The Food Chain combo is a powerful and iconic deck strategy in Magic: The Gathering (MTG) that has captured the imaginations of players for years. Its ability to generate an endless stream of creatures and dominate the battlefield has made it a formidable force in many formats. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive into the ins and outs of this devastating combo, exploring its origins, its components, its strengths and weaknesses, and how to play it effectively.
The Food Chain combo revolves around the interaction between two cards: Food Chain and Progenitus. Food Chain is an enchantment that allows you to cast any creature card from your hand for free whenever you create a creature. Progenitus is a powerful creature with the ability to create a copy of any creature card you control whenever it enters the battlefield. Together, these two cards create a loop that can generate an infinite number of creatures.
How the Food Chain Combo Works
Let’s break down the steps involved in executing this powerful combo:
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Play Food Chain: The first step is to get Food Chain into play. This can be achieved through various means, including using mana acceleration spells, tutor effects, or simply drawing it early in the game.
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Play Progenitus: Once Food Chain is in play, you need to bring Progenitus onto the battlefield. This can be done by playing it from your hand or by using other creatures that can generate Progenitus tokens, such as Phyrexian Metamorph or Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker.
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Create an Infinite Loop: Once Progenitus is in play, you can begin the infinite loop. You can activate Progenitus’ ability, creating a copy of itself. Food Chain allows you to cast this copy for free. When the copy enters the battlefield, it will trigger Progenitus’ ability again, creating another copy. This creates an endless cycle, generating an infinite number of creatures.
Advantages of the Food Chain Combo
The Food Chain combo offers several distinct advantages:
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Overwhelming Power: The ability to create an infinite number of creatures can quickly overwhelm your opponent, allowing you to win the game in a single turn.
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Flexibility: You can choose any creature card to create with Progenitus, giving you a wide range of options to tailor your strategy to the specific matchup.
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Resilience: The Food Chain combo is relatively resilient to board wipes, as you can simply regenerate your creatures using the loop.
Disadvantages of the Food Chain Combo
While the Food Chain combo is incredibly powerful, it also has some vulnerabilities:
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Card Disruption: The combo relies heavily on specific cards, making it vulnerable to card disruption such as counterspells, removal spells, or hand disruption.
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Difficult to Set Up: It requires specific cards to be in your hand and on the battlefield, which can make it difficult to set up and execute.
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Reliant on Mana: The combo requires a significant amount of mana to function, making it susceptible to mana denial strategies.
Playing the Food Chain Combo Effectively
To maximize the effectiveness of the Food Chain combo, consider these tips:
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Mana Acceleration: Utilize mana acceleration spells to ensure you have enough mana to cast Food Chain and Progenitus. Cards like Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, and Arcane Signet can significantly speed up the process.
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Creature Selection: Choose creature cards that offer the most utility in the current matchup. For example, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker can help you generate even more creatures, while Phyrexian Metamorph can copy your opponent’s creatures, making them work for you.
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Protection: Use counterspells and removal spells to protect your combo pieces from disruption.
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Timing: Execute the combo when you have enough mana and the necessary creatures in play. Be cautious of your opponent’s counterplay and ensure you have a plan to win after creating your infinite army.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some of the most common counterplay strategies against the Food Chain combo?
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Counterspells: Countermagic is a significant threat to the Food Chain combo. It prevents you from playing key pieces like Food Chain and Progenitus, disrupting your strategy.
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Removal Spells: Removal spells can eliminate your combo pieces, making it difficult to maintain the loop.
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Board Wipes: Board wipes can clear the battlefield, eliminating all your creatures and setting you back significantly.
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Mana Denial: Cards that disrupt your mana flow can make it impossible to cast the necessary spells for the Food Chain combo.
What are some of the most common alternatives to the Food Chain combo in MTG?
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The Goblin Combo: This combo revolves around Goblin Recruiter and Goblin Ringleader, allowing you to create a massive army of Goblins quickly.
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The Kiki-Jiki Combo: This combo utilizes Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker and another creature with the ability to create tokens, such as Devoted Druid or Splinter Twin, to generate an infinite number of creatures.
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The Storm Combo: This combo focuses on using spells like Past in Flames and Brain Freeze to win the game by drawing a large number of cards and casting spells for free.
What are some of the best strategies for playing against the Food Chain combo?
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Disrupting Mana: Cards like Damping Sphere and Tangle Wire can hamper the combo’s mana production, slowing down its execution.
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Removal Spells: Cards like Path to Exile and Disenchant can eliminate crucial combo pieces, disrupting the infinite loop.
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Board Wipes: Board wipes such as Wrath of God or Damnation can clear the battlefield, eliminating all your creatures and setting you back significantly.
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Aggro Strategies: Fast and aggressive decks can overwhelm the Food Chain combo before it has a chance to establish itself.
What are some of the most common deck builds for the Food Chain combo?
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Mono-Green Food Chain: This deck utilizes green’s mana acceleration and creature generation to fuel the combo, relying on cards like Sol Ring, Birds of Paradise, and Green Sun’s Zenith.
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Red-Green Food Chain: This deck incorporates red’s aggressive nature and burn spells to complement the Food Chain combo, using cards like Lightning Bolt and Goblin Guide.
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Four-Color Food Chain: This deck leverages the strength of multiple colors, including blue for counterspells, white for board wipes, and black for removal spells, making it a well-rounded and flexible strategy.
Conclusion
The Food Chain combo is an incredibly powerful and strategic deck strategy in Magic: The Gathering, offering a thrilling and fast-paced game experience. Understanding its intricacies and potential counterplay strategies will be key to your success on the battlefield. Whether you’re trying to master the Food Chain yourself or playing against it, knowledge is power in the world of MTG.