Mairsil, the Pretender + Endling + Cauldron of Souls + Blood Vassal + Mass Hysteria
How it works
- Activate Mairsil using Cauldron of Souls' ability by tapping it, giving itself persist until end of turn.
- Activate Mairsil using Blood Vassal's ability by sacrificing it, adding .
- When Mairsil dies, its persist ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
- Activate Mairsil using Endling's third ability by paying , giving Mairsil undying until end of turn.
- Activate Mairsil using Blood Vassal's ability by sacrificing it, adding .
- When Mairsil dies, its undying ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
- Repeat.
The magic behind this engine lies in Mairsil, the Pretender's ability to absorb the activated powers of your exiled assets, turning a single commander into a self-contained recursion loop. Mass Hysteria ensures that Mairsil can act immediately without waiting around for summoning sickness. By caging Cauldron of Souls, Mairsil gains the power to grant itself persist, setting up the first half of a classic counter-neutralizing tango. When you sacrifice Mairsil to Blood Vassal's mana-generating ability, it hits the graveyard and returns thanks to persist—but it comes back with a -1/-1 counter. This is where caging Endling becomes the masterstroke: you can activate Endling's undying ability from exile to grant Mairsil undying, so that the next time it dies, the incoming +1/+1 counter annihilates the pesky -1/-1 counter and brings it back fresh. Alternating between these two triggers lets you sacrifice Mairsil over and over to Blood Vassal, pumping out an endless reservoir of black mana alongside infinite death and entry triggers.