(Saheeli, Sublime ArtificerSaheeli, Sublime Artificer | Art by Wesley Burt)
They Walk Alone
Welcome back to Wombo Combo, the article series where we look at EDH's best combo cards using data from Commander Spellbook and EDHREC. This edition, we will look at some of Magic's prolific characters in which most stories revolve around - Planeswalkers!
Some of Magic's most well known characters are Planeswalkers, including Jace, Gideon, and the infamous Nicol Bolas.
Planeswalkers, as a card type, are very unique and almost function as separate players playing under your control, with very strong abilities that can easily overwhelm your opponents. Let's take a walk through the best Planeswalker cards to assist your next combo!
#10: Ugin, the Ineffable
Deck Inclusions: 98,853 decks (1.828%)
Ugin, the IneffableUgin, the Ineffable is a very popular Planeswalker card in colorless decks as it applies a cost reduction to each colorless spell cast.
This makes Ugin a popular choice for artifact and Eldrazi decks alike. Ugin allows you to cast spells like Sensei's Divining TopSensei's Divining Top for free, easily enabling combos with top-deck cards like The Reality ChipThe Reality Chip.
Ugin also can reduce the cost to morph a card, as morph creatures are colorless and therefore count as colorless spells. Adding cards like Obscuring AetherObscuring Aether and Primordial MistPrimordial Mist help to make an easy morph or megamorph combo.
#9: Chandra, Hope's Beacon
Deck Inclusions: 31,446 decks (1.191%)
Chandra, Hope's BeaconChandra, Hope's Beacon comes with two potentially useful abilities for creating combos. The static ability copies an instant or sorcery spell once per turn, which can be used in conjunction with extra turn spells for infinite turns combos.
The first loyalty ability adding two mana makes this Chandra very similar to other Chandras, such as Chandra, Torch of DefianceChandra, Torch of Defiance and can enable some easy combos with The Chain VeilThe Chain Veil and untappers like Ral ZarekRal Zarek.
If you end up with infinite loyalty counters on Chandra, you can simply end the combo by using its last ability to deal infinite damage to two targets, which can easily end the game in many cases.
#8: Nissa, Who Shakes the World
Deck Inclusions: 69,398 decks (2.745%)
Nissa, Who Shakes the WorldNissa, Who Shakes the World also has two different combo utilities from its static ability and its first loyalty ability.
The static ability gives you an additional whenever you tap a Forest for mana, creating a perfect opportunity to make mana with cards like Magus of the CandelabraMagus of the Candelabra.
It also creates a great effect for Ashaya, Soul of the WildAshaya, Soul of the Wild, allowing each of your nontoken creatures to add two mana when you need it.
Nissa's first loyalty ability can animate a land - such as a land enchanted by Tarmogoyf NestTarmogoyf Nest, which can then be untapped by Intruder AlarmIntruder Alarm.
Commander Spellbook
#7: Saheeli, Sublime Artificer
Deck Inclusions: 55,353 decks (4.485%)
Saheeli, Sublime ArtificerSaheeli, Sublime Artificer creates a 1/1 Servo artifact creature token whenever you cast a noncreature spell.
The Servo can be sacrificed to Grinding StationGrinding Station, causing you to mill three cards and cast a ritual spell using Underworld BreachUnderworld Breach. Saheeli's loyalty ability is also very interesting, as you can turn artifacts into clones of artifacts or creatures until end of turn.
This allows you to turn an artifact into a copy of Magda, Brazen OutlawMagda, Brazen Outlaw that is still an artifact so it can be untapped by Clock of OmensClock of Omens.
You can also turn Eternity VesselEternity Vessel into a copy of Darksteel ReactorDarksteel Reactor, taking advantage of Eternity Vessel's easy method of getting charge counters to win the game using Darksteel Reactor's ability.
#6: Kaya the Inexorable
Deck Inclusions: 21,801 decks (1.797%)
Kaya the InexorableKaya the Inexorable's first loyalty ability functions similar to Enduring RenewalEnduring Renewal allowing a return of a creature to your hand when it dies.
Felidar GuardianFelidar Guardian is a perfect candidate for this, as it can blink Kaya when it enters, allowing for Kaya to then activate again and create an infinite loop.
If you can achieve Kaya's ultimate ability, you can also get free infinite turns by casting Karn's Temporal SunderingKarn's Temporal Sundering or Ugin's NexusUgin's Nexus from exile.
#5: Jace, Wielder of Mysteries
Deck Inclusions: 91,680 decks (3.454%)
Jace, Wielder of MysteriesJace, Wielder of Mysteries has ended many games, especially for card draw and self-milling decks.
Normally when you attempt to draw a card from an empty library, you lose the game. Jace, however, flips this onto its head and causes you to win the game instead, similar to Laboratory ManiacLaboratory Maniac, and more loosely like Thassa's OracleThassa's Oracle.
