Experimental FrenzyExperimental Frenzy | Art by Simon Dominic

Combo decks have been an integral part of Magic since the very beginning. From realizing the combo exists to finding the perfect balance of cards to actually make it happen in a game, there are few experiences as satisfying as finally watching your creation actually work. It's also one of the most exciting archetypes to watch, especially if you've never seen a particular combo before.

Playing against combo, though, can be frustrating, especially in a social format like Commander. Having a game end suddenly, possibly before your deck had really gotten going, isn't a great experience.

A great way to avoid this feels-bad experience is to play combos that require many cards to pull off. Avoiding generically good tutors like Demonic TutorDemonic Tutor can also help, and can make it even more satisfying for you when you're able to combo off.

One of my personal favorite combo decks was a Garth One-EyeGarth One-Eye deck that won with Jeskai AscendancyJeskai Ascendancy, Voyaging SatyrVoyaging Satyr, Bloom TenderBloom Tender, Grove of the BurnwillowsGrove of the Burnwillows, and Punishing FirePunishing Fire. At its core the deck used Punishing FirePunishing Fire to generate advantage with Archmage EmeritusArchmage Emeritus and Jadzi, Oracle of ArcaviosJadzi, Oracle of Arcavios, drawing through the deck until it found the rest of the combo.

The tutors in the deck were focused on finding Punishing FirePunishing Fire and Grove of the BurnwillowsGrove of the Burnwillows, though Final PartingFinal Parting could find the other combo pieces in an emergency. You can see the full list here.

Part of what made this deck fun to play was the challenge of assembling all the pieces. But it also had a game plan other than just comboing off. Using part of the combo to establish an engine made it easier for opponents to identify and interact with my game plan, and made the eventual combo feel more satisfying because it clearly built on my early and mid game.

But that's just one way to build a cool combo deck. There are plenty of other five-card combos out there, and plenty of other ways to make them fun to play. Show us something we've never seen before!

How To Participate

• Brew a Commander-legal deck on Archidekt that satisfies the prompt.
• Any unreleased cards spoiled during the contest’s duration are allowed.
• Silver-bordered and acorn cards, while cool, are not allowed.
• Digital-only cards (such as those designed for the Alchemy format on Arena) are not allowed.
• Strictly one deck submitted per user.

As of a couple months ago, we've also revamped the submission process. Decks must now be submitted on Archidekt via a button on the newspost. This will make it easier to view all submissions in a single place. Additionally, it will simplify the process of writing a description by sharing the same text on the submission page and the deck page itself.

You can also comment on individual decks directly from the submission, making those discussions easier to find and track later.

To submit a deck, select the orange button labeled "Submit a deck to this contest" and follow the form prompt. Submissions are accepted until 9:00 pm EST (UTC -4, currently) on Wednesday, December 10, 2025.

Only one submission per user! If you change your mind and want to submit a different deck before submissions close, you may do so by first deleting your submission. To edit your description, you can do so from the deck page itself.

From the eligible submissions, we'll select three finalists with lists that we believe best embody the spirit of the prompt. Deck descriptions are not required but certainly may provide valuable context!

Finalists will be contacted via email regarding their winnings within roughly 24 hours following the conclusion of voting on Wednesday, December 24, 2025.

Please note, you must have a Cardsphere account in order to receive your winnings. It's quick and free - register here if you don't have an account already!

Here are the official contest rules. If you have any questions, feel free to ask here, or join the Archidekt public Discord server. We look forward to seeing what you all come up with!