Echocasting SymposiumEchocasting Symposium | Art by Fajareka Setiawan

Epic has got to be one of the most fun mechanics to build around, forcing us to create a deck that doesn't cast a single spell once we've resolved Eternal DominionEternal Dominion. It's insanely cool and a feat to pull off, but um, not super fun or good. That's where paradigm comes in.

It's essentially the same thing as epic, but we're allowed to cast spells, and the effect is a little cheaper and less game ending. Today we're talking about Echocasting SymposiumEchocasting Symposium, the blue member of the paradigm cycle, that creates a token copy of a creature on each of our turns.

It's a pretty open ended card, so I'm quite excited to see what we can do with it.

The Jankiest Way To Use Echocasting Symposium

Okay, hear me out. Echocasting SymposiumEchocasting Symposium makes a ton of copies of itself, which is obviously very strong, but what if we made so many copies that it just became overwhelming and confusing?

Prismari, the InspirationPrismari, the Inspiration gives all instants and sorceries that we cast storm, and yes, paradigm casts the spell. Unfortunately because of the mechanic's wording, we can't get multiple instances of paradigm, but when we cast Symposium at the beginning of the first main phase, the spell will get storm. And if we can get a nonlegendary copy of Prismari, the InspirationPrismari, the Inspiration with something like Irenicus's Vile DuplicationIrenicus's Vile Duplication, then we can start duplicating Prismari and getting multiple instances of storm.

On the first turn, let's say we have Prismari and a duplicate. Maybe we cast a BrainstormBrainstorm during our upkeep. Paradigm casts a copy of Symposium, which already gets two instances of storm. So it copies itself twice, and we choose to make three more copies of the nonlegendary Prismari. Next turn, we've got five Prismaris on board, meaning we get six copies of Echocasting SymposiumEchocasting Symposium if we've cast a spell before then.

Let's not even talk about if we can resolve two spells in our upkeep! This is quite janky enough.

The Most Evil Thing To Do With Echocasting Symposium

One of the first things I noted about Echocasting SymposiumEchocasting Symposium is that it says "target player," not "you." Immediately it's obvious that we can give our opponents some terrible creatures, and I think Eater of DaysEater of Days is by far the worst.

Assuming we can avoid the cost of getting it onto our board, we can then start distributing it among our opponents. Since Eater of DaysEater of Days skips the next two turns of whoever's board it enters, we can alternate between two of our three opponents, and completely cut them out of the game.

This is so much worse than just killing them, because even though they can't play, the game's still going, and they're still technically there. At any point, the third opponent could find a way to remove Eater of DaysEater of Days and end the combo. You never know!

Heck, we can even give our opponents a single turn just for the fun of it, and give them a slight glimmer of hope. Will they draw that removal? Will they free themselves? Not if we've got a CounterspellCounterspell in hand. But I'd be amazed if the game didn't end by forfeit the second we started skipping turns, because this is honestly the most cruel game plan I've ever seen.

The Best Combo With Echocasting Symposium

But we can also do the opposite of skipping our opponents' turns by giving ourselves infinite extra turns and actually winning the game.

Unsurprisingly, it's easy to do. With a Timestream NavigatorTimestream Navigator on the board, we just have to make a copy and send that token to the bottom of our deck, giving us an extra turn for four mana, every turn.

It's so absurdly simple that I had to double check if it actually worked that way. But as far as I can tell it's a flawless combo. Of course, Timestream NavigatorTimestream Navigator combos with practically anything, so this is nothing new.

The Most Competitive Deck for Echocasting Symposium

Echocasting SymposiumEchocasting Symposium is pretty versatile, and finding the objectively best deck for it is impossible. There are just too many good options. But we do have a few criteria. We want a deck that has powerful, nonlegendary, game-winning creatures, plus a lot of mana. Gee, I wonder what color combo that sounds like.

Ultimately, I think the clear answer is Kinnan, Bonder ProdigyKinnan, Bonder Prodigy. That deck is all about creating mana with creatures to cast bigger creatures. It's a library that runs a million busted targets that Kinnan fetches himself, like Hullbreaker HorrorHullbreaker Horror, and the mana base will have no problem casting Symposium.

Yes, Echocasting Symposium might only be making a strong deck stronger, but this is absolutely where it belongs.

The Worst Deck for Echocasting Symposium

This one's always a tough category. What deck can I find that Echocasting SymposiumEchocasting Symposium genuinely makes worse? It's such a strong card, so how could it be detrimental? Well, the whole idea is that it recasts itself on each of our turns, but what if we had a deck that specifically wanted to play less spells? Like, for instance, a Hatebears deck running Deafening SilenceDeafening Silence.

If we play Echocasting Symposium on our turn, our own enchantment will lock us out of playing anything else. Of course, we can simply choose to not cast it, because that is indeed a may ability. I don't think I can find a deck where the card is genuinely bad, but I'll call this close enough.

(Bonus) My Personal Favorite Way To Play Echocasting Symposium

While my first instinct was to use Echocasting SymposiumEchocasting Symposium on Eater of DaysEater of Days, I do actually have a sliver of good in me, and I also considered the possibility of putting this card in a Group Hug deck.

Think about the political implications! Our opponents will be all be begging for that copy of Kwain, Itinerant MeddlerKwain, Itinerant Meddler, or a FlumphFlumph. Imagine what the board would look like with four or five Humble DefectorHumble Defectors being traded around! We might as well put on a Santa Claus hat.

Is this a good way to win the game? No, but I guarantee it'll be over the top and a ton of fun.

Wow, Echocasting SymposiumEchocasting Symposium can do a lot. It allows for some crazy lines, overpowered interactions, and game ending combos, but it also fits into a Group Hug deck. How many cards can you say that about?

I'm a pretty big fan of this card. I'm certain I've only scratched the surface with it, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what y'all can do with the paradigm mechanic. Got a cool build? Let me know in the comments!