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  1. #1
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    Food Chain Combo

    This thread is intended for developing a decklist and discussing how to use Food Chain.

    Here's my current decklist for a version using Misthollow Griffin (which was heavily influenced by Caleb Durward's own list and can be seen here):

    *Food Chain Griffin Combo*
    Creature - 22
    1 AEthersnipe
    2 Coiling Oracle
    2 Fierce Empath
    2 Raven Familiar
    2 Court Hussar
    2 Drift of Phantasms
    3 Misthollow Griffin
    1 Maga, Traitor to Mortals
    4 Birds of Paradise
    1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
    2 Noble Hierarch

    Enchantment - 4
    4 Food Chain

    Instant - 11
    4 Brainstorm
    4 Force of Will
    1 Misdirection
    2 Spell Pierce

    Sorcery - 3
    1 Ponder
    2 Living Wish

    Artifact - 3
    3 Chrome Mox

    Land - 17
    2 Forest
    1 Island
    4 Misty Rainforest
    4 Tropical Island
    2 Windswept Heath
    1 Savannah
    2 Ancient Tomb
    1 City of Traitors

    SB: 1 Misthollow Griffin
    SB: 1 Maga, Traitor to Mortals
    SB: 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
    SB: 1 AEthersnipe
    SB: 3 Gaddock Teeg
    SB: 1 Progenitus
    SB: 4 Natural Order
    SB: 3 Loaming Shaman

    Card Choices:
    Court Hussar and Raven Familiar - lets you dig into the deck with creatures that can be cast with Food Chain or fed to Food Chain once it is found.
    AEthersnipe - intended to remove many problematic cards from the board. Target for Fierce Empath.
    Fierce Empath - debatable addition. If AEthersnipe is removed, Fierce Empath could be removed, as well. Finds AEthersnipe and Emrakul.
    Drift of Phantasms - most often used as a Transmute for Food Chain, a Court Hussar, or Raven Familiar.
    Living Wish - allows a fourth Misthollow Griffin; a second Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; and a second Maga, Traitor to Mortals to be played in the Sideboard. Also allows a few toolbox cards to be played in the Sideboard, as well, such as Loaming Shaman, Gaddock Teeg, and AEthersnipe.
    Chrome Mox - provides a little speed. Misthollow Griffin can be imprinted on the card and cast later. Please note that once the Misthollow Griffin is cast from exile, Chrome Mox can no longer tap for blue mana. This is usually not problematic, however, as you'll likely be comboing off at that point anyways.
    Misdirection - a little added protection. Works well with Misthollow Griffin. Often functions like Force of Will in forcing through Food Chain or a piece of the combo insofar as you can change the target of a counterspell targeting one of your cards to the Misdirection, effectively countering it.
    Coiling Oracle - awesome little creature. Provides ramp or card draw. Works well with Brainstorm. Can be fed to Food Chain. Was an all-star in the older Elf Food Chain versions of the deck. Less powerful, here, but still a fine choice.
    Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors - a small bit of ramp.
    Emrakul, the Aeons Torn - the win condition of choice, given you'll be hard casting it.
    Maga, Traitor to Mortals - secondary win condition. Gets around certain things that Emrakul cannot, like Ensnaring Bridge. Can be Stifled.

