Top 10 Spells That Go Infinite With Stella Lee

by
DougY
DougY
Top 10 Spells That Go Infinite With Stella Lee
(Stella Lee, Wild CardStella Lee, Wild Card | Art by Fajareka Setiawan)

Every Ham Sandwich

Welcome to Too-Specific Top 10, where if there isn’t a category to rank our pet card at the top of, we’ll just make one up! (Did you know that Bond of PassionBond of Passion is the only spell that can untap a creature and do damage to any target?)

Well, they finally did it. Wizards threw caution to the wind, and knowingly made a card that goes infinite with literally hundreds of cards.

Stella Lee, Wild Card
Twiddle

For those not in the know, or that haven't looked at Stella LeeStella Lee's burgeoning Commander Spellbook page, Stella Lee technically goes infinite with any instant or sorcery that can untap her... At least, in the same way that Basalt MonolithBasalt Monolith goes infinite with itself.

For those that are confused, here's how it works:

  1. Have Stella LeeStella Lee in play, without summoning sickness.
  2. Play three or more spells.
  3. Then, play a TwiddleTwiddle, any TwiddleTwiddle.
  4. Tap Stella LeeStella Lee to copy your TwiddleTwiddle.
  5. Resolve the copy of your TwiddleTwiddle, untapping Stella LeeStella Lee.
  6. Tap Stella LeeStella Lee, copying your original TwiddleTwiddle again.
  7. Repeat from step six, ad infinitum.

Now, does this do anything? Nope! But could it?

Absolutely it could.

Top 10 Spells That Really Go Infinite With Stella Lee

The above steps work for so many different cards in the game of Magic that even I stopped counting. I was not exaggerating when I said it was in the hundreds. With that said, if you want to be doing more than Twiddling yourself, you're going to need spells that do something else in addition to untapping Stella.

Luckily, there's no shortage of those, either!

Vitalize
To Arms!
Last Night Together

If we're really looking to abuse Stella LeeStella Lee in a Commander sense, however, we're probably going to want to stick with the Izzet spells. There are some obvious candidates that have already been spoiled via the cEDH deck that's already starting to place at tournaments, but I wanted to be a bit more thorough for those of us that won't be sleeving her up with Mana CryptMana Crypts and Underworld BreachUnderworld Breaches.

So, with that in mind, why don't we find out which spells that actually do something with Stella LeeStella Lee are already seeing the most play?

Criteria: Izzet instants or sorceries that can untap a creature or permanent you control and have an additional effect that stacks in some fashion beyond the repeated untapping of Stella Lee (get outta here, InsurrectionInsurrection and Song-Mad TreacherySong-Mad Treachery!). As is tradition, all results are ordered by EDHREC score.

10. Reality SpasmReality Spasm

Reality Spasm

(8,407 Inclusions, 0% of 1,933,563 Decks)

For those that haven't ever done the deep dive into copying spells, copies retain all of their original characteristics, with the exception of the oft-allowed choosing of new targets. What that means for Reality SpasmReality Spasm is two-fold: First, it means that whatever you pay for X the first time, all subsequent copies will also "pay" for X. Second, it means that whatever mode you choose, all copies will choose as well.

In other words, you need an X of at least two to really do anything with Stella LeeStella Lee, with the "anything" in question being infinitely untapping another permanent. With lands being permanents, this will pretty much by definition mean that you have infinite mana, which isn't too bad a deal.

Still, four mana is pretty steep. I think we can do better.

9. Domineering WillDomineering Will

Domineering Will

(9,305 Inclusions, 0% of 1,933,563 Decks)

How about gaining control of every creature on the board and infinitely untapping them? If I'm honest, though, that's kind of a mixed bag. Izzet isn't drowning in mana dorks, so infinite mana isn't guaranteed, and it's likely that many of the creatures you take control of until end of turn will have summoning sickness. What I do like about this particular combo, however? It's fair. If you're looking to not get too stupid with Stella LeeStella Lee, then this is a great card to play, as it will likely have a huge impact on the table and can win you the game if it's gotten out of hand. If not? Well then you just swing in for a decent chunk on some players, and pass the turn.

8. Hidden StringsHidden Strings

Hidden Strings

(13,432 Inclusions, 1% of 1,933,563 Decks)

Let's be honest, though, building Stella LeeStella Lee to not go infinite is kind of a fool's errand. With that in mind, Hidden StringsHidden Strings may be one of the best cards you can go infinite with with Stella LeeStella Lee. At two mana, it blows Reality SpasmReality Spasm out of the water, and even better, you can cast it early as one of your necessary three spells to turn on Stella LeeStella Lee's ability, then cast a copy to copy during combat with the Cipher ability later on in the same turn. Put simply, this one's a contender, providing infinite mana with your commander at the drop of a hat.

