Niv-Mizzet, ParunNiv-Mizzet, Parun | Art by Svetlin Velinov | CuriosityCuriosity | Art by Igor Kieryluk

Welcome to Combo Week here on EDHREC. Since we're doing combo bracket voting starting on Wednesday, we thought we'd get in on the combo fun, with help from our friends at Commander Spellbook.

In this article, we're looking at the top 20 commanders that have two-card combos (ignoring any combos outside of the commander's color identity). Entries on this list are ordered by the Commander's EDHREC rank, not necessarily by their strength.

With that said, let's jump right into it!

#20. Kinnan, Bonder ProdigyKinnan, Bonder Prodigy

Decks: 42,425 | Rank: 64

Kinnan pairs extremely well with Basalt MonolithBasalt Monolith, providing us with easy access to infinite . This combo lets us draw our library (and put all of our lands) onto the battlefield with Thrasios, Triton HeroThrasios, Triton Hero as an outlet for the mana.

Kinnan decks are usually played at Bracket 4 and 5 tables, and this is the deck's premier combo. Even if we're not using all of the infinite mana that Kinnan and Basalt Monolith provide us with, we can still make use of the colorless mana for extra activations of our commander.

#19. Arabella, Abandoned DollArabella, Abandoned Doll

Decks: 2,685 | Rank: 62

#18. Go-Shintai of Life's OriginGo-Shintai of Life's Origin

Decks: 159 | Rank: 55

Second ChanceSecond Chance is designed to give players once last opportunity to salvage the game, when all should be lost. But, when played alongside Go-Shintai of Life's Origin's ability to recur an enchantment to the battlefield for just , we've suddenly got the ability to take as many turns as we want.

Go-Shintai has similar synergies with enchantments like Decree of SilenceDecree of Silence and Energy FieldEnergy Field, for those of you interested in other ways to lock opponents out of the game!

#17. Obeka, Splitter of SecondsObeka, Splitter of Seconds

Decks: 12,427 | Rank: 53

The upkeep phase is one of the most entertaining parts of a Magic turn. We get to access some of our most powerful effects and gear up for a turn full of game actions. But, tragically, we only get one upkeep per turn. Obeka changes that, letting us get multiple upkeeps per turn, triggering Court of IreCourt of Ire, Phyrexian ArenaPhyrexian Arena, and even Bonehoard DracosaurBonehoard Dracosaur multiple times.

The upkeep effect of Mechanized ProductionMechanized Production even lets us win the game outright, creating enough similarly-named artifacts to cruise to victory. This strategy is somewhat fragile, but it's certainly effective.

#16. Shorikai, Genesis EngineShorikai, Genesis Engine

Decks: 6,190| Rank: 51

Shorikai is a remarkably strong commander, providing card advantage and token production for just and . This Vehicle also happens to provide us with an infinite amount of card draw and creature tokens when used with Intruder AlarmIntruder Alarm.

Shorikai certainly isn't the first commander to do some busted things with Intruder Alarm, as the enchantment is part of dozens of combos on Commander Spellbook. But it's still an interesting two-card combo that Shorikai pilots can leverage into a win with ease.

#15. Caesar, Legion's EmperorCaesar, Legion's Emperor

Decks: 2,085 | Rank: 41

Breath of FuryBreath of Fury is on my short list of interesting non-commander cards to build a deck around. It lets us, theoretically, get tons of combat steps each turn provided we can keep a board full of creature tokens. Caesar, and other commanders like Otharri, Suns' GloryOtharri, Suns' Glory, let us take infinite combat steps with this Aura.

Caesar, Legion's Emperor seems like a perfect fit for this two-card combo, as his modal attack trigger lets us take our opponents out or draw tons of cards as we complete our infinite combat steps.

#14. Toph, the First MetalbenderToph, the First Metalbender

Decks: 9,621 | Rank: 37

Toph seems purpose-built for combos. There's tons of artifacts that are meant to provide a powerful effect just once before exiting the battlefield, but Toph's earthbending ability ensures that those artifacts stick around for much longer.

