Woe Strider + Putrid Goblin + Thran Vigil

Woe Strider

Putrid Goblin

Thran Vigil

How it works

1. Activate Woe Strider by sacrificing Putrid Goblin.
2. When Putrid Goblin dies, its persist ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
3. Thran Vigil triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on Putrid Goblin.
4. Resolve the Woe Strider ability.
5. Repeat.

This ingenious loop is anchored by Woe Strider, which provides both a reliable sacrifice outlet and a helpful scry engine every time you feed it. By sending Putrid Goblin to the graveyard, you trigger its persist ability to bring it right back to the battlefield, but the crucial missing piece is Thran Vigil. Because Putrid Goblin leaves your graveyard during your turn, Thran Vigil triggers to place a +1/+1 counter on it, which immediately neutralizes the -1/+1 counter it just received from persist. This elegant counter-cancellation allows you to sacrifice Putrid Goblin over and over again, generating an endless stream of sacrifice, death, and entry triggers.