Any combo that causes you to empty your library can easily combo with Jace to win the game on the spot. There are a few cards that can achieve this as well, such as LevelerLeveler or Demonic ConsultationDemonic Consultation to exile your library, and Enter the InfiniteEnter the Infinite to draw all but one card of your library.
#4: Liliana, Dreadhorde General
Deck Inclusions: 100,727 decks (3.681%)
Liliana, Dreadhorde GeneralLiliana, Dreadhorde General lets you draw a card whenever a creature you control dies, making it a variant of cards like FecundityFecundity. Cards that make creature tokens when you draw a card, like The Locust GodThe Locust God, work perfect with Liliana to easily replenish the sacrificed token infinitely.
The draw can also be used by creatures that topdeck themselves, like Golgari ThugGolgari Thug or MortuaryMortuary more broadly, to draw the creature again from your library, giving you the ability to cast them again. Dredge cards can also be returned to your hand using the draw to instead be replaced by the dredge ability.
Commander Spellbook
#3: Will Kenrith
Deck Inclusions: 895 as commander (#1,202); 7.398 as card (0.279%)
Similar to Ugin, Will KenrithWill Kenrith serves as a cost reducer, except for instant, sorcery and planeswalker spells instead.
Cost reducers for instants and sorceries are common features of combos with Ghostly FlickerGhostly Flicker to reduce it to cost, allowing you to easily blink a mana-producing permanent and a creature like ArchaeomancerArchaeomancer to return Ghostly Flicker to your hand.
Cards like Will are also good candidates for buyback spells, such as Whim of VolrathWhim of Volrath or Mystic SpeculationMystic Speculation, which are always great includes for infinite storm and magecraft combos due to their ability to return themselves to your hand. You can cover the remaining mana cost easily with cards like Storm-Kiln ArtistStorm-Kiln Artist.
#2: Kaya, Geist Hunter
Deck Inclusions: 17,277 decks (1.424%)
Kaya, Geist HunterKaya, Geist Hunter's second loyalty ability serves as a token doubler, just like Parallel LivesParallel Lives. Token doublers have a myriad of uses, including cards like Ghave, Guru of SporesGhave, Guru of Spores, Pitiless PlundererPitiless Plunderer and Dihada, Binder of WillsDihada, Binder of Wills.
The good part about Kaya is that it can double any type of tokens, making it a good choice for combos involving less popular token types like Blood or Powerstone tokens. Kaya also brings this effect into a non-green identity, adding more redundancy in non-primary colors for such effects.
#1: Karn, the Great Creator
Deck Inclusions: 61,095 decks (1.13%)
Karn, the Great CreatorKarn, the Great Creator is our #1 Planeswalker for combos, and serves as a sort of Swiss-army knife for various combos and locks. The static ability, alongside Mycosynth LatticeMycosynth Lattice completely locks opponents out of activating abilities, including those of lands.
Karn's main combo power comes from animating artifacts, which can be surprisingly useful in creating infinite combos. Animating Aetherflux ReservoirAetherflux Reservoir and giving it lifelink gives you an infinite damage cannon so long as you have 51 or more life.
You can also animate mana rocks like Thran DynamoThran Dynamo, allowing them to be untapped by Voltaic ConstructVoltaic Construct for infinite mana. Animating Isochron ScepterIsochron Scepter allows you to use a spell that untaps all creatures (think VitalizeVitalize) to also untap Isochron Scepter.
Karn is an excellent combo and lock piece, and if you are looking for a Planeswalker to combo with, Karn is certainly one of your best options.
Commander Spellbook
Honorable Mentions
If the other Planeswalkers listed don't walk the walk, perhaps these can hit a proper stride:
1. Aminatou, the FateshifterAminatou, the Fateshifter: A card that can blink other permanents and be your commander is a great combo engine, especially with cloning effects.
2. Liliana, Untouched by DeathLiliana, Untouched by Death: The perfect Zombie recursion piece, which is also a popular combo engine with cards like Shambling GhastShambling Ghast.
3. Gideon of the TrialsGideon of the Trials: The perfect answer to cards that would otherwise cost you the game, such as Final FortuneFinal Fortune.
4. Teferi, Time RavelerTeferi, Time Raveler: Allows you to cast sorcery spells with flash and/or to bounce a permanent, which is especially useful with Displacer KittenDisplacer Kitten.
Thank you very much for reading this edition of Wombo Combo, and don't forget to check out Commander Spellbook for more EDH combos and visit the Commander Spellbook Discord to vote on the next edition of Wombo Combo. Until next time, happy comboing!
Ethan Coover
Ethan has been an avid EDH player since 2014 with the release of Core Set 2015. In 2021, he joined the Commander Spellbook project as an editor, and later a head-editor and moderator, and has assisted in the curation, updating and/or uploading of over 10,000 unique EDH combos. In his spare time, Ethan loves coming up with new jank EDH lines, playing video games, and going for long walks.
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