Chronomantic Escape + Sphinx of the Second Sun + Quicksilver Gargantuan

Chronomantic Escape

Sphinx of the Second Sun

Quicksilver Gargantuan

How it works

1. Cast Chronomantic Escape by paying 4, causing creatures to be unable to attack you until your next turn, and putting Chronomantic Escape into exile with three time counters on it.
2. At the beginning of your postcombat main phase, both copies of Sphinx of the Second Sun trigger, causing you to get two additional beginning phases after this phase.
3. Move to your first additional beginning phase.
4. At the beginning of your upkeep, Chronomantic Escape triggers, removing a time counter from itself.
5. Repeat from step 3 one additional time.
6. At the beginning of your next upkeep, Chronomantic Escape triggers, removing a time counter from itself and causing you to cast it without paying its mana cost.
7. Resolve Chronomantic Escape, causing creatures to be unable to attack you until your next turn, and putting Chronomantic Escape into exile with three time counters on it.
8. Repeat from step 2.

This clever lock relies on accelerating suspend counters using the extra beginning phases granted by Sphinx of the Second Sun. By cloning the Sphinx with Quicksilver Gargantuan, you double up on those postcombat main phase triggers, creating multiple additional upkeep steps in a single turn. During these extra upkeeps, Chronomantic Escape rapidly sheds its time counters, allowing you to cast it repeatedly without paying its mana cost. The result is a perpetual fog effect that ensures creatures can't attack you, keeping you completely safe behind an impenetrable wall of temporal magic.