Solaran_X
08-13-2012, 01:54 PM
Worldgorger Dragon combo (or WGD) has been around since the card was released in Judgment. This combo revolves around the unique interaction between Worldgorger Dragon and the three Enchantment reanimation spells - Animate Dead (Alpha through Fifth Edition), Dance of the Dead (Ice Age), and Necromancy (Visions).
This combo works in the following fashion:
1) Put Worldgorger Dragon in the graveyard (typically this is done with Bazaar of Baghdad these days).
2) Cast one of the three above mentioned Enchantment reanimation spells, which then targets Worldgorger Dragon once they are in play.
3) Worldgorger Dragon returns to play and puts it's ETB trigger on the stack, which exiles all other permanents you control - including the Enchantment.
4) Worldgorger Dragon goes back to the graveyard once it's no longer enchanted, putting it's LTB trigger on the stack and thus returning all your permanents untapped and the Enchantment looking for a new target. Tap down all your mana sources for mana, and use Bazaar of Baghdad to mill three cards essentially. Return to step 2 until you have your win condition in the graveyard (typically Oona, Queen of the Fae) and sufficient mana to exile your opponent's entire library.
It's a very simple and effective combo deck that actually only requires a single card to be cast (the animation effect). However, like all combo decks it has a lot of weaknesses.
1) Graveyard hate. WGD Combo abuses the graveyard, so hate like Leyline of the Void, Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, Nihil Spellbomb, Ravenous Trap, Planar Void, and Grafdigger's Cage give it problems. It is worth noting, however, that if the person is using Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, Nihil Spellbomb, or Ravenous Trap to exile your graveyard and you are holding Necromancy, you can respond to the effect with Necromancy cast at Instant speed and win through that particular hate. However, Leyline of the Void, Planar Void, and Grafdigger's Cage are still problems.
2) Creature hate. Yes, WGD Combo also uses a create in it's engine. And it's a very dangerous creature to be using. If your opponent has some form of non-damage spot removal (Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Doom Blade, Go for the Throat, etc., etc.) or some kind of bounce (Echoing Truth or Chain of Vapor come immediately to mind), they can target your WGD with it when the ETB trigger is on the stack. If they do that and it resolves, the LTB trigger goes on the stack first and resolves, returning nothing to play because nothing was exiled yet. Then the ETB trigger resolves and your entire board is exiled with no way to get it back.
3) Enchantment hate. Just like with spot removal or bounce, a well timed spell like Disenchant, Naturalize, Krosan Grip, or Nature's Claim will result in the LTB trigger resolving first, then the ETB trigger resolving and wiping your board.
4) Stifle. Stifling the LTB trigger is just as damning as killing WGD or the enchantment with the ETB trigger on the stack.
5) Leyline of Sanctity/Witchbane Orb/True Believer. This is the one situation where the original win condition (Sliver Queen) would be good. The current win condition (Oona, Queen of the Fae) and previous win condition (Ambassador Laquatus) both require targeting the player. Those three above listed (and played) spells give a play Hexproof essentially.
6) Wasteland. Our combo also revolves around the use of a single land. It getting Wastelanded after the first cycle of the combo is terrible.
However, in the modern Minus Six decks...a sideboard plan was developed that defeats all of the graveyard hate your opponents will likely bring in against you. It involves sideboarding out the entire combo engine and replacing it with the components to turn your deck into a Jace control list. It typically involves removing all three WGDs, the Oona, both Animate Deads, both Dance of the Dead, the Necromancy, both Read the Runes, and all four Bazaars and bring in the entire sideboard.
Here is the most recent deck list I can find. Unfortunately, this list is from late 2011 so it is going on a year old.
Creatures [8]
1 Oona, Queen of the Fae
3 Worldgorger Dragon
4 Dark Confidant
Instants [14]
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Echoing Truth
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Vampiric Tutor
2 Intuition
2 Read the Runes
4 Force of Will
Sorceries [6]
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Time Walk
4 Duress
Enchantments [5]
1 Necromancy
2 Animate Dead
2 Dance of the Dead
Artifacts [9]
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
Lands [18]
1 Swamp
2 Island
3 Misty Rainforest
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
4 Polluted Delta
4 Underground Sea
Sideboard [15]
4 Mana Drain
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Tinker
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Yawgmoth's Will
This combo works in the following fashion:
1) Put Worldgorger Dragon in the graveyard (typically this is done with Bazaar of Baghdad these days).
