Laboratory Maniac and Azami, Lady of Scrolls. Proceed to tap one of the wizards to draw a card and win the game.
Flash/Hulk Line #2: This line should only be used if you should draw one of the pieces of the previous line, making it impossible to fetch them. Use Flash to put Hulk in play and have it sacrificed, fetching Viscera Seer/Carrion Feeder, Academy Rector, Sylvan Safekeeper, and Dryad Arbor. Sacrifice the Academy Rector to fetch Pattern of Rebirth and put it on the Dryad Arbor. Sacrifice the Dryad Arbor to fetch Boonweaver Giant. Sacrifice Boonweaver to get Body Double, copying the Boonweaver. Sacrifice the Body Double'd Boonweaver to fetch Karmic Guide, bringing back the Boonweaver yet again. Now, sacrifice Boonweaver to fetch Reveillark. Sacrifice the Karmic Guide and the Reveillark, bringing back Karmic Guide and Body Double. From this point forward, the Body Double will always copy the Reveillark and the Karmic Guide will bring back Boonweaver. Now you can fetch any creature in your deck and put it directly into play. I like to get Grand Abolisher first to ensure no shenanigans are afoot, then get Venser, Shaper Savant. By sacrificing Venser and the Body Double'd Reveillark, you can bounce all of the permanents in play other than your own. This isn't a 100% flawless win condition, but I can't think of the combination of cards that would get you out of this, so the exact damage you are swinging with is arbitrary at this point.
Pattern Line: You need to have a sacrifice outlet (Viscera Seer/Carrion Feeder/Altar of Dementia), a Pattern of Rebirth and any other creature. Enchant the other creature with Pattern of Rebirth, sacrificing it via your outlet, fetching Boonweaver Giant, returning Pattern of Rebirth attached to the Boonweaver. Sacrifice Boonweaver to get Body Double, copying the Boonweaver. Sacrifice the Body Double'd Boonweaver to fetch Karmic Guide, bringing back the Boonweaver yet again. Now, sacrifice Boonweaver to fetch Reveillark. Sacrifice the Karmic Guide and the Reveillark, bringing back Karmic Guide and Body Double. From this point forward, the Body Double will always copy the Reveillark and the Karmic Guide will bring back Boonweaver. Now you can fetch any creature in your deck and put it directly into play. I like to get Grand Abolisher first to ensure no shenanigans are afoot, then get Venser, Shaper Savant. Proceed with the line from Flash/Hulk #2.
Flash/Rector Line: You need to have a sacrifice outlet and another creature for this line to work. Flash in the Rector and have it sacrificed to fetch Pattern of Rebirth, attaching it to the non-sacrifice outlet creature. Then proceed to follow the previously mentioned Pattern Line.
Hermit Druid Line: Cast Hermit Druid, activate his ability on the next turn, or on the same turn if you have Lightning Greaves and enough mana. There are no basics in this list, so his ability will mill your entire library. Put Narcomoeba into play with its ability and unearth Fatestitcher. Sacrifice these three creatures to flash back Dread Return targeting Angel of Glory's Rise. When her ability resolves, Azami and Laboratory Maniac will come into play. Tap one of them to Azami's ability and win the game.
There is a myriad of other lines/combos to explain in depth, but these are the go-to win conditions of the deck. The only cards that are not combo pieces are protection, ramp, interaction, and tutors.
Combo Pieces:
Academy Rector
Angel of Glory's Rise
Apprentice Necromancer
Azami, Lady of Scrolls
Body Double
Boonweaver Giant
Carrion Feeder
Cephalid Illusionist
Dryad Arbor
Fatestitcher
Hapless Researcher
Hermit Druid
Karmic Guide
Laboratory Maniac
Narcomoeba
Nomads en-Kor
Phantasmagorian (To discard cards that you've undesirably drawn)
Protean Hulk
Reveillark
Venser, Shaper Savant
Viscera Seer
Dread Return
Reanimate
Entomb
Flash
Shallow Grave
Altar of Dementia
Pattern of Rebirth
Protection:
Eternal Witness
Grand Abolisher
Riftsweeper
Sylvan Safekeeper
Lightning Greaves
Memory's Journey (Emergency reset button)
Ramp:
Avacyn's Pilgrim
Birds of Paradise
Deathrite Shaman
Elves of Deep Shadow
Elvish Mystic
Elvish Spirit Guide
Fyndhorn Elves
Llanowar Elves
Noble Hierarch
Chrome Mox
Lotus Petal
Mana Crypt
Mana Vault
Mox Diamond
Sol Ring
Interaction:
Flickerwisp
Notion Thief
Timetwister
Windfall
Chain of Vapor
Cyclonic Rift
Mental Misstep
Nature's Claim
Pact of Negation
Swan Song
Tutors:
Recruiter of the Guard
Demonic Tutor
Green Sun's Zenith
Imperial Seal
Sylvan Tutor
Eladamri's Call
Enlightened Tutor
Mystical Tutor
Vampiric Tutor
Worldly Tutor
Sensei's Divining Top (Lol)
Survival of the Fittest
I will credit Sigi and Dan from the Lab Maniac crew for inspiring me to make this brew. I hope you enjoy this list as much as I did making it!
