Tap, untap. Tap, untap. Tap, untap. Like waves beating the sandy shore, this infinite combo deck undoes tapping as simply as waves wash away footprints. If you put the deck up to your ear, you can hear the rhythm of the ocean, and maybe even a merfolk chanting from the depths.
A unique t3 infinite untap win:
Island
+
Fertile Ground
+
Kiora's Follower
+
Freed from the Real
- Infinite untap of all permanents - This is infinitely better than simply gaining infinite mana. This engine doesn't just generate mana and life - it is the win itself.
Chalice of Life
can be tapped and untapped infinitely, transformed into
Chalice of Death
, and tapped and untapped for the kill all in the same turn no matter how many opponents I'm facing. If the combo seems convoluted, that is almost completely negated by all the duplicates, versatile tutors, cantrips and other unique and powerful spells. If left undisrupted, it can win on T3. However, against realistic disruption, it still consistently wins by T7. What makes this deck worth playing over infinite mana-ramp combos is the
Chalice of Life
wincon. This is because CoL is very difficult to stop. Yes, it can be removed, but the strategy to this deck is to only play CoL when the rest of the combo is in play, which leaves very little time for opponents to react to it. Ideally, a
Muddle the Mixture
,
Heroic Intervention
, or
Negate
will be in hand, which makes stopping repeating life loss from CoL very unlikely. It can't be blocked and it's not damage, so it's practically impossible to prevent. I'm not saying this is the greatest deck ever, but after play-testing pretty extensively, it has proven to hold it's own against many equally priced decks. It also makes use of a Kiora's Follower in a way I haven't ever seen before, which adds some tasty flavor. Also, all my friends hate this deck and it still wins a lot. Oh, and it's actually possible to play a planeswalker and use its final ability in the same turn. Which is pretty freaking sweet in my book.
I really, really appreciate any +1's and thoughtful suggestions. I acknowledge this deck probably won't compete well against tier 1 decks, but it does do pretty darn well within it's price-range.
Turn 3 win scenario
T1: Drop
Temple of Mystery
and Scry 1
T2: Drop
Island
, tap UG, and Cast
Kiora's Follower
T3: Drop
Botanical Sanctum
, Tap 1G, Cast
Fertile Ground
enchanting any untapped land, Tap for UU, Untap same land with
Kiora's Follower
, Tap for UU, Cast
Freed from the Real
enchanting
Kiora's Follower
, Pay U, Untap
Kiora's Follower
. Infinite untap of all permanents, Infinite mana. Cast
Chalice of Life
. Win.
Alternate exploits of
Kiora's Follower
+
Freed from the Real
+
Fertile Ground
+
Island
:
Westvale Abbey
- infinite mana and untap can generate infinite tokens, and flip the Abbey to swing on the same turn.
Door to Nothingness
(Sideboard surprise wincon) - use infinite mana to drop the Door, then Kiora's follower to untap it, and infinite mana again to activate the Door.
Hydroid Krasis
- alternate wincon to
Chalice of Life
, tutor-able with
Muddle the Mixture
(formerly,
Grindclock
filled this slot, but I got lucky with a booster pull and swapped Krasis in for flavor and flair)
Savor the Moment
- infinite untap completely negates the skipped untap step, allowing
Kiora's Follower
to essentially gain haste as well as providing an addition card via the Draw Step. (Useful when the infinite combo is out, but there are no counter spells or wincons in hand)
Fatestitcher
- increases infinite uptap to include all opponent's permanents in addition to my own.
Mind Spring
- draw all the cards in the deck
Kiora, Master of the Depths
- use infinite mana and and untap to proliferate loyalty counters with
Contagion Engine
, achieving emblem, get (3) 8/8 Octopus tokens.
Scry, Cantrips, Draw Card, & Tutors:
Temple of Mystery
- the best T1 play - Scry 1
Muddle the Mixture
- tutor for
Kiora's Follower
,
Fertile Ground
, or
Millstone
Drift of Phantasms
- tutor for
Freed from the Real
,
Vizier of Tumbling Sands
,
Weirding Wood
, or
Chalice of Life
Mind Spring
- draw lots of cards
Vizier of Tumbling Sands
- with a
Fertile Ground
or
Weirding Wood
down, the Cycling ability is a cantrip for 0.
Weirding Wood
- cantrip with the Clue
