God-Eternal Kefnet + Isochron Scepter + Brainstorm + Temporal Manipulation

4-card combo · U

Verdict

Yes — this 4-card loop locks the table into infinite turns for 3 mana per cycle as long as Kefnet and the Scepter survive.

Cards required: 4
Cheapest stack total: $19.21
Color identity: U
Popularity: 269 decks
Format: Commander

Buy required cards on TCGplayer

God-Eternal Kefnet copies Temporal Manipulation at half cost whenever it's drawn off the top; Isochron Scepter imprinting Brainstorm lets the pilot stack Temporal Manipulation back to the top each end step before their draw. The setup costs 3 mana per loop — 2 for the Scepter activation, 1U for Kefnet's discount copy — which means any blue shell running three or more mana rocks can go infinite as early as turn four.

Recipe

How it works

Prerequisites

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Steps

During the end step before your turn, activate Isochron Scepter by paying and tapping it, casting a copy of Brainstorm without paying its mana cost.
Resolve Brainstorm, causing you to draw three cards and put Temporal Manipulation and another card on top of your library, ensuring Temporal Manipulation is the topmost card.
Move to your turn, drawing and revealing Temporal Manipulation during your draw step.
God-Eternal Kefnet's first ability triggers, causing you to pay to cast a copy of Temporal Manipulation.
Resolve the copy of Temporal Manipulation, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
Activate Isochron Scepter by paying and tapping it, casting a copy of Brainstorm without paying its mana cost.
Repeat from step 2.

Result

Infinite turns; Lock

Variations

Cheaper, tighter, alternate lines

Nexus of Fate is the graveyard-proof replacement for Temporal Manipulation if exile-based removal is a concern, though it costs two more mana per loop. Mystical Tutor or Personal Tutor fetches Temporal Manipulation to hand on demand; Fabricate or Whir of Invention finds the Scepter. The combo collapses if either Kefnet or the Scepter is removed, so countermagic protection — Counterspell, Fierce Guardianship — is mandatory, not optional.