    Some Cards to Consider:
    Eternal Witness - a body that can recover a discarded card from the graveyard and be fed to the Food Chain.
    Gaea's Herald - a little extra protection from counterspells. Seems unnecessary, but might be an option.
    Intuition - apt at finding combo pieces at Instant speed. In this regard, Intuition has a leg up on Drift of Phantasm's Transmute. Can also find Misthollow Griffin. On the downside, it is not a creature.
    Show and Tell - perhaps an excellent backup plan to maindeck or come out of the sideboard. Would require playing more Emrakuls maindeck and less Fierce Empath. Could be found with Drift of Phantasm's Transmute.
    Natural Order - another backup plan coming out of the sideboard. The deck is already playing plenty of green creatures. Might not be a bad choice. Inferior to Show and Tell insofar as it is not a target for Drift of Phantasm's Transmute.
    Jace, the Mind Sculptor - yet another backup plan that also provides added utility. Rarely needs to be justified and yet this deck may not be the place for him.
    Man-O'-War - performs a function similar to AEthersnipe at a converted mana cost of 3. Thus, it is a legal target for Drift of Phantasms but not Fierce Empath. A version without Fierce Empath might value this card more. Note: this only targets creatures.
    Mulldrifter - good card draw on a body. Its Evoke provides amazing value with Food Chain in play. Only downside is that it does not dig as deep as Raven Familiar or Court Hussar (albeit by only one card).
    Ingot Chewer - removes an artifact. Seems inferior to AEthersnipe insofar as it only targets artifacts, is not blue, and cannot be searched with Fierce Empath.
    Manipulate Fate and Foresight - allows you to search your library and exile Misthollow Griffin. Maybe too cute or narrow to really be good, as it can only find the Misthollow Griffin and not the Food Chain. Other obvious drawback is that they're sorceries.
    Extract - functions as a tutor for Misthollow Griffin. Like Manipulate Fate and Foresight, this might be too narrow and is also, unfortunately, a sorcery.
    Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir - allows the deck to go off at instant speed once the Food Chain is in play and provides protection for the combo.
    Worldly Tutor - search your library for a creature card.
    Eladamri's Call - search your library for a creature card at Instant speed. Requires a stronger commitment to white. Might not be too difficult to pull off with Birds of Paradise and Noble Hierarch. Might be worth doing because Enlightened Tutor is also white.
    Enlightened Tutor - search your library for Food Chain or some other enchantment or artifact (possibly artifact creature) not yet considered.
    Gaddock Teeg - Hinders combo and stops Force of Will.
    Spoils of the Vault - you're usually naming Food Chain or Emrakul and hoping to exile a Misthollow Griffin in the process.
    Plunge into Darkness - similar to Spoils of the Vault, but a little different. Hoping to hit a piece of your combo while exiling a Griffin. Less dangerous but requires a little more mana. Also allows you to sacrifice unwanted creatures, although this is a pretty rare occasion.
    Tainted Pact - another card to fetch a combo piece or counterspell while exiling Misthollow Griffin in the process.
    Momir Vig, Simic Visionary
    Mystic Snake
    Sages of the Anima
    Trygon Predator


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    It has also been suggested that the Misthollow Griffin + Food Chain combo isn't the way to go, and that it would be more effective to rely on an Imperial Recruiter chain. Here's a list that I threw together, which was based off of Sedris' list, here:

    *Food Chain Recruiter*
    Creature - 24
    4 Imperial Recruiter
    4 Phantasmal Image
    1 Fierce Empath
    1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
    4 Birds of Paradise
    2 Noble Hierarch
    2 Drift of Phantasms
    4 Court Hussar
    2 Raven Familiar

    Enchantment - 4
    4 Food Chain

    Instant - 12
    4 Force of Will
    3 Spell Pierce
    1 Spell Snare
    4 Brainstorm

    Sorcery - 3
    3 Ponder

    Land - 17
    1 Volcanic Island
    4 Scalding Tarn
    1 Forest
    2 Island
    4 Misty Rainforest
    2 Ancient Tomb
    1 City of Traitors
    2 Tropical Island

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Christopher Piedra's Food Chain finished 42/147 at SCG Orlando May 20th, 2012. SCG Deck Tech: here


    Creatures
    1 AEthersnipe
    4 Coiling Oracle
    1 Drift of Phantasms
    2 Elvish Visionary
    3 Fauna Shaman
    2 Fierce Empath
    3 Llanowar Elves
    1 Misthollow Griffin
    2 Mulldrifter
    4 Noble Hierarch
    1 Quirion Ranger
    3 Vengevine
    3 Wirewood Symbiote

    Enchantments
    4 Food Chain

    Instants
    4 Brainstorm

    Legendary Creatures
    1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
    1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth

    Sorceries
    2 Glimpse of Nature

    Basic Lands
    4 Forest
    1 Island

    Lands
    4 Misty Rainforest
    3 Tropical Island
    4 Verdant Catacombs

    Legendary Lands
    2 Gaea's Cradle

    Sideboard:
    3 Phyrexian Revoker
    3 Faerie Macabre
    1 Sower of Temptation
    1 Vengevine
    1 Viridian Shaman
    3 Force of Will
    2 Krosan Grip
    1 Llawan, Cephalid Empress
    Last edited by Skogre; 05-21-2012 at 04:06 AM.

