Chronomantic Escape + Sphinx of the Second Sun + Vizier of Many Faces

Chronomantic Escape

Sphinx of the Second Sun

Vizier of Many Faces

How it works

1. Cast Chronomantic Escape by paying 4, causing creatures to be unable to attack you until your next turn, and exiling Chronomantic Escape with three time counters on it.
2. At the beginning of your postcombat main phase, Sphinx of the Second Sun and Vizier of Many Faces each 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 exiling Chronomantic Escape with three time counters on it.
8. Repeat from step 2.

This ingenious lock relies on Sphinx of the Second Sun granting you multiple additional beginning phases—including extra upkeeps—during a single turn, which rapidly accelerates the time counters on Chronomantic Escape. To complete the setup, Vizier of Many Faces enters the battlefield as a copy of the Sphinx, doubling up the trigger and allowing you to burn through all three counters in a fraction of the normal time. Once the cycle is established, casting Chronomantic Escape locks opponents out of attacking you indefinitely while continuously recycling itself right back into exile with fresh time counters.