From The Stasis CoffinThe Stasis Coffin to MindslaverMindslaver, there's a lot of ways to ensure our opponents can't win the game. We can even force a draw with a copy of Caged Sun on the board, if winning games gets too boring.

#13. Animar, Soul of ElementsAnimar, Soul of Elements

Decks: 11,480 | Rank: 35

Animar is well known for providing big discounts on scary creatures, letting pilots cast game-ending threats way ahead of schedule. But this Elemental can also become infinitely large, provide us with infinite storm, and infinite creature entering (ETB) triggers when played with Ancestral StatueAncestral Statue. The Golem is supposed to have a downside, bouncing a permanent when it enters, but we can just choose to bounce it to its own trigger and recast the creature.

While we technically need a way to turn this combo into a win, Animar's protection from and mean that it can usually take out one of our opponents by itself. Or we can just include a copy of Witty RoastmasterWitty Roastmaster to finish the job in style.

#12. Kefka, Court MageKefka, Court Mage

Decks: 9,868 | Rank: 31

The Ruler of Ruin (The creature that the Court Mage transforms into) is a great value engine, providing us with all the card advantage we could ever need. But when used with Psychosis CrawlerPsychosis Crawler, or Niv-Mizzet, ParunNiv-Mizzet, Parun, or Glint-Horn BuccaneerGlint-Horn Buccaneer and a discard outlet, we're able to win the game on the spot.

These combos even see some (fringe) cEDH play as part of a Grixis midrange deck helmed by Kefka.

#11. Muldrotha, the GravetideMuldrotha, the Gravetide

Decks: 2,162 | Rank: 30

I was surprised to see that Muldrotha has just two two-card combos listed on Commander Spellbook (one with Mindslaver and one with Second Chance). After all, she turns our graveyard into an extension of our hand. But MindslaverMindslaver locks are extremely powerful, rewarding us for building up the we'll need to continue this loop turn after turn.

This combo doesn't win us the game on the spot, but using one opponent's resources to screw over all three of our opponents does put us on a fast track to victory.

#10. Esika, God of the TreeEsika, God of the Tree

Decks: 854 | Rank: 29

Aggravated AssaultAggravated Assault is notorious for providing players with infinite combat steps, and Esika just so happens to be among the most popular commander on EDHREC to take advantage of that fact. She turns all of our legendary creatures into mana dorks, letting us access infinite combat steps if we've got at least five legendary creatures on board and providing us with infinite mana if we've got at least six legendary creatures on board.

We'll usually be able to win the game by making good use of those infinite combat steps (and that infinite mana), making this combo super effective at closing out games. This enchantment, unfortunately, doesn't work quite as effectively with The Prismatic Bridge.

#9. The NecrobloomThe Necrobloom

Decks: 23,595 | Rank: 26

#8. Chatterfang, Squirrel GeneralChatterfang, Squirrel General

Decks: 53,188 | Rank: 25

Chatterfang decks tend to be built to take advantage of the sacrifice outlet that their commander provides. They've got cards like Blood ArtistBlood Artist to whittle opposing life totals down, Species SpecialistSpecies Specialist to draw tons of cards, and even Pitiless PlundererPitiless Plunderer to make tons of TreasureTreasures. Wait a second... I'm being told that Chatterfang goes infinite when played alongside Pitiless Plunderer? This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, both of these cards have their fair share of combos on Commander Spellbook.

This Pirate is among the most played cards for Chatterfang pilots, finding itself in a whopping 68% of lists! If we happen to have a Blood Artist-style effect on the battlefield, this combo can even end the game.

#7. Baylen, the HaymakerBaylen, the Haymaker

Decks: 3,086 | Rank: 22

Much like Esika, God of the TreeEsika, God of the Tree, Baylen grants us infinite mana and infinite combat steps when paired with Aggravated AssaultAggravated Assault. But Baylen provides us with some clear follow-up steps, too.

We can draw our whole deck by tapping three untapped tokens and put an infinite amount of +1/+1 counters on our commander by tapping four untapped tokens. If we're able to flood the board with tons of creature tokens, as Naya () decks are prone to doing, we won't have a problem setting up a win.

