Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight + Thermopod + Virtuous Variant

Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight

Thermopod

Virtuous Variant

How it works

1. Activate Thermopod by sacrificing Virtuous Variant.
2. When Virtuous Variant dies, its persist ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
3. When Virtuous Variant enters, it triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on it.
4. Repeat.

This elegant loop hinges on Isilu, Carrier of Twilight—the night-facing side of Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn—which grants persist to your other nontoken creatures, allowing Virtuous Variant to bounce back from the graveyard bearing a -1/-1 counter. Thermopod provides the necessary sacrifice outlet, translating each iteration into red mana while sending the Variant to its doom. When Virtuous Variant returns, its entry trigger places a +1/+1 counter on it, which immediately annihilates the -1/-1 counter via state-based actions and resets the whole cycle.