Magic Mayhem: Episode 16 of Fun & Jank Adventures in MTG Arena!

But guess what, my opponents also don’t!

Hey everyone, I’m back this week with yet another certified Plum banger! During this week’s streaming session, we achieved Historic Mythic with a combo that I wasn’t even aware of until a few days ago. Jeskai Relic-Warder!

In my leisure time, I enjoy exploring old MTG forums to seek inspiration for concocting brews and deck ideas. One of my favorite activities is sifting through the old deck creation forums on MTGSalvation. While I was browsing through some decade-old threads, I stumbled upon a conversation regarding the following combo.

Leonin Relic-Warder + Phyrexian Metamorph

Here’s the process:
1.) Cast Relic-Warder exiling whatever you prefer, or even nothing!
2.) Play Phyrexian Metamorph duplicating your Relic-Warder
3.) Metamorph enters as an Artifact Creature version of our Leonin, enabling it to target itself with the exile effect.
4.) Our Leonin copy exiles itself, causing its subsequent line of text to go on the stack. This means it exiles itself and then immediately returns itself since it detected its own departure from the battlefield (I know, right???)
5.) It re-enters the battlefield as a Phyrexian Metamorph allowing us to replicate Leonin once more and iterate steps 1-4 infinitely for boundless enter-the-battlefield and leave-the-battlefield triggers.
6.) ??????
7.) Gain profit.

A bit intricate at first glance, but it becomes quite simple to loop through once observed in action.

I was aware that Phyrexian Metamorph already existed in Arena, and my brewing mind also recalled seeing Leonin while I was crafting a tribal cats list recently. This truly sparked my creativity. Thus, I began scouring deck building platforms and any tournament results I could locate to check if anyone had succeeded with the combo. This way, I at least had a base to commence a rough draft for a list.

The Inspiration

Fortunately, I uncovered an MTGO player named koskadelli who achieved a 5-0 in a Modern League in 2022 with the following:

A White Stoneforge Mystic framework utilizing Urza’s Saga to fetch Altar of the Brood as a victory condition. I appreciated the concept of this list; it seemed exceptionally streamlined while presenting a robust Plan-B. Saga and Stoneforge provided this player with the capacity to incorporate an enjoyable arsenal of silver bullet artifacts for defense or strategic pivots if the combo failed.

With this list in consideration, I crafted the following deck during the stream.

The Deck

I decided to stick with the Historic format as Timeless is simply too rapid for this type of deck. I endeavored to portthe Arena as best I could, yet the absence of Saga and Solitude turned out to be a significant aspect affecting the deck’s effectiveness.

Even though we’re still utilizing Stoneforge Mystic, our assortment of equipment pales in comparison to the Modern equivalent. I wound up incorporating a minor Ranger-Captain of Eos suite along with utility beings such as Giant Killer or Giver of Runes for that specialized package instead. Ingenious Smith felt beneficial as an extra method to discover Altar, our equipment, and Portable Hole.

I was eager to jump into some matches, and with several members from the MTG: Eternal Discord in chat to deliberate on the list, we commenced our testing.

And it was….uhhhh….

How can I express it in English…..?

Poor.

It was simply extremely poor.

We couldn’t consistently locate the combo, and most of the other decks outperformed us in speed or strength compared to our Plan-B of Stoneforge Mystic beats. We experimented for a few hours but felt rather discouraged towards the conclusion of the stream. This involved cramming the combo into a Mono-W Devotion setup, RW Energy, and even testing a CoCo Cats build incorporating the combo. I believed it had immense potential—able to achieve victory on turn 3—that I thought we could at least craft something satisfactory, but I wasn’t feeling assured after our ladder performance. So while bouncing ideas off the chat during the stream, and sifting through my previous brews on Moxfield, we stumbled upon an old deck focused on Kami of Transmutation and Saheeli that I had previously crafted.

I designed this deck a long time ago when I first acquired Kami on Arena. It features a delightful interaction. Kami transforms Saheeli into an artifact, allowing her to activate her -2 on herself to create a duplicate and repeat the process. If you have Reckless Fireweaver or Altar of the Brood on the field, you can chip away at your opponent’s life or mill them out.

This was our enlightening moment.

Kami also conveniently allows a combo with Leonin Relic-Warder. Annnnnd since we were already including Altar of the Brood, adding Saheeli and Fireweaver would provide a plethora of redundancy for a combo deck that could win on turn 3. We promptly changed direction and instead of attempting to brew a deck that merely combos occasionally, we devised an “all-in” version aimed at winning through a combo in every single game.

For those engaging at home, with the mentioned cards, we had 3 infinite combos in our configuration.

1.) Leonin Relic-Warder + Phyrexian Metamorph + Altar/Fireweaver
2.) Leonin Relic-Warder + Kami of Transmutation + Altar/Fireweaver
3.) Saheeli Rai + Kami of Transmutation + Altar/Fireweaver

All three combinations could secure victory using either Altar or Fireweaver, so our objective was to ensure assembling a combo was as reliable as possible. That already accounted for 24 slots if we maximized the quantity of each combo part (which we certainly did), leaving the remainder of the deck filled with lands and a balance of interaction and combo assembly.

