The Payoff
"Opponent draw-locked, decks out"
Prerequisites
- • Necropotence, Zur's Weirding, and Ivory Tower all on the battlefield
- • A large hand held via Necropotence to drive Ivory Tower's lifegain
Requirements
Necropotence
Zur's Weirding
Ivory Tower
The Combo: Storyboard
Step 1
Resolve Necropotence, Zur's Weirding, and Ivory Tower.
Step 2
Use Necropotence to fill and hold a large hand (your normal draw step is now skipped because Necro sets aside cards instead).
Step 3
Each upkeep, Ivory Tower gives you life for holding more than four cards.
Step 4
Whenever the opponent would draw under Zur's Weirding, pay 2 life to deny that card.
Step 5
Spend Ivory Tower's life surplus on Zur's Weirding to deny every draw; the opponent eventually decks out while you do not.
⚠ Rules Note
Zur's Weirding affects all players, so Necropotence's no-draw effect is what keeps the symmetry in your favor (you are not drawing, so you rarely need to deny your own (already-skipped) draws, while you pay to deny the opponent's). Ivory Tower caps its gain at the cards-over-four count, so a wide Necropotence hand maximizes the life used to fuel the denial. Necropotence is banned in Premodern; Zur's Weirding and Ivory Tower are legal.