Combos are like power tools.
In the right hands: efficient, clean, satisfying.
In the wrong hands: you lose because you drew the wrong half, or you assembled everything except the part where you survive long enough to use it.
This guide shows how to use MTGApp’s Combo Database to find combo lines—and (more importantly) decide which ones actually belong in your deck.
First: what counts as a combo?
Most combos fall into three buckets:
A + B = Game Over
Two pieces assemble into an immediate win or lock.
Engine combos
Not an instant win, but an engine that generates absurd value (mana, cards, bodies) and takes over the game.
Loop combos
Repeated action that creates infinite/near-infinite resources, usually requiring:
- a loop mechanism
- a payoff (damage, mill, draw, etc.)
- sometimes a way to bypass “once per turn” constraints
The combo evaluation scorecard
Before you jam a combo into your deck “because it’s cool,” score it:
1) Mana cost
- Can you assemble and execute it at a reasonable point in the game?
- Does it require you to untap?
2) Dead card risk
- Are the pieces useful on their own?
- Or are they blank rectangles until the stars align?
3) Redundancy
- Can multiple cards fill the same role?
- Or does the combo require two specific named pieces every time?
4) Tutor dependency
- Do you need tutors to find it reliably?
- If you don’t draw the pieces naturally, does the deck still function?
5) Interaction vulnerability
- Does the combo fold to common removal?
- Does it require the graveyard?
- Does it lose to one well-timed response?
A combo with high dead-card risk and low redundancy is the classic trap: it looks brilliant and plays terrible.
How to use the Combo Database (the practical workflow)
- Search for a card you’re building around
- Look at associated combo lines
- Identify the roles in the combo (enabler, engine, payoff)
- Ask: Do I already run cards that overlap those roles?
- Only then decide if it’s a “main plan” or a “backup finish”
Good / Better / Best: Adding combos to a deck
Here’s a clean framework.
Good: “Incidental combo finish”
You include a combo because:
- the pieces are already good in your deck
- it gives you a clean way to end games
- you’re not warping your whole list around it
This is the lowest-risk way to play combos and often the best for casual Commander nights.
Better: “Combo package with redundancy”
You include:
- multiple enablers
- multiple payoffs
- protection or recursion
- enough card flow to find pieces
Now the combo is reliable without being your only personality trait.
Best: “Dedicated combo plan (with real support)”
You only do this if your deck is built for it:
- heavy selection/tutors
- protection
- the ability to pivot if disrupted
- a coherent early/mid game that doesn’t fold
If your deck is “dedicated combo” but also has no interaction and a sad curve, you’re not a combo deck. You’re a deck-shaped apology.
Common combo mistakes (so you don’t learn them the hard way)
Mistake 1: Including combos that fight your deck’s plan
If your deck wins by combat and board presence, jamming a fragile two-card combo that requires you to hold up mana might actively make the deck worse.
Mistake 2: Too many combo pieces, not enough glue
Combo pieces don’t help when you’re behind unless they also defend, draw, ramp, or interact.
Mistake 3: No protection
If your combo folds to one removal spell and you have no way to defend it, you’re basically announcing your plan and hoping nobody responds. (They will.)
Quick checklist before you add a combo
- Do the pieces do something useful alone?
- Can the deck still win if the combo is stopped?
- Does your curve support assembling it?
- Are you increasing your deck’s consistency, or just its ceiling?