Magic: The Gathering’s Standard Rakdos ‘Guaranteed Win’ Combos Explained

Magic: The Gathering's Standard Rakdos 'Guaranteed Win' Combos Explained

Summary

  • MTG’s Foundations set brought new combos like Demonic Pact and Harmless Offering that require strategic timing.
  • The combo with Nine-Lives Familiar and All Will Be One offers a potential one-turn-kill with the right setup.
  • Sacrificial outlets like Beseech the Mirror and Immersturm Predator play a key role in executing the winning combo.

As a long-time Magic: The Gathering enthusiast with over 20 years of experience under my belt, I must say that the latest additions to the game, particularly from the Foundations set, have truly taken my breath away. The complexity and strategy involved in these new combos are simply mind-boggling!

As the new year approaches and excitement builds among fans, Magic: The Gathering’s Foundations set has significantly reshaped the game landscape, swiftly altering the Standard meta and providing both fresh and reissued cards for various formats. For instance, Doubling Season, a card highly valued by Mark Rosewater, is now legal in Standard after a prolonged hiatus, offering intriguing synergies with Planeswalkers. Although numerous decks are garnering attention for diverse reasons, Rakdos enthusiasts have been treated to two engaging “instant win” combinations thanks to Magic: The Gathering’s Foundations; however, there’s a caveat.

In the world of Magic: The Gathering, there’s no shortage of potent combinations. One particularly effective one in Commander format is the pairing of Thassa’s Oracle with either Tainted Pact or Demonic Consultation, which can end a game if played correctly. In the realm of Standard, overly powerful combos are often balanced by bans to safeguard the health of the gaming environment. However, the release of Foundations has introduced two new combinations for Black and Red decks that can lead to victory, albeit not as instantaneously or straightforwardly as one might think.

MTG’s New Red and Black Foundations Win Combos Explained

Magic: The Gathering's Standard Rakdos 'Guaranteed Win' Combos ExplainedMagic: The Gathering's Standard Rakdos 'Guaranteed Win' Combos Explained

Magic: The Gathering’s Standard Foundations Demonic Pact Combo Explained

The initial Magic: The Gathering strategy we’re discussing originates from the Foundations set and involves Demonic Pact and Harmless Offering. This tactic is designed for use over several turns, as Demonic Pact gives the controlling player four options to choose from, one of which states “You lose the game.” To execute this combo effectively, players must pass control of Demonic Pact using Harmless Offering, but only after the first three choices have been utilized. This way, when the opponent’s turn begins, they receive the Enchantment and their only option is to forfeit the game immediately.

Since Harmless Offering is classified as a Sorcery, it cannot be played during your end step or at the beginning of your opponent’s turn, unlike Instant cards. This means players must strategize, understanding that their opponent might have counterspells for Harmless Offerings or even Instants to disrupt Demonic Pact before their next upkeep. Consequently, this strategy requires a bit more patience, often referred to as “playing the long game.” However, an alternative approach is to broaden your deck’s color identity from Rakdos to Grixis, allowing you to prepare counterspells of your own and ensure the success of the combo.

Among the five fragments hailing from Shards of Alara, Grixis stands out. It shares the same Magic: The Gathering colors as Rakdos, specifically Red and Black, but also boasts the inclusion of Blue.

How MTG Players Can Win in One Turn With Nine-Lives Familiar

Magic: The Gathering's Standard Rakdos 'Guaranteed Win' Combos ExplainedMagic: The Gathering's Standard Rakdos 'Guaranteed Win' Combos ExplainedMagic: The Gathering's Standard Rakdos 'Guaranteed Win' Combos ExplainedMagic: The Gathering's Standard Rakdos 'Guaranteed Win' Combos ExplainedMagic: The Gathering's Standard Rakdos 'Guaranteed Win' Combos ExplainedMagic: The Gathering's Standard Rakdos 'Guaranteed Win' Combos ExplainedMagic: The Gathering's Standard Rakdos 'Guaranteed Win' Combos ExplainedMagic: The Gathering's Standard Rakdos 'Guaranteed Win' Combos Explained

Players should not overlook another potentially powerful Rakdos deck combination, although it can be complex, it can result in a one-turn victory with the right cards. Primarily, this strategy necessitates two specific cards and a means to sacrifice permanents (or specifically creatures) of any type, in the same color. The required cards are Nine-Lives Familiar and All Will Be One. Although Nine-Lives Familiar may not be the top Magic: The Gathering Foundations card for Standard play on its own, it’s the wording that enables the All Will Be One combo to function.

As a gamer, let me put it this way: “In Magic: The Gathering, my All Will Be One enchantment does damage equal to the number of counters I’ve placed on one of my permanents. Now, with Nine-Lives Familiar entering the game already sporting eight revival counters, if I’ve got All Will Be One active, this familiar will swiftly deal eight points of damage to my opponent or their permanent!

Using a sacrifice outlet, you can offer the Nine-Lives Familiar and return it to play, but each time it comes back, it has fewer reincarnation counters. Usually, three uses of All Will Be One are enough to secure a victory in a Standard match.

As a Magic: The Gathering enthusiast, I’ve found some top-tier sacrifice outlets in the Standard format that pair perfectly with the Nine-Lives Familiar. These include…

  • Beseech the Mirror, which can let players sacrifice the Familiar and then put into play one of the other sacrificial outlets to finish the combo
  • Immersturm Predator, which can generate an infinite sacrifice loop
  • Back For Seconds, which allows for a sacrifice and can also bring back other creatures from the graveyard
  • Disturbing Mirth, which allows for one sacrifice, but only costs two mana
  • Sawblade Skinripper, which allows for multiple sacrifices and also deals additional damage to the opponent
  • Corrupted Conviction, which only costs one mana, allows for one sacrifice, and also draws two cards

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2024-12-12 01:36