Songs of the Damned + Chthonian Nightmare + Eternal Witness

3-card combo · BG

Verdict

Yes — this 3-card loop generates infinite black mana and infinite ETB/death triggers once five creatures are in the bin.

Cards required: 3
Cheapest stack total: $5.08
Color identity: BG
Popularity: 280 decks
Format: Commander

Buy required cards on TCGplayer

Songs of the Damned is the mana engine: with five or more creature cards in the graveyard it covers the 1B cost of Chthonian Nightmare and leaves mana to spare. Chthonian Nightmare enters, grants three energy, and that energy recurs Eternal Witness, who puts Songs of the Damned back in hand — each iteration deepens the graveyard and the mana surplus compounds. This lives in Golgari reanimator and sacrifice shells where Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord or Meren of Clan Nel Toth already fill graveyards as a matter of routine.

Recipe

How it works

Prerequisites

You have at least five creature cards in your graveyard. You control a nontoken creature with mana value 3 or less.

Steps

Cast Songs of the Damned by paying , adding for each creature card in your graveyard.
Cast Chthonian Nightmare by paying .
When Chthonian Nightmare enters the battlefield, it triggers, causing you to get .
Activate Chthonian Nightmare by paying , sacrificing a creature with mana value 3 or less and returning Chthonian Nightmare from the battlefield to your hand, returning Eternal Witness from your graveyard to the battlefield.
When Eternal Witness enters the battlefield, it triggers, returning Songs of the Damned from your graveyard to your hand.
Cast Chthonian Nightmare by paying .
When Chthonian Nightmare enters the battlefield, it triggers, causing you to get .
Activate Chthonian Nightmare by paying an amount of , sacrificing Eternal Witness and returning Chthonian Nightmare from the battlefield to your hand, returning a creature from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Repeat.

Result

Infinite LTB; Infinite ETB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite death triggers; Infinite storm count; Infinite magecraft triggers; Infinite black mana

Variations

Cheaper, tighter, alternate lines

Eternal Witness is the easiest swap target — Timeless Witness extends the same loop and has a slightly higher mana value but fits the same role. Any creature at mana value 3 or less that recurs an instant from the graveyard can stand in for the Witness half. Sink the infinite black mana into Torment of Hailfire or Exsanguinate; the loop produces the mana but needs an outlet to close the game.

Commanders