Introduction
Imagine the thrill of sitting across from your opponent, seemingly defeated, only to unleash a chain reaction so powerful it turns the tables in an instant. Magic: The Gathering (MTG) is renowned for its intricate interactions, and the Food Chain combo stands as a testament to the game’s boundless possibilities. A combo, in the context of MTG, refers to a combination of cards that, when played together, create a powerful synergistic effect, often leading to a swift victory.
Food Chain, in itself, is a seemingly innocuous enchantment. This green enchantment allows you to exile a creature you control and add mana of any one color that creature was to your mana pool, but it can only be used to cast creature spells. At first glance, it might seem like a clunky way to cast creatures, but its true potential lies in its ability to create loops and generate infinite resources.
This article will explore the intricate workings of the Food Chain MTG combo, dissecting its core components, outlining various winning strategies, and delving into the intricacies of deck construction. We’ll also examine its vulnerabilities and discuss effective counterplay strategies. Food Chain is a powerful engine capable of generating infinite mana and winning the game through various creatures and synergistic interactions, making it a potent force in both casual and competitive MTG formats.
The Core Components: Understanding Food Chain
The Food Chain card is the lynchpin of this strategy. A careful examination of the card’s text reveals the source of its power. Exiling a creature is a cost, and the reward is the ability to generate mana to cast another creature. The key lies in finding creatures that can be recurred from exile or the graveyard, effectively circumventing the downside of exiling them. While you may not be able to cast sorceries, instants or planeswalkers this does give you a way to get around mana restrictions and cast creatures of any color.
The Ideal Ingredients (Creatures)
Several creatures stand out as prime candidates for fueling the Food Chain. Recurrable creatures like Squee, the Immortal, Misthollow Griffin, and Eternal Scourge are vital components. Squee, the Immortal, for example, can be cast from your graveyard, making him a repeatable source of mana. You can exile him with Food Chain, gain three mana, and then cast him from your graveyard again, creating a loop. Misthollow Griffin and Eternal Scourge possess the unique ability to be cast from exile, offering a similar repeatable mana source. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages. Squee is cheap to cast but slow, whereas Misthollow Griffin and Eternal Scourge may get locked if you lose control of Food Chain.
Beyond simple recursion, creatures with powerful “enter the battlefield” (ETB) abilities are also highly valuable. Cards like Eternal Witness, which returns a card from your graveyard to your hand, or Baleful Strix, which draws you a card and destroys an opponents creature, can generate significant value while progressing towards the win condition. These creatures provide utility and card advantage, making the Food Chain strategy more resilient and adaptable.
Mana Colors
When playing food chain it’s very important to think about your color identity. Food chain only provides mana of colors that are printed on the exiled creature card. When building around Food Chain you want to make sure you are playing colors that can take full advantage of it. Green provides Food Chain, but Blue and Black provide good search effects and card draw, whereas White and Red can provide stax effects and removal respectively.
Winning with Food Chain: The Payoffs
The primary goal of the Food Chain combo is to generate infinite mana. By repeatedly exiling and recasting a recurrable creature, you can accumulate an unlimited amount of mana. This allows you to cast an array of creatures with devastating effects, ultimately leading to victory. You are also restricted to only casting creature spells so it limits the ways you can win the game.
Direct Damage Payoffs
One straightforward win condition involves creatures that can be cast for X mana. The Endless One, for instance, can be cast for an arbitrarily large amount of mana, creating a massive threat. Walking Ballista, another popular choice, can be cast for X mana and then repeatedly deals damage to opponents or their creatures, effectively wiping the board and securing the win.
Tutor Effects
Tutor effects, cards that allow you to search your library for specific cards, are crucial for assembling the Food Chain combo and finding the appropriate payoff. Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, and Worldly Tutor are powerful options that can quickly locate Food Chain or the necessary creatures.
Creature Based Win Conditions
Another common approach involves creatures that directly contribute to winning the game. Craterhoof Behemoth, a classic finisher, provides a massive boost to your creatures’ power and toughness, allowing you to overwhelm your opponents with a lethal attack. Beast Whisperer or Primordial Sage enable you to draw your entire deck and play everything, effectively ending the game. Thassa’s Oracle, a popular win condition in many blue decks, allows you to exile your deck and win the game.
