Urza, Lord Protector is, by far, my favorite deck, and I recommend you give it a try. Urza, Lord Protector, is a powerful Azorius commander who provides significant mana advantage and acts as a combo piece. With Urza in play, most mana artifacts, such as Thran Dynamo become mana-neutral. And most instants and sorceries are overpowered when they cost one less mana. Finding a way to end the game is something Azorius sometimes struggles to do in EDH. But, with Urza in the command zone, the deck has a combo piece, always available, allowing you to win the game with two other cards: Sensei's Divining Top and Mystic Forge. This is a classic Magic combo, and Urza, Lord Protector, ties it together for EDH.

Deck List

View deck on Archidekt.

Combos

This deck’s goal is that each combo flows seamlessly into the next one. As I mentioned, Urza, Lord Protector, goes infinite, allowing you to draw your whole deck with Sensei's Divining Top and Mystic Forge. This is the main combo that this deck tries to assemble. There are some other combos I’ll explain further down that all draw your whole deck, but this is the easiest one. The Sensei's Divining Top combo allows you to win Aetherflux Reservoir because it requires casting Sensei's Divining Top over and over for free. The combo also transitions nicely into infinite mana combos for a different way to win. On the other hand, getting infinite mana before assembling the Sensei's Divining Top combo allows you to control the game and transition into the top combo or another game-winning play. Underneath all the combos is a good amount of artifact synergy and control elements to keep the game plan together.

Urza, Lord Protector + Sensei's Divining Top + Mystic Forge/The Reality Chip/Crystal Skull, Isu Spyglass

Prerequisites

• Have all three cards on the battlefield.

Steps

1. Tap Sensei's Divining Top, draw a card, and put it on top of your library.
2. Cast Sensei's Divining Top off the top of your library with Mystic Forge or The Reality Chip for free because of Urza, Lord Protector.
3. Repeat.

Results

Infinite card draw and storm count.

Because this combo generates infinite storm count, the easiest way to win is by playing Aetherflux Reservoir and hitting everyone for 50 damage. But once it’s assembled there are a few other ways to close out the game.

A very similar version of the combo can also be done with Displacer Kitten instead of Urza, Lord Protector, and pretty much any mana rock. It’s just much harder to assemble because it’s impossible to tutor Displacer Kitten.

1. Tap Sensei's Divining Top, draw a card, and put it on top of your library.
2. Tap a mana-producing artifact, such as Arcane Signet, adding at least 1 mana.
3. Cast Sensei's Divining Top from the top of your library by paying 1.
4. Displacer Kitten triggers, blinking the mana-producing artifact.
5. Repeat.

Echo of Eons Loops

Looping Echo of Eons is the poor-man’s version of “Timetwister Loops.” This loop is mostly used as a finisher after drawing your whole deck with the Sensei's Divining Top combo because it needs a lot of setup.

Prerequisites

• Infinite blue mana.
• Infinite card draw.
• Echo of Eons and Narset's Reversal in hand.

Steps

1. Cast Echo of Eons.
2. Cast Narset's Reversal, copying Echo of Eons, returning it to hand.
3. Once the copied Echo of Eons resolves, Narset's Reversal and the original Echo of Eons will be shuffled back into the library.
4. Repeat the Sensei's Divining Top—or similar card draw combo—to draw every card in the deck. Eventually, you’ll will redraw Narset's Reversal and Echo of Eons and the combo can be repeated.

Results

Looping Echo of Eons only generates an infinite storm count. But, there are a bunch of ways to win once starting the loop. For example, countering a random spell with Swan Song once per loop creates infinite flying 2/2 birds. Any card like Retrofitter Foundry, Capsize, or Renewed Faith can close out the game.

Voltaic Key/Minamo, School at Water's Edge + Rings of Brighthearth + Chromatic Orrery

This combo provides everything you need to loop Echo of Eons and supports every other game-winning combo.

Requires

• Voltaic Key or Minamo, School at Water's Edge, Rings of Brighthearth, and Chromatic Orrery on the battlefield.

Steps

• Tap Chromatic Orrery adding 5 colorless mana.
• Tap Voltaic Key or Minamo, School at Water's Edge, targeting Chromatic Orrery.
• Rings of Brighthearth triggers. Pay 2 mana copying the untap ability.
• Resolve the copied ability and untap Voltaic Key or Minamo, School at Water's Edge.
• Resolve the original trigger and untap Chromatic Orrery.
• Repeat.

