Introduction
Imagine conjuring infinite mana and an endless army of creatures as early as turn three. While not always a guaranteed outcome, the Food Chain combo in Magic: The Gathering promises precisely that potential, making it a thrilling, albeit occasionally fragile, strategy for competitive players. This combo, centered around the powerful enchantment Food Chain, has carved a niche for itself in various formats, most notably in Commander (cEDH), where its explosive nature can quickly overwhelm opponents. This article will delve into the intricate mechanics of the Food Chain combo, exploring its history, key components, variations, strengths, weaknesses, and how to effectively combat it. Whether you’re a seasoned Commander player or a curious newcomer, this guide aims to provide a thorough understanding of this complex and rewarding MTG strategy.
The Core Mechanics: How Food Chain Works
At the heart of this powerful combo lies Food Chain, a seemingly innocuous enchantment that holds the key to explosive mana generation. The text of Food Chain states that you can exile a creature you control to add mana equal to that creature’s mana value to your mana pool. This mana can only be used to cast creature spells. At first glance, this might appear to be a rather restrictive ability. After all, exiling your own creatures seems counterproductive. However, the brilliance of the Food Chain combo lies in its ability to turn this apparent drawback into a significant advantage.
The basic Food Chain loop operates as follows: You cast a creature. Then, you exile that creature with Food Chain, generating mana equal to its mana value. Finally, you cast another creature from exile, using the mana generated. This cycle can be repeated, generating ever-increasing amounts of mana, provided the creature being cast can be cast from exile. The trick, therefore, lies in utilizing creatures that can be cast from exile. Without this critical element, the combo remains incomplete and utterly useless.
Understanding this ability to cast creatures from exile is paramount to grasping the intricacies of the Food Chain combo. It’s what separates it from a simple sacrifice outlet and transforms it into a potential engine for infinite mana and, ultimately, victory.
Key Creatures in Food Chain Decks
Central to the Food Chain strategy are the creatures that fuel the combo. These creatures fall into distinct categories, each playing a crucial role in generating infinite mana and securing the win.
Early Enablers
The engine of the Food Chain combo relies on specific creatures that allow for effortless repetition of the exile-and-recast loop. Without these cards, the combo grinds to a halt.
Squee, the Immortal
Squee, the Immortal stands out as a classic enabler. Squee’s unique ability to be cast from the graveyard allows it to be consistently available, even after being exiled by Food Chain. Its low mana value further enhances its appeal, requiring only minimal mana to kickstart the combo. Squee can be cast from exile for no mana. However, it’s worth noting that Squee’s dependence on colored mana introduces a constraint, requiring additional mana sources to cast other, more impactful spells.
Eternal Scourge and Misthollow Griffin
Eternal Scourge and Misthollow Griffin represent another class of enablers. Both cards can be cast from exile, enabling the loop to continue indefinitely. However, unlike Squee, Eternal Scourge and Misthollow Griffin produce colorless mana. This limitation necessitates the inclusion of creatures that can win the game using Colorless mana.
Mana Outlets
Once the infinite mana engine is established, the next crucial step involves channeling that mana into a game-winning play. This is where mana outlets come into play, creatures capable of converting infinite mana into a decisive advantage.
Generic Mana
For generating generic mana, creatures that allow you to cast a creature that wins the game are essential. These creatures might involve effects that deal direct damage to opponents or generate an overwhelming board presence. The choice of a mana outlet depends on the specific deck construction and the meta environment.
Colored Mana
For generating colored mana, creatures such as allies and slivers can add colored mana allowing you to cast a creature that wins the game. The selection depends on the specific deck construction and the meta environment.
Variations and Archetypes
The Food Chain combo has found its home in several formats, but its primary domain is Commander, specifically in the competitive Commander (cEDH) environment. Its ability to generate infinite mana quickly and efficiently makes it a powerful tool in a format dominated by fast-paced, high-powered strategies.
Commander
Food Chain is a popular combo in the Commander format due to the format’s singleton nature, access to commanders to tutor the chain, and the need for fast mana strategies. The combination of strong tutors and the need to quickly dominate the board makes the Food Chain combo extremely prevalent. Many decks win through the Food Chain combo.
Some notable Commanders that effectively harness the Food Chain combo include The First Sliver, Prossh, Skyraider of Kher, and Najeela, the Blade-Blossom. The First Sliver enables Food Chain as all creatures are slivers allowing for mana generation that can be converted into colored mana. Prossh’s ability to create kobolds provides a board presence that can be sacrificed, leading to direct damage to opponents. Najeela’s ability to add mana and give all creatures in combat additional effects can lead to direct damage.
