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Sevinne's Copy Combos [Primer]

Commander / EDH* Bracket 3 Budget Burn Combo Flashback Magecraft RUW (Jeskai, America) Xerox

guywitharock

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Commander: foil Sevinne, the Chronoclasm

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I'm just gonna say it: I'm pretty sure most people are playing Sevinne wrong....

It seems like a no brainer, right? Sevinne's second ability copies spells from grave, so load up on flashback, jump-start, and aftermath. Hell, that's what the pre-con does. Piece of cake?

Pff, no. Not unless you want pre-con tier deck that does next to nothing most of the time. The noob trap here is clear, I think - most of the cards with the aforementioned graveyard cast effects are either not impactful or way too overcosted, even when copying the effect. Look at garbage like Fervent Denial. Who the hell is holding onto 7 mana on the off chance you get to counterspell something? Couldn't you have done something more impactful with that 7 mana during your turn??

So if Sevinne, the Chronoclasm isn't the "flashback commander" then why run him at all? Red herrings aside, Sevinne is unique among commanders as one that can enable spell copy strats with a reasonable mechanism to navigate, in addition to being the only spell copy commander with access to the ideal Izzet suite AND white, which gives some of the best protection you can ask for.

The list is still a bit work-in-progress, but the goal is to use Sevinne, the Chronoclasm to enable combos and synergies from copied cards, as well as protecting the combos and ourselves. To me, Sevinne seems to perform best when building up supporting pieces which go off for a big combo turn while ideally also getting additional value up to that point.

Allow me to detail the primary lines of play you can set up with Sevinne, followed by how to win:

Having a commander with the ability to copy spells naturally invites the option to copy copying spells. Increasing Vengeance is the standout option because it has the inbuilt flashback to cast from grave (which is needed to trigger Sevinne, the Chronoclasm). So here's an example of how the line works:

  1. Start with any instant or sorcery spell. Literally anything, it does not matter.
  2. With Sevinne, the Chronoclasm on the battlefield and Increasing Vengeance in grave, hold priority to flashback Inc Ven and target the first spell.
  3. Sevinne will trigger, copying Inc Ven and allowing you to choose a new target for the copy. Sevinne's copy of Inc Ven should target the original Inc Ven.
  4. When Sevinne's copy of Inc Ven resolves, that will create a new copy of Inc Ven on the stack. You will also have this target the original Inc Ven.
  5. Repeat this process of having the copies copying the original Inc Ven for infinite magecraft triggers.

This list provides many ways to pull this off, and it is important to keep your eyes out for those other options if the magecraft triggers are beneficial. The important elements are the starting instant/sorcery, the copy instant or sorcery, and then a way to copy that copy spell.

A classic combo line which is both easy and has game-winning potential. The ability to create infinite Dualcaster Mage or Naru Meha, Master Wizard creatures with Cackling Counterpart or Electroduplicate, and with potentially more upside. Here's an example of the basic line:

  1. Cast Electroduplicate on a creature you control. Anything will do, even Sevinne.
  2. Hold priority and cast Dualcaster Mage.
  3. When DcM resolves and ETBs, have its ETB ability target the Electroduplicate still on the stack.
  4. The ED copy goes on top of the stack, and when it resolves have it target the fresh DcM that's now on the battlefield.
  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for infinite DcM's on the battlefield. This also, of course, triggers magecraft infinitely.

You can get extra interesting with this line if you have Harmonic Prodigy out, plus another spell to take advantage of... let's see that:

  1. With Harmonic Prodigy on the battlefield in addition to the above, also hold priority to cast a spell you'd like to replicate. Let's say Lightning Helix.
  2. Every time a Dualcaster Mage hits the battlefield you'll be able to target two instants/sorceries.
  3. Each time have one DcM trigger target the Electroduplicate as normal, and have the other target Lightning Helix.
  4. Now every time DcM hits the battlefield you're getting a free Lightning Helix, infinitely, and you can kill the table while also gaining infinite life and destroying every creature your opponents control.

Keep in mind the potential paths to victory with this line, and all of the viable options are listed in the "How to Win" section, under the infinite copies header.

Lastly, I'd like to point out that, as great as this is, Dualcaster Mage and Naru Meha are far more flexible than just this trick for infinite copies of them. Use either to enable other copy shenanigans as needed.

