15 Brand New Combos to Try With Secrets of Strixhaven

Last updated on April 20, 2026

Planar Engineering | Illustration by Liiga Smilshkalne

Much like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Secrets of Strixhaven looks like the type of set design that lends itself to combos quite easily. There’s a lot of blink, mana generation, and spell-cheating, among other hallmarks signs of a combo-heavy set.

Let’s explore some of the most fun, interesting, and powerful combos you can pull off using cards from the set, many of which are aimed at Commander, and some of which have promise in Constructed, too.

What Are Combos in Secrets of Strixhaven?

Molten-Core Maestro | Illustration by Aleksi Briclot

These combos involve at least one new card from Secrets of Strixhaven or Secrets of Strixhaven Commander, and they work with other cards to produce a result that either instantly wins the game, or one that puts you in an overwhelmingly positive position, likely to win the game from there.
This will be a mix of true infinite combos and merely powerful interactions, some of which have Constructed potential.

#15. Persistent Gorma

Cards: Gorma, the Gullet + Putrid Goblin

Results: Infinite ETBs and death triggers, infinitely large lifelinker.

Prerequisites: Gorma needs to be in play, and your persist creature can’t have a -1/-1 counter on it. You’ll also need a sac outlet, ideally a free one that doesn’t use mana.

Variations: You can replace Gorma with any creature that puts +1/+1 counters on creatures when they enter. Putrid Goblin can be any creature with persist instead.

Execution:

• Get both creatures into play, alongside a repeatable, free sac outlet (Woe Strider, Phyrexian Altar, etc.).
• Sacrifice Putrid Goblin, triggering persist and Gorma, the Gullet’s death trigger. Gorma gets a +1/+1 counter, and persist brings Putrid Goblin back into play.
• Putrid Goblin enters with a -1/-1 counter from persist, and at least one +1/+1 counter from Gorma, which cancels the -1/-1 counter.
• Repeat until Gorma is as large as you need it to be. You can add in a Blood Artist or similar effect to win without attacking.

#14. The Greatest of Henges

Cards: Slumbering Trudge + The Great Henge

Results: Cast The Great Henge on turn 2.

Prerequisites: You must have cast Slumbering Trudge on turn 1. The X value doesn’t matter. You’ll need on turn 2 to cast Henge.

Variations: The Skullspore Nexus is another powerful artifact with the same cost reduction as The Great Henge.

Execution:

• Cast Slumbering Trudge for on turn 1. It enters with 3 stun counters, which are largely irrelevant.
• The Great Henge costs less to cast, so you can cast it for on turn 2. Enjoy your busted ramp, card draw, and lifegain!

#13. Dragon in a Library

Cards: Lorehold, the Historian + Library of Leng

Results: Manipulate the top card of your library to set up Lorehold’s miracle effect.

Prerequisites: Both permanents in play, and presumably a couple powerful instants and sorceries you’d like to cast for cheap.

Variations: Penance and Hidden Retreat are additional ways to put cards from your hand directly on top of your library.

Execution:

• Get Lorehold, the Historian and Library of Leng into play.
• At the start of any opponent’s upkeep, discard the instant or sorcery you want discounted to Lorehold’s rummage ability.
• Library of Leng’s replacement effect allows you to put the discarded card on top of your library instead of in the graveyard.
• The rest of Lorehold’s effect then draws a card, specifically the one you just put on top.
• If it’s an instant or sorcery and you haven’t drawn another card that turn, miracle triggers and you can cast the spell for .

#12. Math Is for Losers

Cards: Zevlor, Elturel Exile + Mathemagics

Results: Each opponent draws their library and loses.

Prerequisites: Zevlor in play and able to tap without summoning sickness, plus 18 mana total (no big deal), two of which must be .

Variations: This technically works with Blue Sun's Zenith instead of Mathemagics, but you likely need infinite mana to make it function.

Execution:

• Activate Zevlor, Elturel Exile.
• Cast Mathemagics for X=7 (16 mana total), targeting any opponent.
• Zevlor copies that spell for each other opponent.
• Each Mathemagics causes the respective opponent that it targets to draw 128 cards, and anyone who isn’t playing 250-card Battle of Wits instantly loses.
• Casting Mathemagics for X=6 results in 64 cards drawn, which may be enough to deck out some players.

#11. Incremental Wins

Cards: Pensive Professor + Wizard Class

Results: Infinite card draw, infinitely large Professor.

Prerequisites: Both permanents in play, Wizard Class on level 3, and a way to either draw a card or put a +1/+1 counter on Pensive Professor. It also helps to have at least one other creature since neither trigger is a “may” ability, and you’ll deck out if you can’t stop the combo.

Variations: Anything that draws when you put a counter on it can replace the Professor (Fathom Mage). Anything that places +1/+1 counters on a creature when you draw can replace Wizard Class (Lyla, Holographic Assistant).

