Naban, Dean of Iteration

Gameplan

Naban doubles the enter-the-battlefield triggers of Wizards you control, so you build a board of value Wizards and blink/recur them repeatedly for massive card advantage, bounce, counter generation, or damage. Early turns you ramp and protect Naban, then chain flicker effects and Wizard ETBs to snowball control of the game until you assemble a combo or grind opponents out.

Key Cards

• Naru Meha, Master Wizard — With a blink spell and Naban it forms an infinite loop, copying and recasting flickers for arbitrary triggers.
• Archaeomancer — Doubled ETB returns two instants/sorceries, enabling flicker loops and recurring counterspells.
• Ghostly Flicker — Blinks Wizards to retrigger Naban-doubled ETBs and is the backbone of multiple combos.
• Deadeye Navigator — Soulbond flicker engine that repeatedly retriggers Naban-doubled Wizard ETBs each turn.
• Snapcaster Mage — A Wizard whose doubled ETB hands you flashback value on demand.
• Sea Gate Oracle — Cheap Wizard that draws extra cards with every doubled, flickered entry.

Upgrade Path

Add fast mana (Sol Ring, Mana Crystals, mana rocks) and free protection like Heroic Intervention substitutes such as counterspell backup to keep Naban alive. Tighten the deck into compact two-card combos (Naru Meha + Ghostly Flicker + a payoff like Altar of the Brood) and trim slow Wizards for efficient interaction. Include tutors like Mystical Tutor and Fabricate, plus recursion such as Mystic Sanctuary, to find and reassemble loops faster.