Other Win Conditions
Having multiple win conditions is essential for a robust Food Chain deck. Relying on a single card makes the strategy vulnerable to disruption. Including alternative win conditions, such as infinite creature generation or token generation, provides redundancy and resilience.
Deck Construction and Strategy
Choosing the right commander is paramount for a successful Food Chain deck. Prossh, Skyraider of Kher, The First Sliver, General Tazri, and Najeela, the Blade-Blossom are popular choices for good reason. Prossh, Skyraider of Kher, for example, provides a built-in token army that can be sacrificed to Food Chain or used as an Overrun payoff. The First Sliver provides cascade to creatures that you cast, allowing you to get a lot of creatures on the board very quickly. General Tazri is a five color commander that allows you to cast a wide variety of creatures and can search for tribal creatures like Slivers. Najeela, the Blade-Blossom provides extra combat steps that can kill your opponent in one turn. Each of these commanders offers unique advantages, enabling different playstyles and strategies.
Supporting Cards
Beyond the commander and the core combo pieces, a Food Chain deck requires a suite of supporting cards. Tutors are essential for finding Food Chain and key creatures. Protection spells, like Counterspell, Swan Song, and Veil of Summer, safeguard Food Chain from removal. Ramp spells, such as Cultivate and Kodama’s Reach, accelerate mana production to get Food Chain into play quickly. Card draw spells, like Ponder and Preordain, help you sift through your deck and find the combo pieces faster.
Gameplay Strategy
The gameplay strategy for a Food Chain deck typically involves three phases. In the early game, you focus on ramping, setting up your mana base, and finding the necessary combo pieces. In the mid-game, you prioritize protecting Food Chain and preparing to execute the combo. In the late game, you go for the win, unleashing the power of the Food Chain and overwhelming your opponents. Playing around counterspells and removal is crucial, requiring careful planning and resource management.
Weaknesses and Counterplay
Despite its power, the Food Chain combo is not invincible. It is susceptible to various forms of disruption and counterplay. Common removal spells, such as Disenchant and Nature’s Claim, can destroy Food Chain itself. Cards that exile creatures, such as Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile, can disrupt the combo by removing key creatures from the equation. Board wipes can also slow down your progress, resetting the board and forcing you to rebuild.
Common Removal Spells
Certain cards are specifically designed to prevent the Food Chain combo from functioning. Drannith Magistrate prevents you from playing creatures from exile, shutting down the recursion loop. Opposition Agent prevents you from searching for cards, hindering your ability to find the combo pieces. Hushbringer prevents the repeatable ETB triggers from being activated, limiting the ways you can win the game.
Strategies to Beat Food Chain Decks
Strategies for beating Food Chain decks typically involve aggression, stax, or control. Aggressive strategies aim to kill the Food Chain player before they can assemble the combo. Stax strategies slow down their progress by taxing their resources or preventing them from playing certain cards. Control strategies counter key spells, disrupting the combo and preventing it from executing.
Sideboard Tech (if applicable)
Sideboard tech, if applicable, can be crucial for improving your matchup against Food Chain decks. Cards that specifically target enchantments or creatures from exile can be highly effective.
Variations and Advanced Tech
Building a Food Chain deck doesn’t have to break the bank. Budget versions can be constructed by substituting expensive cards for cheaper alternatives. While these decks may be less powerful, they can still be competitive and offer a fun and engaging gameplay experience.
Synergies with other cards
Even if you cant win with Food Chain, you can use its effects to gain lots of value. Food Chain allows you access to all colors for other win conditions. You can also get infinite value from repeatable ETB triggers such as card draw or creature removal.
Conclusion
The Food Chain MTG combo is a powerful and complex strategy that can dominate both casual and competitive play. Understanding its core components, various winning strategies, and vulnerabilities is essential for both piloting and countering this potent force. Its position in the current MTG landscape is format dependent, often being a meta contender in Commander but sometimes subject to ban lists due to its potential for fast and consistent wins. The Food Chain MTG combo presents both exciting opportunities and daunting challenges, offering a compelling experience for players seeking to master the intricacies of Magic: The Gathering. The potential for instant wins and the strategic depth involved make it a deck worthy of respect and careful consideration.