Execution:

• Get both permanents into play and get Wizard Class up to level 3.
• Draw a card, triggering Wizard Class. Put the +1/+1 counter on Pensive Professor.
• Pensive Professor triggers to draw a card. Repeat from the step above.
• Once you’ve drawn enough cards, use the Wizard Class trigger to put a +1/+1 counter on a different creature to break the loop.

 #10. Unfinished, but Free

Cards: Sanar, Unfinished Genius + Freed from the Real

Results: Infinite artifactfall and artifact sacrifices.

Prerequisites: Sanar in play without summoning sickness. Freed from the Real is in your hand. You’ll also need to cast any instant or sorcery to allow Sanar to tap, and you need some sort of artifact payoff to make the chain do anything.

Variations: Freed from the Real can infinitely untap any creature that can produce by tapping. If the enchanted creature can tap for any additional mana, you can produce infinite mana as well. Xorn and Goldspan Dragon can also produce infinite mana with the Sanar set-up.

Execution:

• Enchant Sanar, Unfinished Genius with Freed from the Real. It doesn’t matter if Sanar is prepared or not.
• Cast any instant or sorcery, unlocking Sanar’s tap ability.
• Tap Sanar to produce a Treasure token.
• Sacrifice the Treasure for .
• Use to untap Sanar with Freed from the Real’s ability.
• Repeat by tapping and untapping Sanar.
• You’ll need an effect like Reckless Fireweaver in play to make use of the artifacts entering and turn this into an actual win.

#9. A Pox Upon Your Standard

Cards: Pox Plague + Bloodletter of Aclazotz

Results: Opponents with an even life total lose the game, opponents with an odd life total go to 1 life.

Prerequisites: Bloodletter in play and to cast Pox Plague.

Variations: Cards that double life loss can replace Bloodletter (Wound Reflection, Warlock Class). Cards that make opponents lose half their life can replace Pox (Rush of Dread, Unstoppable Slasher).

Execution:

• Get Bloodletter of Aclazotz into play.
• Cast Pox Plague, cutting each opponent’s life total in half.
• Bloodletter doubles the life loss.
• Since Pox Plague rounds its life loss down, an opponent at an odd life total remains alive at 1 life, and opponents who started with an even life total instantly lose.

#8. Oh Wow, We Broke Displacer Kitten

Cards: Blazing Firesinger + Displacer Kitten

Results: Infinite red mana, infinite spell casts, infinite ETBs and creatures leaving play.

Prerequisites: Both permanents in play and Blazing Firesinger still prepared, with the mana to cast the prepared Seething Song.

Variations: Goblin Glasswright is another prepared creature that can create an infinite combo with Displacer Kitten, though it doesn’t produce infinite mana.

Execution:

• Get both creatures into play, and make sure Blazing Firesinger is still prepared.
• Cast Seething Song (Firesinger’s prepared spell).
• Displacer Kitten triggers. Target Firesinger to exile it then return it to the battlefield.
• Resolve Seething Song and generate .
• When Firesinger returns to the battlefield, it’s prepared again. Spend to cast Seething Song, floating the other . Repeat until you have infinite red mana.

#7. Magnum Opus

Cards: Molten-Core Maestro + Searing Touch

Results: Infinite instants cast, infinite +1/+1 counters on Maestro, infinite mana, and infinite damage, 1 point at a time.

Prerequisites: Maestro needs at least 4 power to start the loop, and you need to cast Searing Touch the first time.

Variations: Fanning the Flames has the same end result as Searing Touch, and you can cast Reiterate infinitely as well.

Execution:

• Get Molten-Core Maestro in play, and pump it up to 4 power, either by casting a couple instants/sorceries to trigger opus or through other means.
• Cast Searing Touch with buyback, spending 5 mana total.
• This triggers the full opus ability on Maestro to bring it to 5+ power and produce at least 5 red mana.
• Continue to use the mana generated by Maestro to cast and buyback Searing Touch, generating more mana and +1/+1 counters from each trigger, while you also deal 1 damage per resolution of Touch.

#6. Emeritus of Extra Turns

Cards: Emeritus of Abundance + Time Warp

Results: Functionally infinite turns.

Prerequisites: Eight or more lands in play, Emeritus able to attack without dying in combat.

Variations: Any extra turn spell that goes to the graveyard on resolution can sub in for Time Warp. Eternal Witness can also recur the extra turn spell, but you’ll need an additional way to blink it every turn like Soulherder.

Execution:

• Get your extra turn spell into the graveyard by casting it, milling/discarding it, etc.
• If Emeritus of Abundance is already prepared, cast Regrowth to return the extra turn spell to hand, where you can play it again.
• If Emeritus isn’t prepared, attack a player while you have eight or more lands in play to prepare it again, then Regrowth the time walk.
• Emeritus needs to be able to attack each time without dying in combat to keep the loop going.

#5. Planar Harmonizing

Cards: Planar Engineering + Mightform Harmonizer

Results: Four landfall triggers, minimum 64-power creature for a turn.