• Each loop nets 2 colorless mana, which can then be used to tap Chromatic Orrery to draw cards instead of for mana. If you do the combo with Voltaic Key, the stored mana can be used to untap other artifacts using the same method. But, if you used Minamo, School at Water's Edge the mana can used to untap other legendary permanents.

Results

Infinite card draw, infinite colored and colorless mana, and infinite untaps of artifacts you control.

Basalt Monolith + Rings of Brighthearth

Requires

• Rings of Brighthearth and Basalt Monolith on the battlefield.
• mana available.

Steps

1. Basalt Monolith for 3 mana.
2. Activate Basalt Monolith paying 3 mana.
3. Rings of Brighthearth triggers, pay 2 mana to copy the Basalt Monolith untap ability.
4. Resolve the copied Basalt Monolith ability, untap it.
5. Tap Basalt Monolith for 3 mana.
6. Resolve the original Basalt Monolith ability, untapping Basalt Monolith again.
7. Repeat, each time netting 1 colorless mana.

Results

Infinite colorless mana.

If Sensei's Divining Top is also in play combo provides have infinite card draw as well. This works by first generating infinite mana, then tapping Sensei's Divining Top to draw a card. In response, copy the Sensei's Divining Top ability. This results in drawing a card and putting Sensei's Divining Top on top of your library. The ability triggers again and Sensei's Divining Top is drawn. Cast Sensei's Divining Top and repeat.

Strategy

Most games I aggressively follow whatever line assembles the Sensei's Divining Top combo the fasted. With an average hand this is usually turn five, but good hands can get this combo out on turn three easily.¹

Flipping Urza, Planeswalker is not needed to win the game and it can distract from combo-ing. Urza, Planeswalker is fun to meld, but I usually only do so when I naturally draw The Mightstone and Weakstone and hold on to my tutors for combo pieces. The best time to use Urza, Planeswalker, I think, is to dump your hand, pressing a large advantage, and assuming Urza will not survive to the next upkeep.

This deck is weak to fast-aggro decks, but this is true for most combo decks. Try to counter the most impactful spells, and make it to later turns, when storming off is possible. In the unlikely case Sensei's Divining Top gets exiled, or a stax piece like Null Rod is in play deck functions okay in a controlling position until a time combing off is possible.

Upgrades

The upgrades for this deck, for the most part, fall into two categories: fast mana and better, freer counterspells. Adding them, I think, would turn this into a real cEDH deck.

The weakest part of the deck is the counterspells. To keep mana costs down, I tried to pick counterspells that only cost one blue with Urza, Lord Protector is in play. This allows you to tap out more on your turns but worsens the quality of the spells. Free counterspells like Fierce Guardianship and Force of Will would both allow you to tap out on important turns, counter more types of spells, and counter them more permanently.

Intuition might be the best upgrade on this list because it adds a one-card combo to the deck. You cast Intuition and pick Sensei's Divining Top, The Reality Chip, and Sevinne's Reclamation. No matter what your opponent chooses you end up with both Sensei's Divining Top and The Reality Chip.

Lastly, there is Timetwister, an upgrade that would break this deck wide open. I believe it is the only other draw seven that doesn’t exile itself and shuffles your graveyard. This allows it to be looped, like Echo of Eons. A second effect like this would be nice because there are many games when you have to flashback Echo of Eons to get into the game and then winning becomes much harder. It is too bad it costs thousands of dollars.

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1. This opening hand is a turn-one win: Crystal Vein, Sensei's Divining Top, Mystic Forge, Etherium Sculptor, Azorius Signet, Mana Vault, and Voltaic Key. ↩︎

1. Play and sacrifice Crystal Vein. [2 colorless in pool]
2. Play and tap Mana Vault. [4 colorless in pool]
3. Play and tap Azorius Signet. [1 colorless, 1 white, and 1 blue in pool]
4. Play Etherium Sculptor. [1 white in pool]
5. Play Voltaic Key and Sensei's Divining Top without paying their mana costs. [1 white in pool]
6. Using the last floating white mana to untap Mana Vault with Voltaic Key. Tap Mana Vault. [3 colorless in pool]
7. Play Mystic Forge. [0 mana in pool]
8. Draw to Manifold Key to get enough mana to win with Aetherflux Reservoir.