MTG Salvation

Hulk Combo: How it works, and how to play it.




How the Combo works:

Once you cheat out a Protean Hulk, using Through the Breach, it will inevitably die at the end of the current turn. When the Hulk dies, you search your library to begin the combo. The first two cards to pull are Body Double and Viscera Seer. The Body Double will copy your freshly deceased Protean Hulk.



Then, you activate the Seer's ability, and sacrifice your Body DoubleHulk. The trigger is all you're after, so you go search for Reveillark and Bile Urchin/Mogg Fanatic/Death Cultist.



You then sacrifice the Bile Urchin (or whatever you chose to kill them with) to hit the opponent, then Sacrifice Reveillark to the Seer, getting back your Bile Urchin and your Body Double... this time as a Reveillark! Simply then sacrifice the Urchin to the opponent, then the Reveillark to the Seer to get them both back. Repeat until your opponent is dead.

You should start the game with as close to this hand as possible:



This, however, is less than statistically probable, which is why the deck plays Peer Through Depths and Ponder. Both of these cards "dig", meaning that you get to see deeper into your deck, taking what you need and pushing away the rest. Peer through Depths is outstanding in this deck, because it finds all of our combo pieces, and all of our sideboard. Being able to dig five cards deep to find your Through the Breach or your Summoner's Pact is pretty amazing, as well as being able to dig for a key Firespout or Extirpate in games 2 and 3.


The most up-to-date list:

I was thinking the same thing when I considered Modern but my mainboard looks like this.



Not completely sold on the sideboard yet.

Testing this deck, I love the speed it has, as well as the ability to "combo off" during an opponents turn (or whenever they tap out).

testing the transformational board has been weird, I usually only bring it in game 3, and there usually isn't a game 3.

Edit: upon more testing, I'm glad to see so many aggro decks! Combo loves you!

I must be missing something here with the Hulk. Whats your order for the combo and trigger resolution? How do you kill Hulk the first time it comes out?

Play Hulk and let it die (via effect of Through the Breach/Footsteps of the Goryo).
Search for Viscera Seer and Body Double (targeting the GY Hulk).
Sac Double to Seer, search for Reveillark and Bile Urchin.
Sac Bile Urchin to itself for 1 damage.
Sac Reveillark to Seer, return Bile Urchin and Body Double (targeting Reveillark).
Rinse & repeat.

BTW, isn't Death Cultist/Mogg Fanatic better than Bile Urchin?
And if you draw a combo piece you need a way of putting it back in the library. Without JTMS the only way I know is See Beyond...

Through the Breach sacrifices it at the end of turn.

Through the Breach kills it at end of turn.
Get body double and viscera seer. Copy hulk.
Sac doublehulk to seer, get reveillark and bile urchin.
Sac urchin to ping for a life (there are other kill cons, like mogg fanatic).
Sac reveillark to get urchin and double, copying reveillark.
Sac urchin, sac reveillark. Repeat.

As far as urchin goes, it gets around troll worship, but yeah, fanatic works.

The thing that made Flash so good in Vintage and Legacy tho was the tutoring. Summoner's Pact, Vampiric Tutor, and Demonic Tutor could go get Protean Hulk. Merchant Scroll and Mystical Tutor could go get Flash. Ponder and Brainstorm could go get both. How do you consistently get Through the Breach in your hand while keeping the necessary combo pieces out of your hand?

Gifts Ungiven? With some modifications to the deck, search for Through the Breach, Footsteps of the Goryo, Protean Hulk, Eternal Witness/Recollect.

Hm. Noxious Revival could work too.

With 8 hulks and 7 ways to cheat him out... Tutoring isn't an issue. Ideas unbound helps, too.

What should duress be? I'm not sure about its spot.

I've frequently found that my hand's been occasionally filled with useless summoner's pacts, and i always wants that one more mana to go off.

So, i tried out Two Elvish Spirit Guides as alternate targets for it... and it's been quite nice. The extra tutorable mana really helps.

-------

If cost is not an issue, Thoughtseize is superior to duress only because it can target yourself. That's right, yourself. Why, you might ask?

