Long Feng, Grand Secretariat + Shilgengar, Sire of Famine

Long Feng, Grand Secretariat

Shilgengar, Sire of Famine

How it works

1. Activate Shilgengar by sacrificing a persist creature that doesn't have a -1/-1 counter on it.
2. When the creature dies, its persist ability and Long Feng trigger.
3. Resolve the Long Feng trigger, putting a +1/+1 counter on the other persist creature.
4. Resolve the persist trigger, returning the creature from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
5. Resolve the Shilgengar ability.
6. Repeat.

This insidious engine relies on the synergy between Shilgengar, Sire of Famine and a persist creature to continuously churn through sacrifice, death, and leave-the-battlefield triggers. By using Shilgengar, Sire of Famine to feed on your persist creature, you trigger both its own recursion mechanic and Long Feng, Grand Secretariat's ability. As Long Feng, Grand Secretariat places a +1/+1 counter on your other creatures, it cleverly neutralizes any accumulated -1/-1 counters on the returning persist creature, allowing the loop to continue indefinitely while Shilgengar, Sire of Famine piles up a wealth of Blood tokens.