#6. Miirym, Sentinel WyrmMiirym, Sentinel Wyrm

Decks: 1,866 | Rank: 21

This combo is quite expensive. For a total of , we get to produce infinite mana and blink all of our permanents an infinite number of times. But we only get infinite mana if we have any mana-producing nonland permanents available after making the aforementioned 13 mana.

While this combo is unique, and a natural fit for Miirym pilots looking to play at higher-power tables, the juice may not be worth the squeeze.

#5. Nekusar, the MindrazerNekusar, the Mindrazer

Decks: 15,355 | Rank: 18

Nekusar is already quite scary. Pilots like to cast Wheel of FortuneWheel of Fortune, WindfallWindfall, or Winds of ChangeWinds of Change to deal massive chunks of damage to opponents. But, when he's on the board and we cast Peer into the AbyssPeer into the Abyss, we get to wipe one of our opponents off of the face of the planet.

Much like Bruvac the GrandiloquentBruvac the Grandiloquent and TraumatizeTraumatize, this sorcery lets us get rid of a problematic player by casting just a single spell. It's the kind of play that strikes fear into other players' hearts, and (speaking from experience) the kind of play that people remember for a long time.

#4. Vivi OrnitierVivi Ornitier

Decks: 11,010 | Rank: 16

While Vivi also goes infinite with Deadeye NavigatorDeadeye Navigator, this combo is much easier to set up and much more popular. It's neat to see a relatively obscure card from Mirrodin suddenly become a key part of a popular Commander combo, especially when that card is as funky as Quicksilver ElementalQuicksilver Elemental.

This 23 year-old creature is actually a part of lots of other combos, but none quite as popular as this.

#3. Kenrith, the Returned KingKenrith, the Returned King

Decks: 1,572 | Rank: 14

This combo also requires a significant amount of setup. After paying to get both of these creatures onto the battlefield, we get to infinitely loop a creature between the graveyard and the battlefield.

This would work well in an Aristocrats-focused build of Kenrith, focused on draining opponents' life totals and extracting value by sacrificing creatures repeatedly.

One of the reasons that Kenrith sits so high on EDHREC's rankings is his flexibility. The King can be built in many different ways, and is a great general purpose deck leader. This may not be the cheapest way to generate infinite death triggers, but it's a nice showcase of Kenny's flexibility.

#2. Kaalia of the VastKaalia of the Vast

Decks: 20,797 | Rank: 6

Kaalia can cheat in expensive Angels, Demons, and Dragons whenever she attacks. If we manage to slam Master of CrueltiesMaster of Cruelties onto the battlefield with that trigger, we can take out any one of our opponents by hitting them with the Demon and with our commander. Unless they're prepared to block two creatures (including our evasive commander), the game is likely over for them.

Kaalia even skirts around Master of Cruelties' solo-attacking restriction, allowing us to really take an opponent by surprise.

This is one of the most powerful creatures to get onto the battlefield in the early game, when opponents are unlikely to have the answers they need to keep themselves alive.

#1. The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon

Decks: 99 | Rank: 1

Despite being at the very top of EDHREC's commander popularity rankings, The Ur-Dragon is part of very few combos (only two listed on Commander Spellbook as of the time of writing). This combo, with Rafiq of the ManyRafiq of the Many, lets us kill an opponent every time we go to combat by dealing lethal commander damage to them.

This combo is strong, and may be worth including in some build of this commander, but it's certainly a departure from a Dragon-centric game plan. Would you include this combo in your Ur-Dragon deck? Or would you rather use the space in your 99 to include another flying, fire-breathing lizard? Let me know in the comments below.

Conclusion

I was surprised to see how many decks included some of these two-card win conditions. I didn't expect Pitiless Plunderer to be in over 50,000 Chatterfang decks, nor did I expect Aggravated Assault to be in less than 1,000 Esika decks. The folks over at Commander Spellbook have put together some really interesting data, so be sure to check out the in-depth pages they've provided for each combo in their database.

Which of these combos do you play in your decks? Are you opposed to combo victory entirely? Let me know in the comments below, and enjoy the rest of our Combo Week!