Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth + Life and Limb + Plague Engineer
3-card combo · BG
Verdict
Yes — this 3-card lock destroys every land an opponent controls and kills each new one the moment it enters.
- Cards required
- 3
- Cheapest stack total
- $1.11
- Color identity
- BG
- Popularity
- 31 decks
- Format
- Commander
Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth makes all lands Forests, which feeds Life and Limb's clause that turns all Forests into 1/1 Saproling creatures. Plague Engineer naming Saproling then hands every opponent-controlled land a permanent -1/-1, dropping their toughness to zero and triggering state-based actions that wipe the board of enemy lands instantly — and any land played after the lock is assembled dies on arrival. This package belongs in a Golgari stax shell, typically helmed by something like Meren of Clan Nel Toth or The Gitrog Monster, that can assemble three specific permanents while keeping opponents from interacting.
Recipe
How it works
01
Prerequisites
"Saproling" chosen with Plague Engineer.
02
Steps
- Yavimaya causes all lands to be Forests in addition to their other types, thus Life and Limb causes all lands to be 1/1 Saproling creatures.
- Because Plague Engineer gives all Saprolings your opponents control -1/-1, they die as a state-based action due to having zero toughness.
- Whenever an opponent plays a land, it will also die as a state-based action.
03
Result
Destroy all lands opponents control; Destroy all lands that enter the battlefield under an opponent's control; Lock; Mass Land Denial
Variations
Cheaper, tighter, alternate lines
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth can substitute for Yavimaya in a pinch if black is already dominant in the shell, but it only covers Swamps rather than all land types, making the lock less reliable against non-black decks. The combo does nothing to opponents' permanents beyond lands, so pair it with Glacial Chasm or Ensnaring Bridge to survive the counterattack while the mana denial does its work.
Related
Other combos sharing these cards
Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth + Life and Limb + Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Destroy all lands opponents control; Destroy all lands that enter the battlefield under an opponent's control; Lock; Mass Land Denial
Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth + Living Lands + Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Destroy all lands opponents control; Destroy all lands that enter the battlefield under an opponent's control; Lock; Mass Land Denial
Linvala, Keeper of Silence + Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth + Life and Limb
Opponents can't activate abilities of lands or creatures they control; Lock; Mass Land Denial
Linvala, Keeper of Silence + Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth + Living Lands
Opponents can't activate abilities of lands or creatures they control; Lock; Mass Land Denial
Drana and Linvala + Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth + Living Lands
Opponents can't activate abilities of lands or creatures they control; Lock; Mass Land Denial
Verified on Commander Spellbook · Combo ID life-and-limb-plague-engineer-yavimaya-cradle-of-growth
Updated . Data from Commander Spellbook, Scryfall, and EDHREC.