ChaosWish Isn't Nearly as Chaotic as You Think Pt. 1

When it was first spoiled in Gothic, I hadn't given Chaoswish much attention. At the time, it was a whosawhatsit of obscurity that required an outside source to help properly generate its effect. My mind was focused on infinite game Return to Nature strategies in Magician; I wasn't concerned with cockamamie combos that may or may not work within the rules.

Chaoswish
Cast a copy of a random spell for free, ignoring threshold, then the next player may copy Chaoswish.

The more I've thought about it, though, the more Chaoswish captured my imagination. Not solely for the combo-payoff potential it offers, but for the connective tissue it provides for other combos.

This is a glimpse into my thought process as I attempt to uncover Combo Magician.

Wishing for Controlled Chaos

The initial combo that came out of Chaoswishes release was threefold:

Kythera Mechanism allows you to choose what Chaoswish will cast.
- Choosing Chaoswish lets you cast infinite Chaoswishes.
With a Ring of Morrigan on your finger, that is infinite pings to Death's Door the opponent.
- The bottleneck is that the Ring of Morrigan must be within range of the opponent.
Once there, a final Chaoswish for Courtesan Thais effectively removes Death's Door as a game mechanic.

While that combo is great since it features powerful cards you already want to play, I'd like to further explore Kythera Mechanism as the actual lynchpin.

Kythera Mechanism

I would argue that Kythera Mechanism is the best combo-enabler in all of Sorcery: Contested Realm. It is the nucleus of the aspiring Chaoswish and the frame that can encase the 13 Treasures of Britain into a continuous, overwhelming draw engine.

13 Treasures of Britain
When picked up, bearer's controller draws a card. Teleport the Treasures to the top of a random site or void.

With the Kythera Mechanism, you can choose to have the 13 Treasures of Britain teleport into the hands of another allied minion. You can do this to draw a card for each minion you control, plus your Avatar. Then, the 13 Treasures of Britain can end up near an ally to repeat the loop on the following turn.

While Highland Princess can function as a pseudo-second copy of Kythera Mechanism, it is tricky to find the lone 13 Treasures of Britain. You could, of course, move the 13 Treasures of Britain to the Collection, hoping to discover it in the pair of Trade Encampments that an Atlas is allotted. No-threshold producing sites are a burden on the Atlas, however, and the need to exchange another Unique artifact can lead to awkward positions.

Chaoswish is distinct in Sorcery: Contested Realm, though, as the only spell that can create a copy of any other spell. Let's say you don't yet have the Ring of Morrigan for the full combo, but you have assembled Chaoswish and Kythera Mechaism. In this case, Chaoswish can create a copy of the 13 Treasures of Britain, assembling the draw engine with the Kythera Mechanism.

I assume the position that Chaoswish's actual power is as a copy of any other spell necessary to create an engine, rather than as the combo-finisher it was initially pigeon-holed into.

Fret not about Chaoswish's uncontrolled nature. With the Kythera Mechanism, the opponent will never let their Chaoswish resolve, since you would choose what spell they cast. Since Chaoswish states that the next player "may" copy Chaoswish, a present Kythera Mechanism will also lead to a decline to copy.

If they get cheeky and want to be punished, the proper spell to have them cast is likely Koschei's Egg, which puts them on a three-turn clock regardless of what the Realm looks like.

Alternate Win Conditions

Other win conditions are excellent uses for Chaoswish to create redundancies. While bearing the Kythera Mechanism, if you would like to sit upon The Immortal Throne, you could Chaoswish for it.

Chaoswish has the cheeky glitch of acting as a six-mana spell and a seven-mana spell to convert a charged-up The Immortal Throne into a win. With six counters on the throne, Chaoswish triggers the seventh counter and then can choose any seven-mana spell to trigger the throne again. You pay six mana but get 13 mana worth of value. I like to think this isn't a coincidence that it's 13 Treasures of Britain when it comes to winning via monarchy.

If you are in the Wedding Hall and only one of the expected betrothed has arrived, Chaoswish could ensure the other reaches the altar promptly for the ceremony, where your victory is declared to the Realm. A Kythera Mechanism-guided Chaoswish would happily generate King Arthur or Guinevere.

A sequence of events I think about too often is the possibility of winning with a combo that is actually in your deck. For example, you could have Wedding Hall in your deck but not King Arthur or Guinevere, yet still win via their matrimony.

For example, if you draw your deck via 13 Treasures of Britain, you could stack your deck with Return to Nature, looping Chaoswish over and over to cast King Arthur and Guinevere.

Chaos Combo Magician by ForceofPhil

Here's the initial sample of Combo Magician:

Aura (1)

1 Atlantean Fate water water

Artifacts (13)

1 Amethyst Core
1 Aquamarine Core
1 Kythera Mechanism
1 Philosopher Stone
1 Ring of Morrigan
1 Shrine of the Dragonlord
2 Silver Bullet
2 Sunken Treasure
1 The Immortal Throne
1 13 Treasures of Britain
1 Bleeding Skull

Minion (8)

1 Highland Princess air air
4 Sea Witch water
1 Lady of the Lake water water water
2 Grandmaster Wizard air air

Magics (18)

1 Dream-Quest air
1 Browse air air air
1 Plague of Frogs water water water
4 Fire Harpoons water
3 Gift of the Frog water water
2 Pollimorph water water
2 Return to Nature water
1 Feast for Crows air air
2 Dhol Chants air air
1 Chaoswish water water air air

Collection (10)

1 Cast into Exile air air
1 Recall air air
1 Wave of Eviction water
2 Fey Changeling water
1 Sunken Treasure
1 Swap water water
1 Undead Ambush air
1 Stormy Seas water
1 Upwelling water water

Fetching prices…

Opens TCGPlayer Mass Entry with the full decklist pre-loaded — select Sorcery: Contested Realm as the Product Line, then click Add to Cart

I've since made significant strides with this archetype. An updated article with a breakdown on how Magician has evolved since will be out soon, but here is the updated decklist:

ForceofPhil's Throne Magician

Aura (1)

1 Atlantean Fate water water

Artifacts (19)

1 Amethyst Core
1 Aquamarine Core
1 Ruby Core
1 Onyx Core
1 Kythera Mechanism
1 Ring of Morrigan
1 Four Waters of Paradise
1 Shrine of the Dragonlord
2 Silver Bullet
4 Wiccan Tools
3 Sunken Treasure
1 The Immortal Throne
1 13 Treasures of Britain

Minion (8)

1 Highland Princess air air
2 Fey Changeling water
1 Lady of the Lake water water water
1 Morgana le Fey fire fire fire
1 Maiden, Mother, Crone water water water
2 Grandmaster Wizard air air

Magics (14)

1 Browse air air air
1 Pendragon Legacy earth earth
1 Plague of Frogs water water water
1 Occult Ritual air
2 Common Sense earth
2 Return to Nature water
2 Apply Alkahest air water fire earth
1 Pact with the Devil fire fire
2 Dhol Chants air air
1 Chaoswish water water air air

Collection (10)

1 Ferryman's Coin
1 Dredge water
1 Exhume earth
1 Poisonous Dagger
1 Fey Changeling water
1 Swap water water
1 Frost Nova water water
1 Raze fire fire
1 Scavenging Fiend fire
1 Poison Nova fire