Rise of the Dark Realms + Phyrexian Altar + Eternal Witness

3-card combo · BG

Verdict

Yes — this 3-piece loop converts a graveyard full of creatures into infinite ETB and death triggers with a 9-creature floor to get started.

Cards required

Cheapest stack total

$77.89

Color identity

Popularity

2,649 decks

Format

Commander

Buy required cards on TCGplayer

Phyrexian Altar converts the nontoken creatures on board into black mana; Rise of the Dark Realms refills the board by pulling every creature from every graveyard, and Eternal Witness returns Rise of the Dark Realms to hand to cast it again next loop. The combo sits naturally in Meren of Clan Nel Toth or Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord shells that already stock graveyards through self-mill and sacrifice engines.

How it works

Prerequisites

The number of nontoken creatures you control plus the number of creature cards in all graveyards is at least nine.

Steps

Activate Phyrexian Altar twice by sacrificing Eternal Witness, adding .
Repeat step 1 for each other nontoken creature you control.
Cast Rise of the Dark Realms by paying , returning all creature cards from all graveyards to the battlefield under your control.
When Eternal Witness enters the battlefield, it triggers, returning Rise of the Dark Realms to your hand from your graveyard.
Repeat.

Result

Infinite LTB; Infinite ETB; Infinite colored mana; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite death triggers; Infinite storm count; Infinite magecraft triggers; Return all creature cards from all graveyards to the battlefield under your control

Cheaper, tighter, alternate lines

The 9-creature prerequisite is the real constraint — lean on Entomb, Buried Alive, or Altar of Dementia to seed opposing graveyards and hit the threshold faster. Once the loop is running, Zulaport Cutthroat or Blood Artist converts the infinite death triggers into a table kill; without a drain effect in play, the loop generates infinite mana and board presence but not an immediate win.