One my decks is actually built around getting the game into infinite combos which cannot end but that also don't kill anyone so the game ends in a tie. Same sort of thing. Always fun to pull off.
Edit: I was wrong! I’ve only been playing competitively on Arena for years now. Per Rule 725.4 infinite loops are draws.
Paper magic works with infinite combos on the basis that if you can prove them, you can "fast forward".
And someone with a draw infinite combo would definitely be welcome in some player circles (see the Jhonny definition).
https://media.wizards.com/2023/wpn/marketing_materials/wpn/M...
It was clever, but also beardy AF, to use a phrase from my days of WH40K
Frustrating to play against if the loop is working, but often weak on killing power if it takes a lot of sacrificing to pay the upkeep.
I remember one game decades ago where I was slowly ground down by the tapping of a solitary Tim.
Thanks for that memory.
King Arthur: What, behind the rabbit?
Tim: It is the rabbit!
King Arthur: You silly sod!
But yes it does kinda frustrate people. That's the downside of liking Magic because of it being fun to break as a system and not because you want to smash giant monsters into each other.
I don’t know what all was in it (I never played against it) but remember being regaled with tales of what happens when Opalescence and Humility come into play together as part of an effect that puts a bunch of permanents into play all with the same time stamp.
Aether Flash - Enchantment
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield, Aether Flash deals 2 damage to it.
Polyraptor - Creature - 5/5
Whenever Polyraptor is dealt damage, create a token that's a copy of Polyraptor.
Like, if you have an infinite mana combo, you can just keep running the steps of it to block gameplay instead of playing your fireball