A Magic: The Gathering fan has devised a 19-card infinite combo that only functions if you solve a math puzzle. The problem is, that puzzle is an unsolved mathematical hypothesis known as the Twin Prime Conjecture which has never been resolved.
The combo only works if that conjecture is found to be true, so it’s sort of Schrodinger’s combo – potentially dealing or not dealing infinite damage until a great mind comes along to set things right.
The combo involves Zimone, All-Questioning, a new version of the Strixhaven mathemagician about to be released in the MTG set Duskmourn. Zimone’s effect has you create a big fractal creature with a load of +1/+1 counters on your end step, as long as you played a land that turn and have a prime number of lands.
The Twin prime conjecture, meanwhile, is an unsolved mathematical question which states that there are an infinite number of twin primes. That is, prime numbers that are two more or two less than another prime number (3 and 5 are twin primes, and so are 41 and 43). It’s a question that has been around since 1846 and remains unresolved in 2024.
The combo… Well, it’s a ridiculous headache, and includes using Leyline of Transformation and Life and Limb to make all your creatures into lands, and using Myrkul Lord of Bones to turn some key combo pieces into enchantments. You also need to make infinite mana, create an arbitrary number of Mirror Rooms/Fractured Realms, and have a loop loaded up with Isochron Scepter letting you play Molten Duplication as many times as you like.
Needless to say, if you pull all that off, you probably could have won already, and so far I’ve only mentioned a few of the cards required for the combo to function. It probably goes without saying that the whole thing is more of a philosophical exercise than a legitimate way of winning the game.
To cut to the chase, the way this works is triggering Zimone umpteen times, letting one trigger resolve with Parallel Lives on board to create two Primo tokens that are also lands, then letting another Zimone trigger resolve if the new number of lands (two higher than previously) is also a prime number. You’ve now got four creatures, which you can tap to a (enchantment form) Siege Zombie to deal one damage.
To get up to the next pair of twin primes you can use Molten Duplication to copy Darksteel Citadel a bunch of times, and let the next pair of Zimone triggers resolve when you get there. This will sacrifice your existing Primos, though, thanks to the card Desecration Elemental, ensuring that the only way to deal damage is to reach a twin prime and get four more creatures.
So, in short, this deals infinite damage, if you can always climb to another pair of twin primes. If you can’t, it doesn’t. It’s an innovative way of breaking the game – much sillier than forcing a draw. We think anyone running Zimone, All-Questioning in their deck should try and end the game in this way. It’s the perfect flavor win.
Of course, there are 8,169 pairs of twin primes between 1 and one million, so unless one of your opponents has infinite life, you’re probably going to win the game regardless.
The combo was shared to the Bad MTG Combos subreddit last week, and recently reposted by Magic designer Gavin Verhey.
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Source: Wargamer