Prerequisites: Mightform Harmonizer able to attack, and mana to cast Planar Engineering. At least four basic lands remaining in your library to search for.

Variations: Tifa Lockhart and Mossborn Hydra are comparable cards that double power when a land enters, though they’ll likely need an extra power boost to make this lethal. Mightform Harmonizer also doesn’t have to be the creature you target with its ability, so any other large creature works as long as it can attack. You can also replace Planar Engineering with anything that puts a bunch of lands into play at once.

Execution:

• Get Mightform Harmonizer or a comparable large creature into play. If you plan to attack with a different creature, it’s sufficient to warp Harmonizer in for the turn.
• Cast Planar Engineering and put four basics into play, triggering Harmonizer's landfall ability four times.
• This gives target creature x16 power, which makes the Harmonizer a 64-power creature, or something else even larger.
• Add a source of trample to take a player out, or an effect like Chandra's Outburst to eliminate all opponents.

#4. Berta, the Intruder

Cards: Berta, Wise Extrapolator + Intruder Alarm

Results: Infinite creature token generation, infinite creature untaps, infinite ETBs and death triggers.

Prerequisites: Intruder Alarm in play, Berta in play without summoning sickness.

Variations: Intruder Alarm has an endless number of combos involving creatures that tap to create creature tokens.

Execution:

• Activate Berta, Wise Extrapolator to create a Fractal of any size. You can activate for X=0 to make a 0/0 that dies right away, so you don’t need mana to go infinite.
• The Fractal’s entrance causes Intruder Alarm to trigger and untap each creature. Berta can then activate again.
• You can use tap abilities on other creatures you control during each cycle of the combo. If you have a mana dork, you can produce infinite mana this way, which you can then use to make infinite Fractal tokens of any size.

#3. Zaffai’s Endless Encore

Cards: Zaffai and the Tempests + Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch + Time Warp

Results: Infinite turns, large amount of damage to each opponent over time.

Prerequisites: Zaffai and Flamer need to be in play, and the extra turn spell needs to be the only instant/sorcery that ends up in your graveyard.

Variations: Any extra turn spell that doesn’t remove itself from the graveyard will do. Charmbreaker Devils can replace Exalted Flamer.

Execution:

• Zaffai and the Tempests needs to be in play alongside Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch.
• Use Zaffai to cast Time Warp or an equivalent extra turn spell for free.
• Flamer damages each opponent and you’ll take an extra turn.
• At the start of the extra turn, Flamer will return Time Warp to hand if it’s the only instant/sorcery in your graveyard. Repeat from here, using Zaffai to cast the extra turn spell for free each time.

#2. Affinity for Winning

Cards: Witherbloom, the Balancer + Sprout Swarm

Results: Infinite spells cast, infinite 1/1 creature token creation, infinite generic cost reduction for all instants and sorceries.

Prerequisites: Witherbloom and any other four creatures in play.

Variations: None

Execution:

• With Witherbloom, the Balancer in play, all instants or sorceries you cast have affinity for creatures.
• Cast Sprout Swarm with buyback. If you already have four or more creatures in play, Sprout Swarm’s total cost is reduced by , so it costs only to cast. You can tap Witherbloom or another green creature to cover the green cost.
• Sprout Swarm creates a 1/1 green Saproling and Sprout Swarm returns to your hand.
• Cast it again, tapping the Saproling you just created to convoke for . Repeat until you have as many Saprolings as you’d like.
• If you don’t start with five creatures already in play, you can cast Sprout Swarm a few times to build up your board, then combo off from there.

#1. Bonus Limited Combo

Cards: Spectacular Skywhale + Bulk Up

Results: 22-power creature with flying.

Prerequisites: Spectacular Skywhale in play and able to attack (preferably unblocked), to cast Bulk Up and flash it back in the same turn.

Variations: A couple other cards in Secrets of Strixhaven Limited have the potential to make Skywhale very large, like Berserk.

Execution:

• Cast Bulk Up for , triggering Spectacular Skywhale.
• Skywhale’s trigger makes it a 4/4, then Bulk Up makes it an 8/4.
• Cast Bulk Up from the graveyard for , triggering the full opus ability on Skywhale.
• Opus puts three +1/+1 counters on Skywhale to make it an 11/7.
• When Bulk Up resolves the second time, Skywhale becomes a 22/7.
• Attack unimpeded and win!

Wrap Up

Berta, Wise Extrapolator | Illustration by Tuan Duong Chu

Well, that was fun. There’s a lot of combo potential with this set, which makes sense when you look at some of the increment and opus cards, plus cameo mechanics like affinity.

These are some of the more straightforward combos in the set, but you can set up some real Rube Goldberg scenarios with the cards in Secrets of Strixhaven and its Commander precons. If you’ve got any wild combos brewing for EDH, Standard, or anywhere else, I’d love to hear about them in the comments down below or in the Draftsim Discord, and stay up to date on the latest MTG news with our newsletter, The Daily Upkeep.

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