Combo

A ‘combo’ refers to a combination of cards (usually two or three) whose abilities complement each other in such a way that they produce game-ending scenarios. These combos often allow a player to repeat the same actions an unlimited number of times, often referred to as a ‘loop’. Decks that prioritize these combinations and interactions as their primary goals or win condition are naturally called ‘combo decks’.

Combos are not restricted to any specific color or color identity, though some colors may contain a higher density of specific types of combos.

## **Types of Combos**

Below is a breakdown of the various types of combos that may occur in Commander games. Note that some combos belong to more than one of these categories.

**Examples:**
* Zirda, the Dawnwaker + Basalt Monolith
* Selvala, Heart of the Wilds + Umbral Mantle
* Deadeye Navigator + Dockside Extortionist

**Examples:**
* Mikaeus, the Unhallowed♧ + Triskelion
* Exquisite Blood + {{card|Sanguine Bond
* Walking Ballista + Heliod, Sun Crowned

**Examples:**
* Archangel of Thune + Spike Feeder
* Resplendent Mentor + Famished Paladin

* Aggravated Assault + Neheb, the Eternal

**Examples:**
* Heartless Hidetsugu + Wound Reflection
* Demonic Consultation + Thassa’s Oracle
* Mycosynth Lattice + Karn the Great Creator

## **Combos with Commanders**

Many infinite or game-ending combos include legendary creatures as one of their key pieces. Because of the Commander format’s constant access to a legendary creature in the Command Zone, this can drastically improve a combo deck’s consistency, as they are guaranteed to obtain one half of a combo in every game. Some commanders may be appealing to players specifically because of their involvement in such combos.

Because of their potential to be a participant in so many combos, commanders may earn a reputation as being combo-heavy decks. Not all commanders that may be part of a combo need be played with those combos, and commanders that are not a piece of any combo may also feature many combos within their decks.

**Popular commanders that have a reputation for being combo-heavy include (but are not limited to):**

* Prossh, Skyraider of Kher (combos with Food Chain)
* Sharuum, the Hegemon (combos with Sculpting Steel)
* Breya, Etherium Shaper (able to deal infinite damage if a player produces infinite mana)
* Niv-Mizzet, Parun (combos with Curiosity)
* Ghave, Guru of Spores (combos with effects such as Cathars’ Crusade and Ashnod’s Altar)
* Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy (combos with Basalt Monolith)

## **Uncontrollable Combos**

Some card combinations produce an infinite loop of mandatory actions, which their controller may not opt out of. These may sometimes be to a player’s detriment, rather than their benefit; for instance, the combination of The Locust God + Kindred Discovery will create many Insect tokens but also force the player to draw infinite cards, resulting in them losing the game by attempting to draw from an empty library.

In other cases, a combo may provide no stopping point. The combo Life and Limb + Sporemound, for instance, will continue to create an infinite number of creature tokens, regardless of input from any player. When these situations arise, the game will end in accordance with rules **104.4b** and **104.4f**:

* **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.

* **104.4f** In a multiplayer game using the limited range of influence option, if the game somehow enters a “loop” of mandatory actions, repeating a sequence of events with no way to stop, the game is a draw for each player who controls an object that’s involved in that loop, as well as for each player within the range of influence of any of those players. Only those players leave the game; the game continues for all other players.

## **Common Deck Categories**

* Tutors / Wheels
* Win Conditions (Combos)
* Protection
* Counterspells
* Removal
* Card Draw
* Ramp
* Mass Removal

**10 cards** will probably give you **2 cards in a given game** from that category, and a good chance to **start with 1** in your opening hand. Critical categories for your deck may require a similar or larger number than this, depending on expected levels of Counterspells or Removal.
**5 cards** will probably give you **1 card per game** of that category. Cards you don't want to overload on but still want access to (*board wipes in a tokens deck for instance*) may want a similar figure to this... Going smaller than this number makes receiving a card of this category very unlikely without Tutors or some other Toolbox approach.

## **Strengths and Weaknesses**

### **Strengths**

* Combos are an exceptionally compact method of victory, relying upon a small number of cards to produce a game-ending event. They also do not involve the combat step, which makes them much harder for enemies to defend against. This efficiency allows a player to produce impactful plays for minimal card investment. This can be especially true if the combos in question have multiple interchangeable cards that may fulfill the role in a combo.
* Combos can be assembled very quickly, especially if the combo player uses tutors to locate them within the deck. Combos are a hallmark of cEDH because of this speed and efficiency.
* Combo decks often do not pose a visible threat to opponents, as they require minimal setup and often have an immediate impact once both or all pieces are assembled on the battlefield. This may allow a combo player to appear non-threatening, hiding their plans from their enemies, then achieving victory over their enemies swiftly and unexpectedly.

### **Weaknesses**

* Combo decks may rely very heavily on individual combo pieces to achieve victory. If opponents are able to prevent or remove individual combo pieces to prevent the combo from occurring, the combo player may have little other impact on the board.
* Because of the singleton nature of the Commander format, combos with few interchangeable combo pieces can be difficult to locate and assemble. Dedicated combo decks almost always must rely upon tutors and devote multiple cards toward the location of combo pieces
* Combo decks, like Land Destruction, occasionally carries a negative reputation amongst playgroups because of their immediate or sometimes non-interactive ability to end games. Players who enjoy combos will often benefit from communicating their deck’s combo potential to opponents during a pre-game discussion, to ensure it will be an enjoyable experience for all.

## *Combo in various colors*

Combos can appear in any color, and may be non-obvious, making finding them via EDHRec's synergy score not a certainty.

We instead recommend using a dedicated tool for finding them. One such tool we link to is **Commanders Spellbook**

### **Toolbox**

The aim of a Combo deck is to assemble a combination of cards... therefore effects which let you find the cards you need (or at least find solutions to problems that would cause you to lose the game) could be highly useful
### **Pillowfort**

Combo deck that don't include a large number of different combos will need more time to assemble one, and Pillowfort is very good at buying you more time
### **Reanimator**

Since Combo is reliant on specific cards, having those cards destroyed can be problematic. Reanimator can ameliorate part of this problem, by giving you more options to get combo pieces back... or potentially even sneak expensive ones into play early.
### **Wheels**

Since Combo decks aim to assemble a combination of cards, cards like wheels that let you filter through a lot more of your deck can let you find combinations much faster, assuming you can put part of the combo on the board instead of your hand. In addition, they have the benefit of disrupting your opponent's plans by rapidly changing their options (changing the cards in their hand). Just beware of giving others the same benefits when they seek to assemble card combinations of their own.
### **Blink**

Since Combo is reliant on specific cards, having those cards destroyed can be problematic. Blink can ameliorate part of this problem by giving you tools to protect your permanents (exiling them to avoid removal then returning them) that can also double up as value engines with the right other cards in play.
**References:**

* Commander Spellbook - The Search Engine for EDH Combos
* Combo tagged articles on EDHRec
* Rule 104