Can't go wrong with Isochron Scepter value, highly flexible and powerful. Let's look at some of the best targets for this card so we know what our potential lines are for winning.

First and foremost, the top targets:

  • Isochron Scepter + Dramatic Reversal + 3 mana rocks = infinite mana on top of infinite true spell casts. This is my top choice given only one extra element is needed to win from here.
  • Narset's Reversal is perhaps the most flexible option, allowing you to copy and repeatedly cast an effect that can hopefully win you the game. NR also has the added benefit of being able to pull flashback cards to your hand after they were cast from the graveyard, as opposed to exiling them. If you can also get a hold of Turnabout, then you can generate infinite spellcasts - and potentially infinite mana - so long as you have 6 permanent mana at your disposal.
  • Reprieve and Unsubstantiate are similarly useful options, helping make sure you don't run out of spells to cast. Don't forget to use these to target spells cast with Flashback to bring them back to hand! They have their extra benefits as well which helps the value proposition.

On the topic of Isochron Scepter, there are some generally powerful targets for if you can't wait for one of the above:

Also keep in mind that since Isochron creates a copy of the card which then gets cast for free, you are able to copy the casted copy most of the time as well. Get creative with it! The only limit is your imagination.

Increasing Vengeance + Sevinne, the Chronoclasm + Twinning Staff also goes hard. If you aren't familiar, the trick goes like this:

  1. Start with a spell like Lightning Bolt with Sevinne, the Chronoclasm and Twinning Staff on the field, and Increasing Vengeance in grave.
  2. When you cast LB, hold priority and copy it with Inc Ven, which will get copied once by Sevinne and once more by Twinning. Have the first copy target Lightning Bolt while the second copy targets the original Inc Ven.
  3. The Lightning Bolt copy resolves, and when the Inc Ven copy resolves it will make two more copies thanks to Twinning Staff (allowing new targets as well), where you again have one choose the original Inc Ven and the second choose lighting bolt.
  4. Repeat this ad infinitum to kill the table. Lightning bolt can be subbed for any spell you'd like to copy infinitely to win.

While Increasing Vengeance is the most straightforward option with its self-contained graveyard casting ability, it's important to note that it can be switched for any of our typical copy spells, such as Twincast or Reverberate, so long as we can cast them from grave with help from abilities like Return the Past. As long as we have that spell copied by Sevinne and Twinning Staff you are good to go.

Keep in mind the potential paths to victory with this line, and all of the viable options are listed in the "How to Win" section.

Let's take a moment to appreciate the combo potential of Narset's Reversal, an extremely flexible and powerful card that deserves its own section. The card is good enough just as written, but you can really break it when you can copy it. Here are some of the key ways to really abuse this seemingly fair instant.

  • Frantic Search + Narset's Reversal + Primal Wellspring . Cast Frantic search with some other mana, then hold priority and cast Narset's Reversal to target Frantic Search using mana from Primal Wellspring   which will put a copy of NR on the stack along with it, and the copy of NR should target the original NR. The copy of NR will resolve, putting the original NR back in your hand (replaced by a copy), and that will then resolve putting FS back in your hand (also replaced by a copy). Choose Primal Wellspring   as one of the lands untapped by Frantic Search as it resolves and you can start all over. This trick lets you mill through your whole deck while also yielding two true spell casts per round, as opposed to just making copies, which triggers on cast effects.
  • Narset's Reversal + Primal Wellspring + Snap . Nearly the exact same trick as the above, except you bounce all of your opponent's creatures back to their hands (and maybe yours too if you want), repeatable at instant speed as long as you leave 4 land mana open and your opponents don't draw a counterspell. Again, two true spell casts per loop, and potentially three friends lost at the table.
  • Dramatic Reversal + Lithoform Engine + Narset's Reversal . Harder to pull off because of the mana intensity, and you'll almost definitely need support from either Storm-Kiln Artist, Kykar, Wind's Fury, or some similar mana production in addition to mana rocks here. That said, this loop is far from impossible. Similar to the first two, start with Dramatic Reversal, hold priority and copy with Narset's Reversal and copy NR with Lithoform Engine's second ability. When this loop fully resolves you'll again have casted two spells with DR and NR back in hand and LE untapped and ready to repeat as much as you like. Storm-Kiln Artist yields 5 tokens from this (2 spells, 3 copies) so just pair him with a Sol Ring - some other combination of 7 non-land mana would do as well - and you're in business for infinite spell casts.