  2. #2

    Re: Food Chain Combo

    I like it a lot. Couple questions:
    What is the AEthersnipe for?
    Does Fierce Empath only grab Emrakul? Would it be better to just run more Emrakuls?

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    Re: Food Chain Combo

    Quote Originally Posted by prgmctan View Post
    I like it a lot. Couple questions:
    What is the AEthersnipe for?
    Does Fierce Empath only grab Emrakul? Would it be better to just run more Emrakuls?
    AEthersnipe can bounce Ensnaring Bridge and an opponent's Emrakul, the Aeons Torn to clear the way for your own. I'm guessing that there might be a number of situations in which something needs to be bounced, but nothing else immediately comes to mind.

    Fierce Empath's only other target is AEthersnipe. If AEthersnipe was cut, so could the Fierce Empaths. My hope was also that somebody might know of some other sweet Fierce Empath targets, as well. Previously I had considered Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, Myojin of Seeing Winds, Phyrexian Gargantua, and Griselbrand for card draw, but those seem unnecessary if you can just get Emrakul, the Aeons Torn into play immediately.

  4. #4

    Re: Food Chain Combo

    Quote Originally Posted by Skogre View Post
    AEthersnipe can bounce Ensnaring Bridge and an opponent's Emrakul, the Aeons Torn to clear the way for your own. I'm guessing that there might be a number of situations in which something needs to be bounced, but nothing else immediately comes to mind.

    Fierce Empath's only other target is AEthersnipe. If AEthersnipe was cut, so could the Fierce Empaths. My hope was also that somebody might know of some other sweet Fierce Empath targets, as well. Previously I had considered Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, Myojin of Seeing Winds, Phyrexian Gargantua, and Griselbrand for card draw, but those seem unnecessary if you can just get Emrakul, the Aeons Torn into play immediately.
    Cloudthresher seems like a really strong card: evoke for 4, get 7 mana out of it? Actually, pretty much any Evoke card that does something relevant to the game-state: Ingot Chewer seems especially appropriate as a splash card - for of any color? Sign me UP!

  5. #5
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    Re: Food Chain Combo

    What does Misthollowgriffin better than 4 Imperial Recruiter and 4 Phantasmal Image?

    I mean, Food Chain + Griffin + Carddrawcreatures into Fattie/Fattie = Win

    But Food Chain + Imperial Recruiter = Win

    So why should anyone play a 3 card combo over a 2 card combo, when the only advantage is, that you don't need 4-8 slots more for the combo?

    I won't play the 3 card combo over the 2 card combo, when the only aspects are less Slots, that you can pitch griffin into force and even then combo out and to be less affected by mindcensor.

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    Re: Food Chain Combo

    Quote Originally Posted by Sedris View Post
    What does Misthollowgriffin better than 4 Imperial Recruiter and 4 Phantasmal Image?

    I mean, Food Chain + Griffin + Carddrawcreatures into Fattie/Fattie = Win

    But Food Chain + Imperial Recruiter = Win

    So why should anyone play a 3 card combo over a 2 card combo, when the only advantage is, that you don't need 4-8 slots more for the combo?

    I won't play the 3 card combo over the 2 card combo, when the only aspects are less Slots, that you can pitch griffin into force and even then combo out and to be less affected by mindcensor.
    4 Imperial Recruiter
    4 Phantasmal Image
    1 Fierce Empath
    1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

    I'm guessing the combo would go something like this:

    With Food Chain in play: Imperial Recruiter --> Imperial Recruiter --> Imperial Recruiter --> Imperial Recruiter --> Phantasmal Image --> Phantasmal Image --> Phantasmal Image --> Phantasmal Image --> Fierce Empath --> Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

    or

    With Food Chain in play: cast Imperial Recruiter1 fetching Imperial Recruiter2; exile Imperial Recruiter1 (4 red mana), cast Imperial Recruiter2 (1 red mana) fetching Imperial Recruiter3; exile Imperial Recruiter2 (5 red mana), cast Imperial Recruiter3 (2 red mana) fetching Imperial Recruiter4; exile Imperial Recruiter3 (2 red mana, 4 blue mana), cast Imperial Recruiter4 (3 blue mana) fetching Phantasmal Image1; cast Phantasmal Image1 (1 blue mana) copying Imperial Recruiter fetching Phatasmal Image2; exile Phantasmal Image1 (5 blue mana) cast Phantasmal Image2 (3 blue mana) copying Imperial recruiter fetching Phantasmal Image3; cast Phantasmal Image3 (1 blue mana) copying Imperial Recruiter fetching Phantasmal Image4; exile Phantasmal Image2 (1 blue mana, 4 green mana), cast Phantasmal Image4 (3 green mana) copying Imperial Recruiter fetching Fierce Empath; cast Fierce Empath (0 mana) fetching Emrakul, the Aeons Torn; exile Imperial Recruiter4 (4 mana), Phantasmal Image3 (8 mana), Phantasmal Image4 (12 mana), and Fierce Empath (16 mana); cast Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.

