Sprout SwarmSprout Swarm | Art by Chippy

Featured Sets on Commander Spellbook

Welcome to Combo Week! I'm starting off by looking at Commander Spellbook, an important database to find all sorts of combos that Commander players are putting into their decks. If you're interested in learning more about inputting search terms, check out this syntax page as a guide.

Today, I'm going to be looking at combos from the featured recent sets currently highlighted at the bottom of this search engine's home page: Secrets of Strixhaven and Marvel Super Heroes. The syntax to find these recent combos is "is:featured-1" for Strixhaven and "is:featured-2" for Marvel Super Heroes.

Note: as more spoilers come out, don't forget to check out The Hobbit using the "is:featured-3" as well.

To narrow it down a bit further, I'll also be sticking to the most streamlined, two-card combos. To do this, I'm adding "cards=2" to my search. Ensure that the results are sorted by popularity, and let's see what we come up with!

Secrets of Strixhaven

Buyback

The clearly most popular combo from this recent set so far involves Witherbloom, the BalancerWitherbloom, the Balancer and Sprout SwarmSprout Swarm. With enough creatures already on the battlefield, simply cast and buyback the Swarm infinite times to create as many 1/1 Saproling tokens as you choose – even at instant speed! The fact that half of this combo can be in the command zone and the total cost to get the ball rolling is as little as makes this pairing quite fearsome indeed.

Speaking of buyback, it's no surprise that a set focused on casting instants and sorceries like Secrets of Strixhaven unlocked many older cards with this ability.

For example, Molten-Core MaestroMolten-Core Maestro interacts perfectly with the ability to continually re-buy the same spells. Its most popular pairing is with ReiterateReiterate, allowing for infinite copies of any instant or sorcery spell. Even more straightforward, however, is combining this fiery Goblin Bard with old-school cards like Searing TouchSearing Touch or Fanning the FlamesFanning the Flames to deal infinite damage to whatever you choose – including burning out all your opponents.

Counter-Draw

Another combo piece from this set comes in the form of Pensive ProfessorPensive Professor. Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on this Wizard, you get to draw a card. The piece of the puzzle that's missing: turning card draw into counters. This is where the appropriately named Wizard ClassWizard Class (or the more recent versions of this effect in Iron Man, Armored AvengerIron Man, Armored Avenger or Lyla, Holographic AssistantLyla, Holographic Assistant) come in.

Blinking Prepared Creatures

Creatures that enter prepared are a great way to combo off with Displacer KittenDisplacer Kitten, which does seem to go infinite with all sorts of stuff! The most-played version of this combo involves Blazing FiresingerBlazing Firesinger.

Repeatedly using the Kitten to reset the Firesinger whenever you cast its copy of Seething SongSeething Song means infinite , infinite spells cast, and infinite creatures entering and leaving. Pairing the Kitten with Goblin GlasswrightGoblin Glasswright is a similar story. This version requires less mana to get started with the tradeoff that you don't get to make infinite mana when the combo is going. However, you'll still get infinite spells cast – and the repeated Treasure tokens mean cards like Reckless FireweaverReckless Fireweaver can turn this particular iteration into an instant win.

Marvel Super Heroes

The most popular combo from this set thus far involves The Incredible Hulk, the back face of Bruce BannerBruce Banner. The artifact CaltropsCaltrops, an old card first printed all the way back in Urza's Destiny, was originally intended to defend its controller from the attacks of smaller creatures. With this version of Hulk, however, it becomes a surprise piece of offense – the little caltrops pinpricks keep making Hulk ANGRY!!!, resulting in continued attacks and a continually growing commander.

Like the above-mentioned Witherbloom/Sprout combo, it's nice to be able to always access one piece of this interaction in the command zone. Unlike with the Strixhaven commander, however, the Hulk requires a bunch more mana and setup.

Next up is The Unbeatable Squirrel GirlThe Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. If budget is no object, there are a few combos with this potential commander that result in infinite SquirrelSquirrel tokens and infinite mana – and it should be easy enough to win from there.

First, Phyrexian AltarPhyrexian Altar, a frequent combo piece, can finish off the game in a flurry if you have already assembled enough Squirrels. With a big enough board already established, you can repeatedly sacrifice four tokens to activate the Squirrel Girl, netting more and more tokens and mana each time.

This dynamic is similar for EarthcraftEarthcraft – just tap the newly created Squirrels to untap basic lands and keep re-activating the Squirrel Girl. How fitting that this old-school enchantment known for comboing with Squirrel NestSquirrel Nest has found a home in another Squirrel-based combo. And just like Witherbloom and Hulk, it's nice to have half of a two-card combo easy to find in the command zone at all times.

The new enchantment Heroic FeastHeroic Feast supplements many existing infinite life combos with Spike FeederSpike Feeder (like the well-known ones with Heliod, Sun-CrownedHeliod, Sun-Crowned or Archangel of ThuneArchangel of Thune). This new printing is notable, however, because it represents the first time this effect is accessible in a mono-green (rather than ) color identity. Also notable is the fact that this combo doesn't just result in infinite life – it also means all creatures you control other than the Feeder will get infinite +1/+1 counters placed on them.

Finally, Hawkeye's BowHawkeye's Bow is a combo from an unlikely source – a one-mana common Equipment that appears best suited for Limited. Its infinite interaction with fellow common Seeker of SkybreakSeeker of Skybreak has already resulted in the Elf's banning in Pauper. In Commander, however, this combo is alive and well – and doesn't take a lot of mana to set up and execute. You can also swap out the Seeker for cards like Aphetto AlchemistAphetto Alchemist or even the clunkier Tidewater MinionTidewater Minion. Also, if you can somehow attach the Bow to Ith, High ArcanistIth, High Arcanist and get an attack off, you absolutely deserve to win at that point!

Conclusion

So there you have it – a quick overview of some of the more recent unique two-card combos that Commander Spellbook has to offer. Have these newer sets enabled any combo additions to your own decks? Or have you discovered any new cards whose combos haven't yet made it into the database? Thanks for reading, and see you next time!