Footsteps of the Goryo!

This fish can be fried in more than one way.

Quote from Gaka

I've frequently found that my hand's been occasionally filled with useless summoner's pacts, and i always wants that one more mana to go off.

So, i tried out Two Elvish Spirit Guides as alternate targets for it... and it's been quite nice. The extra tutorable mana really helps.

-------

If cost is not an issue, Thoughtseize is superior to duress only because it can target yourself. That's right, yourself. Why, you might ask?

Footsteps of the Goryo!

This fish can be fried in more than one way.

Exactly why I play ideas unbound and thirst for knowledge.

Was not in play a version with Hedron Crab and Dryad Arbor?

Quote from Gaka

I've frequently found that my hand's been occasionally filled with useless summoner's pacts, and i always wants that one more mana to go off.

So, i tried out Two Elvish Spirit Guides as alternate targets for it... and it's been quite nice. The extra tutorable mana really helps.

I hope you're talking about the Legacy (or Vintage) version, right? Elvish Spirit Guide is not Modern-legal. Simian Spirit Guide is, but it's not green. I'm out of ideas for free green Modern-legal creature mana, though...Wild Cantor, maybe?

Testing all day so far (about 8 hours) and I've updated to this list, which is working much better so far.



Peer Through Depths is a card that will just make this deck work. It finds Pacts, it finds Breaches, it finds Seething Song, and it finds itself.

just finished 2 matches, one against zoo (2-1) and one against 12 post (2-1)... against zoo I board in firespout, which peer grabs. against 12 post i lost g1 to mindslaver... i had a pact in hand. g2 i killed on turn 4 (during opponents turn) and game 3 I killed turn 2.

Opening hand was


Opponent plays Cloudpost and passes
I untap, draw a Steam Vents. I played the grave, took 2 and preordained into Protean Hulk.
Opponent plays Vesuva, copying his Cloudpost, and plays a Simic Signet.
I untap, draw whatever, play the Steam Vents, Remove the guide, Song into Breach into HULK S M A S H.

Death Cultist does seem strictly better than Bile Urchin

Quote from vietiscool

Death Cultist does seem strictly better than Bile Urchin

Punishing Fire would like a word with you (Only showing that it isn't "strictly" better).

The point of the deck isn't to go from 20 to 40, its to bring your opponent to zero. Death Cultist is, imo, a "win-more" card.

*****Edit: Funny, just ran into Punishing Fire against Bloodbraid elf, player had 5 mana untapped, no cards in hand, and I went off with urchin while chilling at 3 life. I love when Bile Urchin wins games!!

Have you considered See Beyond to shuffle back combo pieces like Reveillark or Viscera Seer that you don't need?

See Beyond doesn't really make sense, it's 2 mana for 2 cards of digging... at sorcery speed. I prefer the 3 cards used now (Preordain, Ponder, Peer Through Depths), all of which go at least 3 deep.

Tested this for about 4 hours tonight, against a gauntlet of 12 Post, Zoo, Bant, Teachings, and some janky red land destruction deck that my friend built. This deck handles all those handily (after board) except for teachings. Considering dedicating more of my board to permission and less to graveyard hate.

Possibly will switch to this for Sideboard:



Also planning on switching a Steam Vents for Breeding Pool and the Marsh Flats for Misty Rainforest.

Edit: Updated first page.

Seems that Path to Exile is popular for this deck... I'm strongly considering Chalice in the sideboard for such times.

Quote from Lectrys

I hope you're talking about the Legacy (or Vintage) version, right? Elvish Spirit Guide is not Modern-legal. Simian Spirit Guide is, but it's not green. I'm out of ideas for free green Modern-legal creature mana, though...Wild Cantor, maybe?

How about Manamorphose?

Why isnt teachings in this

Quote from muodoka

Why isnt teachings in this

Its too slow, cheap cantrips are better for digging for the combo than Mystical Teachings and Mystical Teachings doesn't even grab Through the Breach which is one of the primary engine cards.

Do you remember a version that uses Hedron Crabs and Dryad Arbor? I recall one version like that, but i dont know how well it fared.