Engines in Magic are relative to the cards around them. They are, at their best, pure synergy. The cards in an “Engine,” whether that is a combo, aggro, or control deck, work best when they’re all in play. When you draw all of them, you almost always win. Your "engine" is running. Your "game" has begun.
Let’s look at some of the great engines of the past, from the early simple engines (much like the automobile) to the horsepower we see today.
What Is An Engine?
The original two cylinder: Dark Ritual – Hypnotic Specter
Simple, tried, and true. One of the first "two-card combos" you could grasp way-back-when. I began my Magic playing in Ice Age, and still had access to this highly unfair combo. Even small engines can produce incredible results when paired up with more powerful components, such as Necropotence.
Dark Ritual is the gold standard in mana acceleration (second only to power) and gave players their first taste of how the pieces fit. But I’m not here to go over old decks; I’m here for the new stuff.
Today’s engines are much more complex than their older counterparts. Let’s look at both kinds of Engines: Tempo and Combo.
Tempo Engines
The tempo engine runs in many weenie decks, and in control decks. Their extremes in spectrum bring them closer together when thinking about tempo and how it works as an "engine."
This broad definition covers any deck that isn’t a “combo” deck (i.e. one that needs certain pieces in place to win). If your deck gets some sort of advantage and wins, then it’s tempo. If it needs such-and-such in play, then it’s combo.
Let’s take two of the best aggro decks in the format, Gruul and Ghost Husk, and how they fit into the mold.
Both of these decks rely on explosive openings, one more so than the other. That is, Ghost Husk has the Dark Confidant engine, while Gruul has reusable boosts (Moldervine Cloak) and burn (extreme swings in tempo).
When you play decks of this sort you have to “feel out” your opponents’ answers, and try to get in as much damage as possible while you dart in and out of their blows. At some point even instincts can take over, as you “feel” their Wrath of God, and plan accordingly.
On the other end of the scale are control decks. Let’s take Izzetron and Firemane Angel Control for example. Both of these decks try to create unfair situations – Izzetron pops a Wildfire, Firemane gives you the Zur’s Weirding lock.
The difference is that this tempo engine is a slow burn – for example, in cars in extreme weather conditions, oil can solidify to sludge, and as a result the engine needs a good, long time to warm up before it can perform. Control decks are much the same – they take extreme heat (Burn) and pressure (Creatures / Enchantments), and need time to get resources online. These decks always need some sort of lifegain or card advantage to make up for their lack of threats or removal.
The key to any Tempo Engine is recognizing how it should win, and what it needs in play to win. If it’s about building pressure, then what kind of pressure? Answers such as counterspells, or threats such as Scab-Clan Mauler? If it’s about finishers, that means reset switches like Wrath of God and game-enders like Char.
Combo Engines
From the dawn of Magic to the viciousness of Tooth and Nail, players have run to the combo deck in droves to “figure out how to win.” This includes, but isn’t limited to, the ability to destroy their mana (Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker; and Sundering Titan), the ability to deny them turns indefinitely (Goblin Welder and Mindslaver), or kill them outright (Illusions of Grandeur and Donate).
Since I missed the dreaded “Combo Winter” (I timed my quitting period quite well, all things considered), my experience with powerful Magic combos goes no further than Tooth and Nail and Heartbeat of Spring (and any wacky combo decks that came in between such as Warp World and Eye of the Storm).
With that said, I’ve played a whole bunch of CCGs in my day – and get paid to develop new ones – so I know the threat that combo can present.
The most important aspect of a Combo Engine is two-fold: The setup and the payoff. The setup is the area in which they are, traditionally, the most vulnerable. This is the time in which you try and disrupt them through superior tempo and plays before they can “go off.”
Combo engines are almost exclusively powerful in the early game. They resemble drag racers – they can explode out of the starting gate, but after a few hundred feet they’re struggling.
Its right around the 50 feet mark that you want your deck to throw out the spike strip. In older formats, this is Force of Will or Duress. In newer formats, this is Mana Leak, Stone Rain, or Azorius Guildmage.
Cards that can deny, slow, or stop the setup period will succeed in a combo-heavy environment, but suffer against tempo engines. In this way it’s necessary for combo decks to either be incredibly resilient (giving them more of a NASCAR feel of longevity, to further the metaphor) or pack answers to most of its common disruption woes.
Until tomorrow, fellow players, when will I talk about engine design and development.
Evan “misterorange” Erwin
dubya dubya dubya dot misterorange dot com
eerwin +at+ gmail +dot+ com
Written while listening to Regina Spektor’s “Begin to Hope”