Grenzo, Dungeon Warden + The Cauldron of Eternity + Phyrexian Altar + Dark Ritual + Scholar of the Ages

5-card combo · UBR

Verdict

Yes — this 5-card loop converts a single Dark Ritual into infinite mana and infinite Scholar of the Ages recursion, eventually emptying the library of every instant and sorcery.

Cards required

Cheapest stack total

$5.37

Color identity

UBR

Popularity

0 decks

Format

Commander

Buy required cards on TCGplayer

Phyrexian Altar sacrifices Scholar of the Ages for one mana; The Cauldron of Eternity immediately cycles it to the bottom of the library so Grenzo's 2-mana activation can flip it back into play. Scholar's ETB returns Dark Ritual to hand on each loop, making the cycle net-positive on mana once the engine is running. Grixis artifact-storm decks and Grenzo, Dungeon Warden piles specifically are the natural homes — the whole line rewards building around the Warden's bottom-of-library mechanic.

How it works

Prerequisites

Grenzo has power 2 or greater.

Steps

Cast Dark Ritual by paying , adding .
Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Scholar of the Ages, adding one mana of any color.
When Scholar of the Ages dies, The Cauldron of Eternity triggers, putting Scholar of the Ages from your graveyard onto the bottom of your library.
Activate Grenzo by paying , putting Scholar of the Ages from the bottom of your library into your graveyard, and then putting it onto the battlefield.
When Scholar of the Ages enters the battlefield, it triggers, returning Dark Ritual and up to one other instant or sorcery from your graveyard to your hand.
Repeat.
Once you have infinite mana, you may activate Grenzo's ability any number of times.

Result

Infinite colored mana; Infinite death triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite magecraft triggers; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite storm count; Put a selection of creature cards from your library onto the battlefield; Put all instant and sorcery cards from your graveyard and library into your hand; Return all instant and sorcery cards from your graveyard to your hand

Cheaper, tighter, alternate lines

Any one-mana rock can replace the Phyrexian Altar mana contribution, but the Altar's color flexibility is what keeps Dark Ritual profitable across the loop. If Scholar of the Ages is removed before the loop starts, Archaeomancer or Mnemonic Wall can substitute as cheaper creature-based instant recursion at the cost of needing more mana per cycle. The infinite storm count and magecraft triggers make Guttersnipe or Aetherflux Reservoir clean closers without requiring an additional tutor.

Grenzo, Dungeon Warden + The Cauldron of Eternity + Phyrexian Altar + Dark Ritual + Scholar of the Ages

How it works

Cheaper, tighter, alternate lines

Other combos sharing these cards