Magic the Gathering is one of the most complex games in the world. With thousands upon thousands of unique cards, it isn’t surprising that some work very well together. Some MTG cards have such powerful synergy that they create infinite combos that can give you life, creatures, mana, or more. But how exactly do these combos work?
An infinite combo is any sequence that you can repeat indefinitely, and the advantage you get from this process will often win you the game. This could be dealing damage to your opponents, creating tokens, or just about any other win condition. Sometimes, you put together a combo through activated abilities. Other combos use triggered abilities that will keep going until you do something to stop them. No matter how it happens, infinite combos are made when two or more cards can interact with each other any number of times.
If you’re looking to power up your game with these combos, then look no further. The rest of this article is dedicated to showing you some of the best infinite combos in MTG. Whether you’re trying to create an army of countless warriors or take out your enemies in one fell swoop, we’ve got you covered.
Table Of Contents:
- What Are Infinite Combos In MTG
- Are Infinite Combos Legal In MTG
- Do Infinite Combos End The Game
- What Are The Best Infinite Combos In MTG
- End Step
What Are Infinite Combos in MTG?
An infinite combo is whenever you can repeat the same actions as many times as you want. Some combos have the player activating abilities or casting the same spells over and over. Others are automatic, such as triggered abilities that will keep triggering until you do something to stop them.
Infinite combos don’t have to go on forever. “Going infinite” always has the potential of going on and on, but it’s usually stopped by the limits of the game or by a player’s actions. After all, if you have a combo that deals infinite damage, you’ll only deal the damage it takes to knock out your opponents. Similarly, if you’ve put together an infinite mana combo, you’ll decide when you have enough mana to win the game and stop the combo.
This means that when I refer to infinite mana, for example, it won’t technically be infinite. At some point, you have to stop making mana for the game to continue. Instead, you might have three billion mana in your pool, which is essentially infinite for a game of MTG.
Are Infinite Combos Legal in MTG?
Yes! It might seem like you’re breaking the game, but there’s no rule against combos. The only thing you should check is that each card is legal in the format you’re playing.
Do Infinite Combos End the Game?
One way or another, infinite combos will usually end the game. The most likely outcome is that the player who combos will win right away. After all, dealing infinite damage or milling all of your opponents’ cards should end the game. Of course, a timely counterspell could stop the combo, and the game will continue as normal.
The other possible outcome is that the combo happens, but there isn’t any way to stop it. If the game gets stuck in an infinite loop, then it ends in a draw.
104.4b If a game that’s not using the limited range of influence option (including a two-player game) somehow enters a “loop” of mandatory actions, repeating a sequence of events with no way to stop, the game is a draw. Loops that contain an optional action don’t result in a draw.
MagicJudges.org
Oftentimes, infinite combos involve triggered abilities going back and forth, and sometimes these can’t be stopped. If nobody has a way to interact with them, these abilities could go on forever, which would cause a draw.
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What Are the Best Infinite Combos in MTG?
Now that we’ve gone over exactly what an infinite combo is, you might want to try some for yourself. Below are some of the best combos for lots of different effects, any of which can win you games.
Keep in mind: there are LOTS of powerful magic cards, so these aren’t the only combos out there. Some of these cards will also be in more than one combo. If you come across a card with a similar effect, you might be able to swap it into one of these combos. Just make sure it works before changing your deck!
Infinite Mana
Deadeye Navigator is a broken card, and it can easily make infinite mana with Peregrine Drake. When either of these creatures enter the battlefield, you can pair them with Deadeye Navigator’s soulbond. This lets you bounce Peregrine Drake and untap five lands over and over. You’ll gain three mana from each bounce, so you’ll be able to cast or activate just about anything.
Another two-card combo is to use Zirda, the Dawnwaker and Basalt Monolith.
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Normally, Basalt Monolith doesn’t net you any extra mana since it taps for three and requires three to untap. With Zirda out, though, you only have to spend one to untap it, so you net two each time. The only downside to this combo is that it makes colorless mana, so you need something like Prismite to get specific colors.
Lastly, Pemmin’s Aura might be the best way to create infinite mana.
Oasis Ritualist lets you tap and exert it to add two mana of any one color, and Pemmin’s Aura lets you spend one blue mana to untap Oasis Ritualist. You can continue to tap and exert the ritualist, and you can create mana of any color (as long as you start by making blue mana, which you need for Pemmin’s Aura).
