Magic: The Gathering just wrapped up its devastating Phyrexian invasion saga, and the March of the Machine set isn't even the end. The upcoming micro-set March of the Machine: The Aftermath packs some serious power with a diverse range of legendary creatures from across the multiverse. Among them is the familiar villain Ob Nixilis, whom fans met all the way back in 2009's Zendikar set.
The new Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin is a black/red version of MTG's iconic villain bursting with demonic flavor, including deceptively powerful triggered abilities. Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin is all about dealing 1 damage at a time, or "pinging," as well as +1/+1 counters, giving it powerful synergy with other black and red cards -- especially the enchantment All Will Be One. Here's how the combo works and why it's so strong.
MTG's New Ob Nixilis Card Enables a Powerful Infinite Ping Combo in Standard
Multiple cards in MTG's current Standard format, many of which are from Phyrexia: All Will Be One and March of the Machine, enable players using Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin to go infinite and win the game. The central combo is just two cards: Ob Nixilis himself and the red enchantment All Will Be One. This enchantment allows the player to deal damage equal to the number of counters put on any permanent or player, including +1/+1 counters, -1/-1 counters, oil counters and even Planeswalker loyalty counters. Meanwhile, Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin gets a +1/+1 counter any time an opponent loses exactly 1 life. These two cards go back and forth for free, pinging the opponent to death as Ob Nixilis grows bigger.
This killer combo alone can win the game with ease. Additionally, Ob Nixilis draws a card with each cycle, which is extremely valuable -- and players aren't at risk of decking out because opponents have far fewer life points than players have cards in their deck. The combo uses lots of cards that can get the cycle started, either by putting exactly one counter on a permanent or by making the opponent lose 1 life.
Pestilent Syphoner, an evasive 1/1 creature with flying and toxic 1, is an ideal creature to include in the deck. Its damage and single poison counter are both highly effective for triggering the combo. Players can also play Ichor Shade, which synergizes with creatures dying to gain a +1/+1 counter and trigger the Ob Nixilis combo; in Rakdos colors, having a creature die on demand should be easy.
Players considering this combo deck should also try Urabrask's Forge, a red artifact that puts an oil counter on itself to make creature tokens. The disadvantage is that only the first trigger works for Ob Nixilis' combo, but then again, artifacts aren't destroyed or exiled as easily as creatures. Bloated Processor, meanwhile, is a rare black creature that can sacrifice one other creature to give itself a +1/+1 counter to begin the combo, and Dreg Recycler can sacrifice another creature to make the opponent lose 1 life.
Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin Is Deceptively Powerful in Commander
So far, it's not yet clear how Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin might impact MTG's most popular format, Commander, and his infinite combo will work a little differently. Notably, Ob Nixilis requires the player to exile the top card of their library when he gets a +1/+1 counter, so the player might deck themselves out before wiping out all of their opponents, especially if one of them is playing a lifegain deck. For this reason, Ob Nixilis' combo may serve as a finisher rather than a prime strategy, and best of all, Ob Nixilis generates value in other ways.
Ob Nixilis doesn't just loop with All Will Be One. It also generates value when opponents lose exactly 1 life, because it exiles the top card of the player's library and allows them to play it. The player must pay the normal costs for that card, but it's still a fine value engine, and Ob Nixilis will slowly but surely become a massive, evasive beater as a 4/3 with flying that gets +1/+1 counters with ease. Countless black and red cards in MTG support Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin decks that don't focus entirely on the combo, which may work well with an Aristocrats build or perhaps a damage-based deck.
Rakdos decks are good at creature sacrifice, with both colors making lots of disposable creature tokens like 1/1 Goblins and 1/1 Vampires, and these colors have countless sacrifice outlets and cards that reward the player for killing their own creatures. Blood Artist is an excellent example, making an opponent lose 1 life and the player gain 1 life whenever a creature dies, and Woe Strider can sacrifice creatures to scry 1, just like Viscera Seer. Zulaport Cutthroat is another fine pick, along with Falkenrath Noble. All this combined with token generators of all kinds makes Ob Nixilis a massive finisher and a bottomless value engine for any Commander game, as well as a formidable threat in Standard combo decks.