7. Kari Zev's ExpertiseKari Zev's Expertise

Kari Zev's Expertise

(13,328 Inclusions, 1% of 1,904,511 Decks)

Kari Zev's ExpertiseKari Zev's Expertise, on the other hand, is moving back into fair territory. Infinitely casts of cards that cost two or less from your hand sounds spicy, but in reality it's probably only going to get you three or four spells at most before you run out of cantrips and don't have anything else to do. What it is good at, however? Cheaply getting you three spells cast to turn Stella LeeStella Lee on. While we're talking a lot about getting there as if it's a foregone conclusion, there are going to be many a Stella LeeStella Lee deck that struggles to fulfill the basic requirements of their commander on the regular, so I wouldn't throw Kari Zev's ExpertiseKari Zev's Expertise out with the bathwater, even if there are much better options to actually go "infinite" with.

6. Shore UpShore Up

Shore Up

(16,755 Inclusions, 1% of 1,707,007 Decks)

One mana is good, there's no question, as is the panic hexproof that you'll undoubtedly want for your commander that will always have a target on its back. Making an infinitely large Stella LeeStella Lee is a bit underwhelming though, if I'm honest. A single blocker is all your opponent needs, and it's not like you can sneak it in, either--Who isn't going to block your kill 2/4 on sight commander?

Still, I think you play Shore UpShore Up. The hexproof is just going to be necessary, and with the likelihood that you'll want to be playing mana dorks in the deck, it will often be a "free" spell to add to your spell count for the turn.

5. Cerulean WispsCerulean Wisps

Cerulean Wisps

(18,149 Inclusions, 1% of 1,933,563 Decks)

For those that didn't take a look at the cEDH deck, there's not a question here: Cerulean WispsCerulean Wisps is the best card to go infinite with Stella LeeStella Lee. One mana to draw your entire deck means having whatever combo you want available, along with every answer and piece of fast mana in your deck to go along with it. With that said, it's not the only card that can do this, so let's take a look at the other contenders:

Top 10 Izzet Spells That Draw Infinite Cards With Stella Lee

Refocus
Twitch
Jolt
  1. Cerulean WispsCerulean Wisps
  2. RefocusRefocus
  3. Intellectual OfferingIntellectual Offering
  4. TwitchTwitch
  5. JoltJolt
  6. InfuseInfuse
  7. ...

All right, so the list isn't that long. Which, if we're being honest, is probably a good thing. This cEDH deck looks legitimate, bringing turbo back into the meta, and it turns out that drawing your entire deck is pretty darn good, even if it takes place on your opponent's upkeep.

4. Savage BeatingSavage Beating

Savage Beating

(18,920 Inclusions, 1% of 1,904,511 Decks)

Savage BeatingSavage Beating showing up on a combo list isn't exactly treading new ground. This combo, however, does not do quite as much as it may appear at first glance. While it does provide infinite untaps and infinite combat steps, it does not do so at the same time. Notably, you'll get to infinitely untap all creatures you control, then once you've done that, you'll get infinite combat steps. In other words, unless you have creatures with vigilance, you won't really be able to attack more than once. Still, this does provide infinite mana in your combat step if you have a mana dork, which isn't nothing.

All in all, however, this is probably easily on the list of worst two-card combos with Stella LeeStella Lee. Which is impressive, given just how many bad cards we're going to go over in the Honorable Mentions.

3. TurnaboutTurnabout

Turnabout

(18,885 Inclusions, 1% of 1,933,563 Decks)

To be clear here, you have to choose creature to go infinite with Stella LeeStella Lee, meaning we're once again looking for mana dorks in colors that don't really do mana dorks. With that said, we've talked about this enough that it's clear that we're going to want some, so let's take a look at the options:

Top 10 Izzet Mana Dorks

Ornithopter of Paradise
Silver Myr
Millikin
  1. Ornithopter of ParadiseOrnithopter of Paradise
  2. Palladium MyrPalladium Myr
  3. Urza, Lord High ArtificerUrza, Lord High Artificer (sort of)
  4. Silver MyrSilver Myr
  5. Iron MyrIron Myr
  6. Plague MyrPlague Myr
  7. Myr ConvertMyr Convert (Infinite life loss? What a combo!)
  8. MillikinMillikin
  9. Alloy MyrAlloy Myr
  10. Hedron CrawlerHedron Crawler

