The Watcher in the Water + Skullclamp + Leonin Shikari + Ashnod's Altar

4-card combo · WU

Verdict

Yes — this 4-piece loop draws the library on an opponent's turn by recycling 1/1 Tentacle tokens through Skullclamp with Ashnod's Altar paying the equip cost each cycle.

Cards required

Cheapest stack total

$56.50

Color identity

Popularity

0 decks

Format

Commander

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The Watcher in the Water creates two 1/1 Tentacle tokens whenever a nontoken creature enters the battlefield or dies; Skullclamp kills any 1-toughness creature attached to it as a state-based action and draws two cards. Leonin Shikari enables the equip activation at instant speed on opponents' turns, which is the entire reason this loop works outside your own turn — without it, the combo sits idle until your next main phase. Ashnod's Altar converts one of the two freshly minted Tentacles into the 2 colorless needed to equip again, netting one Tentacle and two cards per cycle.

How it works

Prerequisites

It is an opponent's turn. You control another creature with toughness equal to 1.

Steps

During an opponent's turn, activate Skullclamp's equip ability by paying , attaching it to another creature with toughness equal to 1.
The creature dies as a state-based action due to having 0 toughness. The Watcher's second ability triggers if the creature was a Tentacle, and Skullclamp triggers.
Resolve the Watcher trigger, if applicable, untapping a Kraken and putting a stun counter on a permanent.
Resolve the Skullclamp trigger, causing you to draw two card.
The Watcher's first ability triggers twice, creating two 1/1 Tentacle creature tokens.
Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing a Tentacle, adding .
Repeat.

Result

Infinite card draw; Near-infinite ETB; Infinite draw triggers; Near-infinite LTB; Near-infinite death triggers; Near-infinite sacrifice triggers; Near-infinite colorless mana; Near-infinite creature tokens

Cheaper, tighter, alternate lines

Thornbite Staff on a creature with a death trigger can serve as an alternate kill enabler in artifact-heavy builds, but Leonin Shikari is irreplaceable here — the instant-speed equip window is the engine's keystone, not a convenience. Walking Ballista or Blue Sun's Zenith closes the game once the library empties; the loop generates mana and cards, not direct damage, so plan a sink in the 99.

The Watcher in the Water + Skullclamp + Leonin Shikari + Ashnod's Altar

How it works

Cheaper, tighter, alternate lines

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