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Ouroboroid of Hours

Pioneer Combo Competitive Counters GU (Simic) Infinite Combo Primer

Esper879

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Simic Infinite Turns

The Deck That Has Decided It Is Your Turn No Longer

Welcome to Simic Infinite Turns, a Pioneer deck whose primary strategic philosophy is:

What if my opponent simply wasn't allowed to play Magic anymore?

This deck is built around Sage of Hours and Ouroboroid. The early game is spent developing mana, assembling the right creatures, and making Ouroboroid sufficiently enormous that its beginning-of-combat trigger produces the resources needed to keep taking turns.

Once the engine is online, Sage of Hours turns five +1/+1 counters into an extra turn, while Ouroboroid generates the counters that keep the process going.

Congratulations.

You have discovered the most important rule in Magic:

If you keep taking turns, eventually you win.

The deck has three jobs:

  1. Make mana.
  2. Make Ouroboroid big.
  3. Turn Ouroboroid's counters into extra turns with Sage of Hours.

This isn't a traditional creature beatdown deck.

You are not interested in reducing your opponent from 20 to 0 in a reasonable number of turns like some sort of amateur.

Instead, you're assembling a machine that eventually says:

Beginning of combat → counters → Sage of Hours → extra turn → beginning of combat → counters → Sage of Hours → extra turn → repeat

The beautiful part is that Ouroboroid doesn't even need to attack.

You simply keep reaching the beginning of combat, collecting counters, converting five of them into another turn, and doing it again.

Your opponent's turn is now less of a scheduled event and more of a distant historical possibility.

The core of the deck is:

The Six-Power Breakpoint

The critical number is 6 power.

Once Ouroboroid is above 5 power, its beginning-of-combat trigger produces enough +1/+1 counters to keep Sage of Hours supplied.

And this is the important part:

Ouroboroid does not need to attack.

You only need to reach the beginning of combat.

The Loop

  1. Have Sage of Hours on the battlefield.
  2. Get Ouroboroid to 6+ power.
  3. Move through your pre-combat main phase.
  4. Reach the beginning of combat.
  5. Let Ouroboroid's trigger resolve.
  6. Put the generated counters onto Sage of Hours.
  7. Remove five counters from Sage of Hours.
  8. Take an extra turn.
  9. Repeat.

No attack required.

No combat math required.

No heroic declarations of "I attack."

Just reach combat, collect your counters, and commit temporal crimes.

Quick Reference

Requirements

Loop

Beginning of combat → Ouroboroid generates counters → put counters on Sage of Hours → remove five → extra turn → repeat

Once this is happening consistently, the opponent's next turn becomes increasingly theoretical.

Eventually, they die.

Technically, they can concede first.

Most do.

The deck is heavily creature-based, which gives it an unusual amount of flexibility.

Your creatures aren't simply creatures.

They're mana.

They're tutors.

They're combo pieces.

And, when necessary, they're Eldritch Evolution fuel.

The early game is about turning those resources into the battlefield you need to start the loop.

Mana Creatures

Llanowar Elves and Elvish Mystic exist for one very important reason:

Go faster.

Your ideal early turns often involve accelerating your mana rather than doing anything particularly clever.

The deck has expensive and mana-intensive sequences, and getting ahead of the normal curve lets you start assembling them earlier.

The basic principle is:

Turn-one mana creature = you get to do unfair things sooner.

There is no need to overcomplicate this.

Play the elf.

Make mana.

Become a problem.

Badgermole Cub

Badgermole Cub helps turn your creature development into the resources needed to make Ouroboroid enormous.

You don't need to assemble the perfect battlefield immediately.

Instead, you're building toward the point where Ouroboroid reaches 6+ power and its beginning-of-combat trigger starts producing enough counters to sustain Sage of Hours.

Think of the overall progression as:

creatures → development → bigger Ouroboroid → counters → Sage of Hours → more turns

Badgermole Cub is an important part of making that progression happen.

️ Formidable Speaker

Formidable Speaker is another important creature in the setup package.

Its primary role is tutoring for creatures.

When Badgermole Cub is on the battlefield, Formidable Speaker also provides additional mana, giving it a second role as part of the deck's acceleration.

So:

Without Badgermole Cub:

Tutor.

With Badgermole Cub:

Tutor + ramp.

It doesn't produce counters.

It doesn't secretly become part of the counter engine.

It finds the creature you need and, with Badgermole Cub around, helps pay for the nonsense you're about to commit.

Ouroboroid

Ouroboroid is the engine.

Do not think of it as merely a large creature.

Its job is to turn your beginning-of-combat steps into the resources required to keep taking turns.

The critical threshold is:

6+ power

At 6 or more power, Ouroboroid's beginning-of-combat trigger produces enough counters to keep Sage of Hours fueled.

And again:

It does not need to attack.

You simply reach the beginning of combat.

Before 6 Power

"How do I make this thing bigger?"