2) Cast one of the three above mentioned Enchantment reanimation spells, which then targets Worldgorger Dragon once they are in play.
3) Worldgorger Dragon returns to play and puts it's ETB trigger on the stack, which exiles all other permanents you control - including the Enchantment.
4) Worldgorger Dragon goes back to the graveyard once it's no longer enchanted, putting it's LTB trigger on the stack and thus returning all your permanents untapped and the Enchantment looking for a new target. Tap down all your mana sources for mana, and use Bazaar of Baghdad to mill three cards essentially. Return to step 2 until you have your win condition in the graveyard (typically Oona, Queen of the Fae) and sufficient mana to exile your opponent's entire library.
It's a very simple and effective combo deck that actually only requires a single card to be cast (the animation effect). However, like all combo decks it has a lot of weaknesses.
1) Graveyard hate. WGD Combo abuses the graveyard, so hate like Leyline of the Void, Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, Nihil Spellbomb, Ravenous Trap, Planar Void, and Grafdigger's Cage give it problems. It is worth noting, however, that if the person is using Tormod's Crypt, Relic of Progenitus, Nihil Spellbomb, or Ravenous Trap to exile your graveyard and you are holding Necromancy, you can respond to the effect with Necromancy cast at Instant speed and win through that particular hate. However, Leyline of the Void, Planar Void, and Grafdigger's Cage are still problems.
2) Creature hate. Yes, WGD Combo also uses a create in it's engine. And it's a very dangerous creature to be using. If your opponent has some form of non-damage spot removal (Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Doom Blade, Go for the Throat, etc., etc.) or some kind of bounce (Echoing Truth or Chain of Vapor come immediately to mind), they can target your WGD with it when the ETB trigger is on the stack. If they do that and it resolves, the LTB trigger goes on the stack first and resolves, returning nothing to play because nothing was exiled yet. Then the ETB trigger resolves and your entire board is exiled with no way to get it back.
3) Enchantment hate. Just like with spot removal or bounce, a well timed spell like Disenchant, Naturalize, Krosan Grip, or Nature's Claim will result in the LTB trigger resolving first, then the ETB trigger resolving and wiping your board.
4) Stifle. Stifling the LTB trigger is just as damning as killing WGD or the enchantment with the ETB trigger on the stack.
5) Leyline of Sanctity/Witchbane Orb/True Believer. This is the one situation where the original win condition (Sliver Queen) would be good. The current win condition (Oona, Queen of the Fae) and previous win condition (Ambassador Laquatus) both require targeting the player. Those three above listed (and played) spells give a play Hexproof essentially.
6) Wasteland. Our combo also revolves around the use of a single land. It getting Wastelanded after the first cycle of the combo is terrible.
However, in the modern Minus Six decks...a sideboard plan was developed that defeats all of the graveyard hate your opponents will likely bring in against you. It involves sideboarding out the entire combo engine and replacing it with the components to turn your deck into a Jace control list. It typically involves removing all three WGDs, the Oona, both Animate Deads, both Dance of the Dead, the Necromancy, both Read the Runes, and all four Bazaars and bring in the entire sideboard.
Here is the most recent deck list I can find. Unfortunately, this list is from late 2011 so it is going on a year old.
Creatures [8]
1 Oona, Queen of the Fae
3 Worldgorger Dragon
4 Dark Confidant
Instants [14]
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Echoing Truth
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Vampiric Tutor
2 Intuition
2 Read the Runes
4 Force of Will
Sorceries [6]
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Time Walk
4 Duress
Enchantments [5]
1 Necromancy
2 Animate Dead
2 Dance of the Dead
Artifacts [9]
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
Lands [18]
1 Swamp
2 Island
3 Misty Rainforest
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
4 Polluted Delta
4 Underground Sea
Sideboard [15]
4 Mana Drain
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Tinker
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Yawgmoth's Will