The clear front-runner here is Ornithopter of ParadiseOrnithopter of Paradise, which could provide infinite mana of any color with any of the spells that can untap two or more creatures. Similarly, Silver MyrSilver Myr and Iron MyrIron Myr come right afterwards, being only two mana and also providing colored mana. After that, the pickings get slim, quickly. Urza, Lord High ArtificerUrza, Lord High Artificer is great, as it provides something to do with the infinite mana you can get from its Construct, but pretty much everything else either has you paying life or only provides colorless mana. Alloy MyrAlloy Myr is an exception at three mana, but that whole extra mana means a whole heck of a lot when you're trying to cast four-plus spells a turn. With all that said, I do really like MillikinMillikin (and it's cousin, Deranged AssistantDeranged Assistant) here. It makes colorless, yes, but it also mills when you do so, getting your whole library in your graveyard as you do so. From there, there's tons of different ways to include a Flashback carda Flashback card that will get a win-con out of the graveyard, and you're cooking with gas.

2. Seize the DaySeize the Day

Seize the Day

(49,246 Inclusions, 3% of 1,904,511 Decks)

Seize the DaySeize the Day unfortunately comes with all of the caveats that Savage BeatingSavage Beating does, only allowing you to win with the infinite combat steps if you have a creature with vigilance (in colors that don't really have vigilance). It does, however, have the benefit of being both cheaper initially and also having Flashback. I still don't think that makes this a primary plan, but if you were going to do something silly like make a deck with every Stella Lee combo card in it, then this one looks pretty good by comparison, especially at the low cost of including an Experimental SynthesizerExperimental Synthesizer in your deck.

1. Dramatic ReversalDramatic Reversal

Dramatic Reversal

(117,123 Inclusions, 6% of 1,933,563 Decks)

To see one of the most quintessential combo cards ever printed on this list isn't exactly a surprise. Still, what we're talking about here is infinite untaps of your nonlands for two mana, which has already been outdone by a couple of cards on this list. Hidden StringsHidden Strings will let you untap lands for the same price and can be recast repeatedly. Shore UpShore Up can untap creatures infinitely and also make them infinitely large, which is likely to also result in infinite mana since we're going to have to include some mana dorks. Cerulean WispsCerulean Wisps and RefocusRefocus can draw you your entire deck, almost certainly finding you the mana and another combo that will actually win the game. In fact, in a rarity, I feel like we should go over something I never do here: What I feel like my personal top ten is.

Top 10 Izzet Spells That Go Infinite With Stella Lee (According to Me)

  1. Cerulean WispsCerulean Wisps
  2. RefocusRefocus
  3. Twisted FealtyTwisted Fealty
  4. Hidden StringsHidden Strings
  5. Shore UpShore Up
  6. Dramatic ReversalDramatic Reversal
  7. TwitchTwitch
  8. Intellectual OfferingIntellectual Offering
  9. Unity of PurposeUnity of Purpose
  10. Furnace ReinsFurnace Reins

We'll go over these in more detail in the Honorable Mentions, but I did just want to put out there that as good as Dramatic ReversalDramatic Reversal is, it's really not anywhere near the top here. In fact, if you include the upkeep card draw optionsupkeep card draw options that are seeing play in the cEDH deckthat are seeing play in the cEDH deck, then it barely makes the top ten at all.


Honorable Mentions

Twisted Fealty
Intellectual Offering

Most of my personal list we've already gone over, but there are some more that bear mentioning. First off, Twisted FealtyTwisted Fealty didn't make our main list anywhere, but it's actually the primary win-con in the cEDH deck. Once you get into your loop with it, each new Wicked Role knocks off the one before it, dealing one damage to each opponent, meaning you have a nice, clean package that wins the game with no extra steps. In a similar vein, Intellectual OfferingIntellectual Offering is the only card that gives you both infinite mana and infinite card draw, with the significant drawback of giving your opponents some version of it as well. Still, it's got to be one of the most fun ways to go infinite with Stella Lee, which is why I have it so high on my personal list.

Enough with the weirdness of doing a personal list, though. Gives me the heebee-jeebies, having an opinion. Let's instead expand the list out and see every card that goes infinite with Stella Lee, shall we?