    It seems pretty good. What are some alternative routes or win conditions this could offer and would you care to offer a decklist?

    One benefit to using Imperial Recruiter as a combo piece is that it, like Food Chain, has a CMC of 3, and can therefore be fetched using Drift of Phantasm's Transmute.

    You could also have this Imperial Recruiter Food Chain package and one Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker and one Pestermite, as well, as an additional win condition. That might be a little too greedy, though.

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    Re: Food Chain Combo


  8. #8

    Re: Food Chain Combo

    Quote Originally Posted by JPAnghelescu View Post
    Could Sneak Attack work as an alternative to SnT?

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    Re: Food Chain Combo

    Quote Originally Posted by Darkenslight View Post
    Could Sneak Attack work as an alternative to SnT?
    Well, if you want to build a Food Chain deck, Show and Tell should be your alternate win plan, because splashing for Blue doesn't hurt, but even helps you, since you get access to cantrips, counters and Intuition.

    Furthermore a Fattie + Show and Tell means winning the game often enough, and the option of Misthollow Griffin + Food Chain is a cute alternative. So in this case, my suggested list is probably a Show and Tell deck with Food Chain as alternative. :P

    And since we already have Sneak Show and Hive Mind as Show and Tell decks, probably a bad idea. xD

  10. #10

    Re: Food Chain Combo

    Quote Originally Posted by Darkenslight
    Could Sneak Attack work as an alternative to SnT?
    Not only it does work as an alternative, it can essentially become a red Food Chain if you build the deck with that in mind. This is the list I've been playing for a while:

    4 Wooded Foothills
    2 Misty Rainforest
    3 Taiga
    3 Ancient Tomb
    2 Gaea's Cradle
    4 Forest
    1 Mountain

    4 Birds of Paradise
    2 Noble Hierarch
    1 Fauna Shaman
    3 Elvish Visionary
    4 Wall of Blossoms
    4 Imperial Recruiter
    2 Fierce Empath
    4 Bloodbraid Elf
    1 Deranged Hermit
    1 Krosan Tusker
    2 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
    1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
    1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

    4 Food Chain
    4 Sneak Attack
    3 Sylvan Library

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    Re: Food Chain Combo

    Quote Originally Posted by JPAnghelescu View Post
    Eureka could be great since you're in green anyways. My concern, though, would be casting Eureka, putting an Emrakul in play and then your opponent putting a Jace, the Mind Sculptor in play.

  12. #12
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    Re: Food Chain Combo

    Maga,Traitor to Mortals >>> Emrakul.

    Just saying...

  13. #13

    Re: Food Chain Combo

    This is my own list but maybe it can help you out some;

    Creature (13)

    1x Blazing Archon
    1x Grozoth
    1x Myojin of Life's Web
    4x Fierce Empath
    4x Scornful Egotist
    1x Inkwell Leviathan
    1x Iona, Shield of Emeria

    Enchantment (8)

    4x Food Chain
    4x Defense of the Heart

    Sorcery (4)

    4x Ponder

    Land (21)

    2x Forest
    4x Island
    3x Forbidden Orchard
    4x Tropical Island
    4x Misty Rainforest
    4x Scalding Tarn

    Instant (14)

    2x Green Sun's Zenith
    4x Force of Will
    3x Spell Snare
    2x Mana Leak
    3x Spell Pierce

    The whole point is getting Scornful Egotist and Grozoth with Fierce Empath, With Grozoth getting all of the 9 CC creatures and then dropping them all with Myojin of Life's Web at the same time .

  14. #14

    Re: Food Chain Combo

    Quote Originally Posted by Technics View Post
    Maga,Traitor to Mortals >>> Emrakul.

    Just saying...
    Play both? Stifle affects Maga, just so's you know. :)

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