Frankly, there are countless valuable applications for Narset's Reversal if you can copy it. The only limit is mana and your imagination.

Some of the lines may be obvious, but some are not. Here I'd like to detail how the aforementioned casting lines lead to wins with Sevinne.

If you get infinite Magecraft:

If you get infinite copies of a misc spell or infinite spell casts:

If you get infinite mana/treasures:

If you get infinite card draw:

  • Play out the aforementioned combos as soon as able.
  • Win out with Laboratory Maniac (obviously).

Twinning Staff

It's hard to overstate how much value add can come from Twinning Staff. Not only can it single-handledly create the infinite magecraft loop descriped in Line 1, but it adds value - sometimes game winning value - to nearly every copy interaction you'll play. It is a whole different ball game if you have this thing available.

Mana

If it's not already obvious, the aforementioned combos can be very mana intensive. So part of making this gameplan work is having solid options for building up mana for a big combo turn. Here's what we're working with:

  • Storm-Kiln Artist is the best. Builds treasures to save up for a big turn, and often even during the turn they're needed for.
  • Lots of the traditional mana rocks like Chromatic Lantern.
  • Kykar, Wind's Fury makes the spirits which are effectively Red mana rocks.
  • Sorcerer Class turns your creatures into dorks for the spells that matter. Especially potent with creature token generators.

Fetch Targets

This deck runs a few of the budget-friendly fetch options that are out there, though sadly we don't have access to the good black ones. At any rate, here are some general tips on what you should be seeking out as the opportunities present themselves.

If you have Fabricate in hand you have the power to start combos:

  • Twinning Staff enables the most shenanigans and is usually the top target.
  • Isochron Scepter is great as well, though you should already have an exile-able card for it in hand if you go for this.
  • Primal Amulet   is next if you already have the above. This card also enables some good combos once it has transformed.

If you have Quiet Speculation in hand you can load up the graveyard with whatever you're missing:

  • Increasing Vengeance is almost always the go-to option unless you already have a copy spell available and a way to copy that copy spell.
  • Deep Analysis or other card draw is great for keeping the deck moving quickly if you need the juice. If Quiet Speculation is cast early in game, I'd actually recommend getting two or three draw spells.
  • Devil's Play is good if you know you'll have the mana to use it.
  • Electroduplicate is a top target if you have Dualcaster Mage or Naru Meha, Master Wizard in hand already.
  • Past in Flames is a decent fall back if you know there are cards in grave worth re-casting/copying.

Protection

Just a quick shout-out for Sevinne's first ability, preventing all damage done to him. Not only does this make Sevinne an almost perfect blocker, we can take it up to the next level:

  • Pariah and Pariah's Shield make you immune to damage as long as you still have Sevinne out. Not only does this save you from typical creature swings and burn damage, but remember it also prevents infect and commander damage too. And no blocking required!

We also run a handful of other cards which grant the kind of unique protection only white can offer:

All effects that trigger from casting spells from graveyard

This category includes, but is not limited to, cards such as River Kelpie, Burning Vengeance, and Ominous Roost. The bottom line is that the payoff is simply not good enough given the set-up required. Even in the original Sevinne pre-con these don't trigger often enough or bring enough value when they do. In a constructed format, you're better off running the equivalents that trigger off of all casts like Archmage of Runes does. If these cards also triggered off of copies, or did twice their current effects, then maybe we could have a discussion about it. As printed, they blow.

The countless bad cards that can be played from graveyard

This category includes, but is not limited to, cards such as Momentary Blink, Otherworldly Gaze, and Ray of Distortion. As described at the beginning, the rationales for each card falls under the reasoning of either:

  • The cards don't do enough, even when copied by Sevinne (or the copy is irrelevant).
  • The cards are overcosted, even when considering a copied effect.
  • The cards are outclassed by other, similar options.

Higher budget cards

These choices are mostly a consequence of my real-life pod and it's meta as we typically play decks around the power level that this list currently sits at. That said, if you wanted to juice this list up then there are many changes you could make to crank it up a notch (or several).

There are almost definitely more includes that would make sense as well.

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