Woe Strider + Thran Vigil + Glen Elendra Archmage

Woe Strider

Thran Vigil

Glen Elendra Archmage

How it works

1. Activate Woe Strider by sacrificing Glen Elendra Archmage.
2. When Glen Elendra Archmage dies, its persist ability triggers, returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on it.
3. Thran Vigil triggers, putting a +1/+1 counter on Glen Elendra Archmage.
4. Resolve the Woe Strider ability.
5. Repeat.

This elegant loop turns Glen Elendra Archmage into an endlessly reusable counterspell engine by weaponizing its persist mechanic alongside Woe Strider's sacrifice outlet. Every time you feed the Archmage to Woe Strider, the persist trigger brings it back with a -1/-1 counter, but Thran Vigil immediately swoops in with its passive trigger to place a +1/+1 counter on it whenever a creature card leaves your graveyard—neatly canceling out the -1/+1 counter via state-based actions. This leaves the Archmage perpetually fresh to die again, generating infinite sacrifice and death triggers while you effortlessly sculpt your draws with Woe Strider's scry ability.