Legacy and other Eternal Formats
Historically, Food Chain has seen limited play in Legacy and other eternal formats. This is due to the presence of even faster combo decks and the prevalence of disruption, making it difficult to assemble and execute the combo consistently. While the raw power of Food Chain is undeniable, its vulnerability to disruption and the existence of more streamlined combo strategies have kept it from becoming a major force in these formats.
Modern and Pioneer
Food Chain is not commonly seen in the Modern or Pioneer formats.
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Food Chain Combo
The Food Chain combo possesses considerable strengths, making it a formidable strategy in the right circumstances. However, it also has vulnerabilities that opponents can exploit.
Strengths
The speed at which the combo can be assembled is a significant advantage. With the right draw and tutor spells, the combo can be executed as early as turn three or four. This speed makes it capable of outpacing many other combo strategies and overwhelming slower, more controlling decks. The combo demonstrates resilience to disruption. While not immune, the combo’s ability to generate large amounts of mana quickly makes it difficult to disrupt completely. Additionally, the presence of redundant enablers and tutors provides a layer of protection against removal spells and counterspells. Also, the combo utilizes minimal card slots. A dedicated Food Chain deck typically dedicates a relatively small number of card slots to the combo itself. This allows the deck to incorporate a wider range of interaction, disruption, and card advantage spells, increasing its overall flexibility and consistency.
Weaknesses
The Food Chain combo is vulnerable to specific hate cards that can shut it down completely. Rest in Peace is an example of this. A permanent like this shuts down the Food Chain combo entirely. Food Chain is also dependent on the graveyard, although to a lesser extent than some other combo strategies. Also, Food Chain can be impacted by mana constraints. While the combo can generate infinite mana, the colors of that mana are initially limited by the colors of the exiled creatures. This can create situations where the combo is disrupted. Finally, there is risk of fizzling. If disrupted mid-combo, the combo can fizzle, leaving the player with a board state that is significantly weaker than it was before.
Playing Against the Food Chain Combo
Understanding how to play against the Food Chain combo is crucial for any player seeking to compete in formats where it is prevalent. By knowing the combo’s vulnerabilities and the right tools to disrupt it, you can significantly increase your chances of success.
Key cards that disrupt the combo include exile-based removal spells. These can remove creatures from play preventing the Food Chain combo from working. Counterspells can be used to target Food Chain or the key creatures that fuel the loop. Graveyard hate can also be used to completely shutdown the combo.
General strategies for beating Food Chain decks include using aggressive strategies that can race the combo. By applying early pressure and forcing the Food Chain player to focus on defense, you can prevent them from assembling the combo in time. You can also use stax pieces that prevent the combo from going off. These can disrupt the Food Chain player’s mana base.
Sample Decklist: cEDH The First Sliver
(Note: A full decklist exceeding the remaining word count is impractical. Here’s a representative snippet focusing on key card categories. A full list would include lands, mana rocks, tutors, interaction, and other support cards.)
// cEDH The First Sliver Food Chain
// Commander
The First Sliver
// Core Combo Pieces
Food Chain
Squee, the Immortal
Eternal Scourge
Misthollow Griffin
// Tutors
Demonic Tutor
Vampiric Tutor
Mystical Tutor
Enlightened Tutor
…
// Interaction
Counterspell
Swan Song
Mental Misstep
…
// Mana Acceleration
Mana Crypt
Mana Vault
Sol Ring
…
This decklist exemplifies how the Food Chain combo is integrated into a larger strategy. The First Sliver serves as the commander and enabler allowing all creatures to be slivers, allowing mana of all colors to be generated with the Food Chain combo. A large collection of tutors is also included to allow the player to tutor the combo.
The Future of Food Chain
The future of the Food Chain combo is subject to the ever-evolving landscape of Magic: The Gathering. The introduction of new cards can either strengthen or weaken the combo, depending on their interactions with the existing components. New creatures that can be cast from exile, new tutors that can find Food Chain or its enablers, or new hate cards that specifically target the combo could all have a significant impact on its viability.
The combo will likely remain a relevant strategy in Commander and other formats where it is established. Its ability to generate infinite mana quickly and efficiently makes it a powerful tool that is unlikely to be completely overshadowed by new strategies.
Conclusion
The Food Chain combo in Magic: The Gathering represents a powerful and intricate strategy that offers the potential for explosive mana generation and decisive victories. Its core mechanics, centered around the Food Chain enchantment and creatures that can be cast from exile, create a unique and rewarding play experience. While the combo has vulnerabilities, its speed, resilience, and compact nature make it a formidable threat in the hands of a skilled player. Ultimately, the Food Chain combo stands as a testament to the depth and complexity of Magic: The Gathering.
Do you have any personal experiences using or playing against the Food Chain combo? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