My favorite part about this combo is that Pemmin’s Aura can also give shroud. Shroud is one of the best ways to protect your creatures, and there isn’t much that can break up this combo once you have it.
| Pros | Cons |
| You choose when to stop | Doesn’t win on its own |
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Infinite Damage
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind has been going infinite for a long time, and Niv-Mizzet, Parun is just as degenerate. With Curiosity attached to them, either card could easily win on the spot. Once Niv-Mizzet, Parun deals the first point of damage to a player, Curiosity will let you draw a card. This will trigger Niv-Mizzet’s ability to deal damage, and so on.
I do have to warn you: make sure your deck size is larger than your opponent’s life totals. If you have to draw a card while your deck is empty, you lose the game. Make sure you can win before that happens or else this combo will really backfire.
Another popular combo is Exquisite Blood and Sanguine Bond. These cards have opposite effects: Sanguine Bond makes your opponents lose life when you gain life, and Exquisite Blood gains you life when they lose it. Once you have both, you just need to trigger one of them to start a chain reaction. Since some colors have almost no cards that remove enchantments, this is another combo that can be tricky to stop.
| Pros | Cons |
| Win condition on its own | You have to start the triggers somehow |
Infinite Life
Instead of dealing infinite damage, perhaps you’re looking to go the other way. If you want infinite life, then you should run Spike Feeder.
Spike Feeder may not look like much on its own, but it’s quite strong when combined with Archangel of Thune. All you have to do is remove a +1/+1 counter from Spike Feeder to gain life, which will trigger Archangel of Thune. Each creature you control will get a +1/+1 counter, including Spike Feeder. This not only lets you gain infinite life, but it also makes your other creatures as large as you want them to be.
You can also use Heliod, Sun-Crowned, but it isn’t the same as using Archangel of Thune. Since Heliod only puts a +1/+1 counter on one creature, your others won’t get bigger as a result of this combo.
| Pros | Cons |
| You choose when to stop | Doesn’t win on its own |
Infinite Mill
Of course, dealing damage isn’t the only way to win a game of MTG. If your opponents have to draw a card but can’t, they lose. There are plenty of infinite mill combos to achieve this, but they usually require three or more cards. This means that they’re harder to assemble than the other combos we’ve gone over, but these are still strong ways to end the game.
Ranar the Ever-Watchful might not seem like the sort of card that can combo off, but you can take advantage of its free spirit tokens. First, you need Ranar and any other creature, as well as Altar of Dementia and Rest in Peace. This combo has more moving pieces, so let’s break down the steps:
- Sacrifice the other creature to Altar of Dementia
- Target one of your opponents with Altar’s ability
- The creature will get exiled because of Rest in Peace
- Ranar’s ability will trigger because you exiled a permanent, making a spirit token
- Let Altar’s ability resolve, then repeat this process by sacrificing the spirit
There are more interactions in this combo, but you’re basically making infinite tokens one by one. Since they each have one power, you can slowly but surely mill everyone’s library with Altar of Dementia. Still, there are ways to make infinite tokens all at once.
| Pros | Cons |
| Win condition on its own | Requires three or more cards |
Infinite Tokens
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker is famous for going infinite, and it might be the best card for creating infinite tokens. This is because Kiki-Jiki makes tokens with haste, so they can attack right away. Dodging sorcery speed
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If you have Kiki-Jiki out with Pestermite, you can create an infinite
This next combo actually saw play in Pauper, which is a high-power format despite its low price tag. Once you attach Presence of Gond to Midnight Guard, you’ll have a mean, green (and white), token generating machine. To start, tap Midnight Guard to create a 1/1 elf. Midnight Guard will untap due to its original ability, letting you make more and more elves.
Lastly, Siona, Captain of the Pyleas can make a strong EDH combo deck. If she’s your commander, you just have to find one card to get this combo rolling. Once you have Siona out, all you have to do is enchant her with Shielded by Faith.
Siona’s ability will create a 1/1 soldier, which will trigger Shielded by Faith. You can attach the aura to the soldier, which will create another soldier because of Siona. Rinse and repeat until all your forces have arrived.
| Pros | Cons |
| You choose when to stop | Tokens often don’t have haste |
| Win condition on its own |
End Step
We can’t possibly go over all the infinite combos in MTG. There are too many cards and too many interactions to talk about them all. Still, I hope you’re excited to try these combos in your next deck, or even willing to experiment with making some combos of your own. No matter how you want to do it, get your combo pieces in place and pop off!