Reckless Handling seemed like the ideal adhesive for this list. It could fetch either Metamorph or Altar of the Brood for merely 2 mana. But oh boy. How unfortunate. We gambled and lost with it. Every. Single. Time. It was so disheartening to have the combo in hand only to discard a crucial element and get defeated within the following few turns. Thus again we had to adjust. Drawing from some additional tech from that old Saheeli combo deck I had crafted, we opted to substitute Handling with Plunderer’s Prize. Now, if you’re a brewer and you haven’t at least attempted to maximize the potential of this card, I’d consider you a fibber. I absolutely love it. This card reliably ensured that Altar of the Brood would be discovered every time we played it (we had to remove our Portable Holes). Plus, while not guaranteed, it was feasible to tutor a Phyrexian Metamorph with it. An excellent fit for this list.

With the core of the deck nearly finalized, we experimented with a few different removal options and card selection/draw.

I firmly believe the Chorus package of Shanty + Hymn would be the optimal choice for the deck; however, alas, Plum is limited. So I included Faithless Looting instead, and it did perfectly well in uncovering our combo pieces on our quest for Mythic. Here’s what I ultimately constructed to reach Mythic rank.

This current iteration felt swift, dependable, and most crucially, it surprised opponents.

Gameplay

This is merely a brief snippet of our stream where you can witness the list in operation.

Magic: The Gathering is frequently a game of information. There’s the understanding you bring to the battlefield—how your deck operates, the matchups, the meta—and then there’s the information your opponent possesses, or in this case, doesn’t possess. And this is where the true strength of a deck like this shines. “Playing what you know” signifies remaining within your comfort zone. It revolves around the decks you’ve mastered, the ones where you need not second-guess your sequencing or ponder overly about your sideboarding. Having that level of expertise is essential, especially in a competitive environment. This deck? This is one of those decks. It may seem wild, but after numerous hours of brewing and playtesting, you understand precisely when to deploy a Saheeli Rai, how to lure out removal, and when to initiate infinite loops. Familiarity is vital, especially with a combo this complex.

But the contrasting perspective—playing what your opponents don’t understand—is the secret ingredient that makes this deck exhilarating to pilot. Let’s be honest: when was the last instance anyone read Leonin Relic-Warder outside of Limited? Your opponents will pause, hover over your cards, and likely emit some “huh?” sounds in real life while attempting to decipher what’s unfolding. They don’t see it coming, and before they’ve pieced it together, you’re already overwhelming them with infinite triggers from

Reckless Fireweaver or Altar of the Brood. I can’t even begin to express how many times I’ve held the combo in my hand, only for a discard spell to hit, yet my adversary chooses the wrong card. In a realm filled with decks everyone has already internalized, having an in-depth knowledge of your own deck while throwing your opponent a genuine surprise can serve as an effective tactic. You’re not merely participating in the game—you’re compelling your opponent to engage with your strategy. And the most exciting aspect? They likely have no idea what game they are involved in.

Here’s the evidence of Mythic (there are also VODS if you wish to view them!)

We also achieved a precise 66.6% victory rate going 40-20 on the ladder!

Final Reflections

Crafting a combo like this transcends merely assembling some complementary cards and calling it completed—it’s a voyage, and at times it can be a vexing one. When we first began concocting this deck, the combo wasn’t even the central focus. It started as a Plan B—a crafty alternative to snatch a victory when the primary strategy didn’t work out. However, as we continued testing, the components began to require increased focus. The combo proved too consistent, too potent to remain in the shadows. Gradually, we transitioned to what you now see: a dedicated, turn-3 combo deck that doesn’t hold back.

And I must say, those two variants couldn’t appear more dissimilar.

The original iterations leaned towards a midrange strategy, looking to grind value while keeping the combo as an unexpected finisher. It was satisfactory—functional even—but it never really resonated. That’s where the challenge is: discovering the appropriate structure for your concept. It’s enticing to abandon the project when the first version falls short. Perhaps you experience early testing setbacks, or the deck doesn’t flow as you envisioned. It’s easy to conclude, “Well, I suppose this combo just isn’t feasible.”

But here’s the truth: brewing requires perseverance. Don’t let those initial games discourage you. The deck needs space to grow, adapt, and discover its essence. You may find yourself in an unexpected place, and that’s perfectly fine! Sometimes, you have to eliminate unnecessary elements, take chances, and fully commit to what your deck aspires to achieve. In our scenario, we opted for a full combo, and it ended up being the correct choice.

That’s the allure of the brewing journey. The transformation from “fallback option” to “dedicated combo” illuminated that testing isn’t solely about verifying if a deck operates—it’s about grasping what the deck wants to evolve into. So if you’re busy devising your own innovative concepts, keep in mind: exercise patience. Have faith in the process. Your initial construction might not be the one that dazzles, but with sufficient tweaking and a bit of determination, you may very well arrive at something worthy of Mythic.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

As always, feel free to comment and pose any inquiries you may have below! Don’t forget to return next week for even more Fun & Jank!

If you wish to observe these decks in action, join me on stream where we test, refine, and have a blast together!

Happy Brewing!