For quite some time, winning the game via an empty deck has been among the stronger strategies available in Commander. On top of being incredibly efficient, this strategy ignores what your opponent is trying to do and forces them to play your game. With empty deck wins available as early as turn one, every competitive MTG table needs to be prepared to stop this.
Now, thanks to a new Marvel Super Heroes Legend, you can play an empty deck win condition in the command zone. If that weren’t enough, Doctor Doom, Unrivaled brings empty deck wins to mono-black, creating tons of new death combos available across all black Commanders.
MTG Doctor Doom, Unrivaled
Despite Doctor Doom, Unrivaled being MTG’s newest empty deck win condition, it’s also the weakest one. This is due to Doctor Doom’s win condition being a tap ability, meaning that summoning sickness slows it down. With a massive window for opponents to deal with Doctor Doom, there’s a lot of counterplay available.
That said, Doctor Doom’s activated ability does give him a unique perk, allowing the Commander to function as a card advantage engine. If you untap Doctor Doom with cards like Umbral Mantle, Thousand-Year Elixer or Magewright’s Stone, for example, you can set up multiple activations per turn, refilling your hand. Once set up, ability-doubling cards like Roaming Throne and Strionic Resonator can make Doctor Doom’s card draw go further.
While Doctor Doom’s best win conditions are combo-centric ones, you can also churn through your deck using potent self-mill tools. Cards like Altar of Dementia and Mesmeric Orb, for example, can get Doctor Doom closer to winning the game while setting up Reanimate plays. Bringing back massive tutoring threats like Hoarding Broodlord and Razaketh, the Foulblooded can both provide strong threats and combo consistency.
Multiple 2-card Kill Combos
Regardless of its appearance in the 99 or in the command zone, Doctor Doom, Unrivaled is all about his combo potential. The classic Demonic Consultation or Tainted Pact lines are the most powerful here, threatening to win the game at any time. You can even activate Doctor Doom and cast these cards in response, preventing the risk of decking yourself out if Doctor Doom gets stopped.
While this will undeniably end up in all kinds of different Commander decks, Doctor Doom also offers Doomsday combos. You only need two cards to start this, but you will need some specific cards in your 99 to pull off the win. With just three extra mana and a way to draw a card, you can win the game by using Street Wraith, Sign in Blood, and Village Rites.
Once you have your Street Wraith in hand, Cycle it for Sign in Blood, drawing Village Rites and a card of your choice. You can then activate Doctor Doom’s ability and sacrifice it to Village Rites on the stack. This will empty your library, allowing Doctor Doom’s ability to win the game.
Frankly, depending on the board state, there are all kinds of different Doomsday piles that win the game. With any extra creature, for example, Village Rites, Street Wraith, and Corrupted Conviction do the same thing for two mana. If money is not an issue, Bazaar of Baghdad, Street Wraith and Village Rites win the game for just one mana.
Between this and some self-mill combos like Basalt Monolith and Mesmeric Orb, Doctor Doom, Unrivaled always threatens to combo off out of nowhere. While this means your opponents will be extremely wary of anyone who plays this in the command zone, Doctor Doom is powerful enough to win anyway.
Stick with us here at mtgrocks.com: the best site for Magic: The Gathering coverage. Be sure to check out our deckbuilder for your next big brew, and our brand new MTG Rocks Podcast!