At 6+ Power

"Excellent. We have abolished the opponent's turn."

Protect Ouroboroid whenever practical.

The opponent is going to notice that your gigantic creature is responsible for generating the counters that allow you to take infinite turns.

They may even try to stop it.

Rude.

⏳ Sage of Hours

Sage of Hours is the part of the deck that commits the felony.

Five +1/+1 counters become an extra turn.

That's the entire philosophical foundation of the deck.

Sage of Hours isn't primarily here to attack.

Its job is to convert the counters generated by Ouroboroid into time.

And time is just another resource.

Once you have enough of it, your opponent stops getting turns.

Which is extremely convenient.

The deck's creature tutors are what make the entire machine considerably more consistent.

Fauna Shaman, Formidable Speaker, and Eldritch Evolution allow you to stop hoping that you draw exactly what you need and instead start actively finding it.

Because apparently drawing cards like a normal person wasn't good enough.

Fauna Shaman

Fauna Shaman is your creature tutor.

Its philosophy is simple:

If you don't have the creature you need, turn a creature you don't need into the creature you do.

Fauna Shaman can find Sage of Hours, Ouroboroid, Badgermole Cub, Formidable Speaker, or whichever creature best advances your current line.

Because the deck is so heavily creature-based, you generally have plenty of creatures that can be converted into something more useful.

Do not think of Fauna Shaman as merely a value creature.

It is effectively a sign hanging over your battlefield that says:

"The combo is somewhere in this deck and I am going to find it."

️ Formidable Speaker

Formidable Speaker is another creature tutor.

Its primary job is finding the creature you need.

When Badgermole Cub is on the battlefield, it also provides additional mana, allowing it to contribute to the deck's ramp plan.

That gives Formidable Speaker two useful modes:

Tutor when you need a creature.

Tutor + ramp when Badgermole Cub is online.

Eldritch Evolution

Eldritch Evolution asks a slightly different question:

"Which creature would make this battlefield substantially more stupid?"

Use it to turn an expendable creature into the specific creature your current board state requires.

For example:

Don't use Eldritch Evolution simply because you have the mana.

Know the line first. Then tutor.

Tutor Priorities

Missing Sage of Hours

Find Sage of Hours.

Missing Ouroboroid

Find Ouroboroid.

Ouroboroid isn't large enough

Find the creature or effect that helps push it to 6+ power.

Need another tutor

Find Fauna Shaman or Formidable Speaker.

Already have the combo

Stop tutoring for the sake of tutoring.

Protect the engine and execute the loop.

♻️ The Important Part: They're Also Sacrifice Fodder

The creatures in this tutor package aren't just tutors.

They're also sacrifice fodder for Eldritch Evolution.

That means the same creatures helping you find your combo can become the fuel for finding the next creature you need.

Creature you don't need → sacrifice to Eldritch Evolution → find the creature you do need.

This flexibility is one of the strengths of the creature package.

Your creatures can change jobs as the game develops:

Mana → tutor → Eldritch Evolution fodder → combo

And that's exactly what you want from a deck where every creature is apparently applying for three different positions.

Once you've spent the game assembling an increasingly ridiculous creature engine, the last thing you want is to lose it to a single removal spell.

Fortunately, the deck has ways to protect the pieces that matter.

Snakeskin Veil

Snakeskin Veil protects your important creatures while also putting a +1/+1 counter on them.

That makes it particularly useful here.

Your protection spell isn't completely disconnected from the rest of the deck's plan.

If the opponent points removal at your combo creature:

Protect it.

You don't need to be heroic.

You don't need to prove anything.

Let them spend their card.

You have another turn coming.

And another.

And another.

Repulsive Mutation

Repulsive Mutation serves double duty.

It interacts with opposing creatures while also fitting into your counter-based game plan.

Think carefully before firing it off.

The deck isn't interested in trading cards simply because it can.

If the opponent presents a meaningful blocker or disruptive creature, Mutation can clear the way.

If they aren't presenting a problem, preserving your resources for the combo may be more important.

The goal is not to interact with everything.

The goal is to interact with the things that prevent you from doing the extremely stupid thing your deck was built to do.

The mana base gives you access to several useful utility lands.

Boseiju, Who Endures

Boseiju, Who Endures gives you an answer to problematic noncreature permanents while still functioning as a land when you need the mana.

Otawara, Soaring City

Otawara, Soaring City provides another way to interact with problematic permanents while still being a perfectly respectable land drop.

And that's important.

These cards are lands first when you need them to be.

Your deck has a combo to assemble.

You generally want to make your land drops.

A utility land sitting in your hand accomplishing nothing is much less impressive than a utility land producing the mana required to cast your spells.

The ability to turn excess lands into interaction is useful.

The ability to remember that they are lands is even more useful.

Your opening hand does not need to contain the entire combo.

That would be convenient.

It would also be asking quite a lot from seven cards.

Instead, you're looking for a route to the combo.

