Of all the ways to win a game of Magic the Gathering, combo kills are definitely the coolest. The right combination of cards can create some of the most ridiculous moments that MTG players ever experience, making for great stories to tell friends.
In fact, today, a new, bizarre combo archetype centered around a Cosmogoyf, of all things, boasted a 5-0 Modern League finish out of nowhere. With the right support, this deck can win as early as turn two, and it’s more consistent than you might expect.
Executing the Combo
The main card this archetype is built around is none other than Cosmogoyf. Unlike Tarmogoyf, Cosmogoyf takes some extra work to maximize, since getting cards into exile is naturally more difficult than getting them into your graveyard. At the same time, though, Cosmogoyf has a much higher ceiling, since its power can far surpass any level Tarmogoyf can.
With this in mind, the goal here is to utilize effects that take this to the extreme. Both Spoils of the Vault and Plunge into Darkness are capable of exiling a large number of cards from your library at once, thereby making any copy of Cosmogoyf you cast absolutely huge. Plus, these cards work to dig for Cosmogoyf, giving you consistent access to your primary haymaker.
If you already have Cosmogoyf rolled up, you can also use these effects to tutor for the other piece of the combo: Thud. This efficient Fling variant makes it trivial to win the game once you have a big enough threat, and resolving Plunge or Spoils gets you most of the way there. Any life your opponent pays with Fetchlands and Shocklands only make things easier for you, especially considering that this deck uses a painless manabase.
With the presence of a playset of Gemstone Caverns, this deck is technically capable of setting up turn two kills. Chancellor of the Tangle out of the sideboard increases your chances further of having fast wins, which can be useful against other fast combo shells like Ruby Storm. Still, speed isn’t everything. In order for a deck to have success, it needs to incorporate cards that improve consistency and resiliency. Luckily, this combo shell has some tricks up its sleeve.
Important Support Pieces
For a deck that’s looking to win quickly and find multiple specific tools in the early turns, it shouldn’t be too shocking to find a full playset of Serum Powder in the mix. Getting to essentially have free mulligans when you start with Serum Powder is a huge boon.
Additionally, all of the cards from your hand get exiled, which increases the odds that resolving Spoils of the Vault will get enough cards into exile to make Cosmogoyf+Thud a lethal combination. In a similar vein, Devourer of Destiny serves dual functions as a method of setting up your next draw step and increasing the number of cards you have in exile.
Once you’re confident you can win the game in one turn, Summoner’s Pact becomes a crucial piece of the puzzle. While Summoner’s Pact can’t grab the Thud half of the combo, having super-efficient redundancy in the deck goes a long way, especially since Plunge or Spoils can find Thud in the event you have Summoner’s Pact already in hand. Notably, if you’re missing your third land for a one-turn kill, casting Summoner’s Pact to tutor for Disciple of Freyalise is a totally fine play to make.
Given the all-in nature of Cosmogoyf Thud Combo, Pact of Negation is a seamless fit as well. Force of Negation and Strix Serenade are cheap, commonly used counterspells that you need to be able to fight through, and Pact of Negation delivers.
Strengths and Weaknesses
With all of these pieces at your disposal, actually setting up a combo kill isn’t too difficult, even with Pact of Negation backup. This deck is fast enough to race most other combo decks, even with minimal disruption of its own. Plus, as long as you set up your combo before resolving Cosmogoyf, you can send lethal damage to the opponent without ever exposing Cosmogoyf to removal.
All of these points give Cosmogoyf Thud Combo a chance to compete, but that doesn’t mean the decks doesn’t have a number of weaknesses. First and foremost, because Pact of Negation’s deadly trigger prevents you from interacting outside of your combo turn, cards like Thoughtseize are capable of stripping you of an important resource and you can’t fight over it. Outside of Manamorphose, there aren’t any cantrips present to help you rebuild. So, if your opponent nabs Spoils or Plunge early, you risk never being able to get the requisite number of cards into exile to make Cosmogoyf a game-ending card.
Meanwhile, hate pieces like High Noon prevent you from jamming Cosmogoyf and Thud in the same turn. This gives Jeskai Control opponents a chance to use their removal to get Cosmogoyf off the table before you make it to your next turn.
This archetype does have a glimmer of hope against some forms of hate, at least, thanks to its unique sideboard package. If you’re fortunate enough to find Cosmogoyf off of Break Out, you can simply attack for lethal when your opponent is least expecting it. At the same time, against decks that rely mostly on damage-based removal, Cosmogoyf and Psychic Frog can outsize opposing kills spells and lead to Thud-less wins. This deck has a lot going on, and while it’s far from a top tier Modern powerhouse, its recent success goes to show that there’s always room to explore new combos and catch your opponents off guard.
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