New Gruul Sphinx Makes Infinite Tokens and Deals Infinite Damage

Reality Fracture spoilers are coming out in full force, and there’s a lot to be excited about. For Commander players in particular, this set is chock full of exciting legends, with a new cycle of Elder Sphinx leading the charge. Aerid Konstrari is no exception, showcasing incredible ramp and infinite combo potential.

MTG Aerid Konstrari

Both Aerid Konstrari’s triggered ability and activated ability fuel the same game plan: generate a boatload of Heartwood tokens and reap the rewards. The more Heartwood tokens you create, the more threatening the buff bonus from each Aerid activation becomes. The key is finding ways to retrigger Aerid’s enters effect and aid Aerid’s clunky activation cost.

To get things started, Conjurer’s Closet provides a steady stream of tokens by repeatedly blinking your Commander. Alternatively, you can copy Aerid with Devastating Onslaught or Blade of Selves, getting extra Heartwood tokens along the way as the copies die via the Legend Rule. By adding trigger doublers like Roaming ThroneRoaming ThroneWard {2}
As this creature enters, choose a creature type.
This creature is the chosen type in addition to its other types.
If a triggered ability of another creature you control of the chosen type triggers, it triggers an additional time. into the mix, you can speed things up significantly.

The extra mana from these tokens then feeds into Aerid’s activated ability to keep your engine rolling. Cards that increase the mana production of your artifact tokens, such as Roxanne, Starfall Savant, or Nyxbloom Ancient, further help the cause. Stick an untap effect like Seedborn Muse and Unwinding Clock, and you can get even more activations out of Aerid on your opponents’ turns.

As the tokens continue to flow, you can get even more mileage out of them by incorporating token payoffs like Stridehangar Automaton or Peregrin Took. All of these engines pop off harder when paired with Parallel LivesParallel LivesIf an effect would create one or more tokens under your control, it creates twice that many of those tokens instead. or Doubling SeasonDoubling SeasonIf an effect would create one or more tokens under your control, it creates twice that many of those tokens instead.
If an effect would put one or more counters on a permanent you control, it puts twice that many of those counters on that permanent instead., too.

With the value train rolling, all you need is a way to close the game. Simple sources of damage like Reckless Fireweaver and Ingenious Artillerist should do the trick. For even more oomph, turning your tokens into beefy threats with Displaced Dinosaurs or Depthshaker Titan can enable a game-ending attack. With a big enough board, you can dig deeper and lean on Comet Storm or Jaya’s Immolating Inferno to end things.

Of course, you can also just funnel your mana into pumping Aerid via its own ability to set up lethal Commander damage. You just need a way to reliably get past blockers, but Trample enablers like Garruk’s Uprising, or equipment like Whispersilk CloakWhispersilk CloakEquipped creature can't be blocked and has shroud. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities.)
Equip {2} make this trivial. You could even use Super State to try and take out multiple opponents at once!

Infinite Tokens and Mana Combos

As if ending the game weren’t easy enough already, Aerid also enables multiple infinite token combos. The simplest to pull off involves pairing the Elder Sphinx with Agatha of the Vile Cauldron. You just need a way to increase Agatha’s power to five or more to get things started.

From there, each activation of Aerid is reduced to just one mana. Because the Heartwood token that enters immediately taps for mana, you can repeat this process over and over to make infinite tokens. This makes Reckless Fireweaver and similar effects instantly lethal, but a token-doubler also unlocks infinite mana for a Walking Ballista kill.

Interestingly, if you have access to a token doubler and Nyxbloom Ancient, you can also generate infinite Heartwood tokens all the same. Replacing Nyxbloom Ancient with two other token doublers accomplishes a similar task as well.

Whether you ultimately choose to go the combo route or just stick to a “fairer” game plan, Aerid serves as a great build-around. This card has tons of untapped potential, so don’t be surprised if you see it around your local store’s Commander Night soon enough.

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