What You're Looking For

Ideally, your opening hand contains some combination of:

You don't need all of these.

You need enough of them to make a coherent plan.

For example:

Mana creature
Lands
Fauna Shaman
Combo piece
Protection

is much more interesting than seven powerful cards that don't cooperate.

Warning Signs

Be careful with hands that:

  • Have no reliable mana
  • Have expensive cards but no acceleration
  • Have interaction but no route to the combo
  • Require several specific topdecks
  • Have combo pieces but no way to develop toward them

The goal isn't necessarily to have the combo in hand.

The goal is to have a credible route to the combo.

The Mulligan Question

Ask yourself:

"What is this hand's route to infinite turns?"

If you can answer that, you're probably looking at a workable hand.

If the answer is:

"Well, hopefully I draw six specific cards."

Perhaps allow the deck to provide you with a more enlightened starting seven.

The deck becomes much easier to pilot if you think of the game as three distinct stages.

Early Game — Make Mana

Your first priority is acceleration.

Llanowar Elves and Elvish Mystic let you jump ahead of the normal curve and start making your more expensive plays earlier.

Don't spend the early game trying to look clever.

Make mana.

Develop your board.

Set up the problem.

Midgame — Assemble the Machine

Once you've established your mana, start assembling the pieces.

This is where Fauna Shaman, Formidable Speaker, and Eldritch Evolution become especially important.

Ask yourself:

  • What combo piece am I missing?
  • How do I get Ouroboroid to 6+ power?
  • What interaction does the opponent have?
  • What needs protecting?
  • Which creature can I afford to turn into another creature?

Don't rush.

The deck is capable of explosive turns, but blindly jamming the combo into obvious interaction is how you end up taking exactly zero extra turns.

Which is generally considered suboptimal.

♾️ Combo Turn — Stop Being Normal

Once you have the necessary pieces, stop thinking like a normal Magic player.

Your objective is:

Reach the beginning of combat, generate the counters, feed Sage of Hours, take the extra turn, and do it again.

Your turn becomes:

  1. Untap.
  2. Develop anything necessary.
  3. Reach the beginning of combat.
  4. Let Ouroboroid generate its counters.
  5. Put the counters onto Sage of Hours.
  6. Remove five counters.
  7. Take the extra turn.
  8. Repeat.

You don't need to attack.

You don't need to win combat.

You don't need to interact with anything that isn't stopping the loop.

You simply keep taking turns.

1. Casting Your Tutors Too Early

Don't use Fauna Shaman or Eldritch Evolution without knowing what you're getting.

Know the line first.

Then tutor.

You are not opening a mystery box.

You're playing a combo deck.

2. Forgetting the Six-Power Breakpoint

Ouroboroid being large is good.

Ouroboroid being large enough is what matters.

The relevant breakpoint is 6 power.

Keep track of its power.

Once it crosses that threshold, the deck's entire posture changes.

3. Thinking Ouroboroid Needs to Attack

It doesn't.

You only need to reach the beginning of combat.

Ouroboroid generates its counters there, allowing you to feed Sage of Hours without ever declaring an attack.

This is one of the most important things to remember when piloting the deck.

No attack required. Just reach combat.

4. Wasting Protection

Snakeskin Veil is not merely a combat trick.

It protects your combo.

If the opponent has interaction and you can safely wait, consider whether you need to expose your combo before you have protection available.

5. Using Interaction Just Because You Can

Repulsive Mutation is useful.

That does not mean you need to cast it every time it has a legal target.

Your cards are resources.

Spend them when they actually advance the game toward your objective.

6. Taking Unnecessary Risks

Once you have the loop, there is usually no reason to get cute.

You don't need the fanciest line.

You need the line that works.

Extra turn. Combat. Counters. Extra turn.

Magic has generously provided you with a very large number of phases in which to make this extremely obvious.

Once infinite turns are established, the game is functionally yours to lose.

So don't.

You have effectively unlimited turns. Use them.

Turning Infinite Turns Into Lethal

Once the engine is running, you can:

  • Develop your battlefield.
  • Grow your creatures.
  • Generate additional counters.
  • Clear problematic permanents with your interaction.
  • Attack when it is useful.
  • Continue reaching combat.
  • Keep taking turns.

You don't have to rush.

The opponent cannot meaningfully advance their game plan because they don't receive the opportunity to do so.

Eventually, your board is enormous and their life total is zero.

At which point you've successfully demonstrated the deck's central thesis:

The best way to win a game of Magic is to simply refuse to let it end.

You don't need a clever finishing move.

You have time.

All of it.

Literally.

The One-Sentence Version

Ramp → assemble Sage of Hours + Ouroboroid → get Ouroboroid to 6+ power → reach the beginning of combat → generate counters → put them on Sage of Hours → spend five → take another turn → repeat until the opponent is no longer legally required to sit there.

Welcome to Simic Infinite Turns

Please enjoy your turn.

There will not be another one.

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