In the MTG universe, combos can take on a variety of different forms. From infinite mana lines to infinite damage options, there are seemingly endless paths to victory in our beloved game. Interestingly, one of the most unique combo archetypes out there centered around an unusual tutor just 5-0d a Magic Online Modern League. This deck has a throwback feel, great for players nostalgic about pre-Horizons Modern.
Winning with Spoils of the Vault
The main engine this archetype is built around is none other than Spoils of the Vault. This instant is designed to serve as an efficient but risky tutor option, potentially even losing you the game if the card you want is too far down in your deck. Yet in this strategy, the card primarily serves as a self-Mill machine.
By utilizing Angel’s Grace as a way to circumvent the life loss, you actually have the luxury of naming a card not in your deck. This will ultimately cause your whole library to get exiled, making Thassa’s Oracle a game-winning play. Thanks to the presence of mana accelerants like Talisman of Progress and Pentad Prism, it’s possible to assemble this three-card combo as early as turn three.
More often than not, though, you will need to dig for your combo pieces with Stock Up, Impulse, and other card selection spells. These powerful hand smoothers also help you find Orim’s Chant and Pact of Negation as tools to push your combo through opposing counterspells.
An Awkward Position
Overall, where this archetype gets its biggest edge is with its consistency. If given time, you should have no problem assembling a combo kill with protection backup. As such, slower strategies like Eldrazi Ramp that struggle to interact in the early turns are welcome matchups. This deck also has the upside of being immune to removal, causing control opponents to get stranded with unimpactful spells in hand.
Despite these strengths, though, there are unfortunately numerous weaknesses that keep this deck a step behind other combo decks. Right off the bat, while Pact and Chant work wonders versus counter magic, they fail to stave off discard spells. In a similar vein, they don’t remove hate cards like Chalice of the Void that can single-handedly mess up your gameplan.
Additionally, beyond being vulnerable to certain forms of hate, this deck is slower on average than the likes of Ruby Storm or Neoform. While you can use Pact of Negation defensively if you also have Angel’s Grace rolled up, this is hard to set up and often sets you back.
With these factors in mind, Spoils of the Vault Combo is likely to remain a low-tier archetype for now. Still, it’s nice to see the deck get some love since the Ad Nauseum days of old.
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