Top Izzet Spells That Go Infinite With Stella Lee (Yes, All of Them)

Furnace Reins
Unity of Purpose
Bond of Passion

11. Furnace ReinsFurnace Reins
12. Bloody BetrayalBloody Betrayal
13. Involuntary EmploymentInvoluntary Employment
14. Great Train HeistGreat Train Heist
15. Traitorous GreedTraitorous Greed
16. Dream's GripDream's Grip
17. RefocusRefocus
18. Intellectual OfferingIntellectual Offering
19. TwitchTwitch
20. Harness by ForceHarness by Force
21. Malevolent WhispersMalevolent Whispers
22. Twisted FealtyTwisted Fealty
23. Price of LoyaltyPrice of Loyalty
24. Shackles of TreacheryShackles of Treachery
25. Portent of BetrayalPortent of Betrayal
26. JoltJolt
27. Triton TacticsTriton Tactics
28. Sibling RivalrySibling Rivalry
29. InfuseInfuse
30. Traitorous InstinctTraitorous Instinct
31. Toils of Night and DayToils of Night and Day
32. Press into ServicePress into Service
33. Mascot InterceptionMascot Interception
34. Unity of PurposeUnity of Purpose
35. Unwilling RecruitUnwilling Recruit
36. Bond of PassionBond of Passion

It's rare that I like the very last card on a complete list like this, but I have to admit, I really like the straightforwardness of Bond of PassionBond of Passion. While Twisted FealtyTwisted Fealty is undoubtedly better, Bond is the only other card on this list that kills outright, and it does it in a much simpler fashion. There's something to be said for a bad, straightforward combo. If you'd rather go a bit more roundabout, however, then might I suggest Furnace ReinsFurnace Reins? It will give Stella haste if you need it, and then if there's a player to swing in on, the infinite copies will create infinite Treasure triggers, which is just hilarious to me. Lastly, Unity of PurposeUnity of Purpose is another card I feel never really gets its due, and with Stella Lee will make all your creatures infinitely large, and possibly give you infinite mana as well if you have a mana dork around. What's not to like?

I'll tell you what I like: Making decks with arbitrary deckbuilding restrictions. So, with this here commander that is going to be made up of 99% decks trying to push the limit, and a natural build restriction of "you have to play every possible combo", I did the natural thing.


Stella Lee And Multiple Ham Sandwiches (Deck)

View on Archidekt

Commander (1)

Instants (24)

Sorceries (24)

Creatures (13)

Lands (30)

Artifacts (8)

Stella Lee, Wild Card

The deck, as you might expect with a restriction that has more than half of your playable slots claimed, is not what you'd call good. There are just way too many four mana sorceries in the brew for you to be getting to your infinites as early as you'd like to be. Still, that's the fun, isn't it? For every other Stella Lee brew out there that's trying to make it happen on turn two, you'll be the one casting three rituals into a Bloody BetrayalBloody Betrayal on turn five, wondering if you'll be able to draw into enough mana and cards to actually try to win the game for next turn. Maybe I'm just a Storm-addicted dude, but that sounds like a good time to me!


Nuts and Bolts

There always seems to be a bit of interest in how these lists are made (this seems like a good time to stress once again that they are based on EDHREC score, NOT my personal opinion…), and people are often surprised that I’m not using any special data or .json from EDHREC, but rather just muddling my way through with some Scryfall knowledge! For your enjoyment/research, here is this week’s Scryfall search.


What Do You Think?

While overall, I think I prefer my "Oops, All Combos!" brew with The Peregrine DynamoThe Peregrine Dynamo , this was still a blast to brew. What I can't believe is that Stella Lee, Wild CardStella Lee, Wild Card was ever printed in the first place. When you really get right down to it, purposefully printing a commander that you know will go infinite with 36-200 cards is a heck of a ballsy choice from Wizards.

So... what do you think of the choice?

And finally, what is your favorite card that goes infinite with Stella LeeStella Lee? Does it win the game? Draw cards? Make infinite mana?

Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the table that appears to be doing a reenactment of The Sorceror's Apprentice.


Read more:

DougY

Doug has been an avid Magic player since Fallen Empires, when his older brother traded him some epic blue Homarids for all of his Islands. As for Commander, he's been playing since 2010, when he started off by making a two-player oriented G/R Land Destruction deck. Nailed it. In his spare time when he's not playing Magic, writing about Magic or doing his day job, he runs a YouTube channel or two, keeps up a College Football Computer Poll, and is attempting to gif every scene of the Star Wars prequels.

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