Rionya, Fire Dancer

$0.36

At the beginning of combat on your turn, Rionya makes X token copies of another creature you control, where X is one plus the number of instants and sorceries you cast this turn. The copies have haste and get exiled at the next end step. One ritual turns a single copy into two, and a storm turn can make five or six. The deck pairs rituals and cheap spells with creatures that are worth copying: ETB effects, combat damage triggers or attackers that hit hard.

In the recorded games, Rionya won most often through infinite combat. A token copy of Combat Celebrant exerts to grant an extra combat, Rionya triggers again at the start of that combat, and the loop repeats. Seething Song and Jeska's Will powered big turns, and copies of Professional Face-Breaker, Coercive Recruiter, Molten Primordial or Imperial Recruiter swung games on their own. Pinnacle Monk copies returned spells for more triggers. Its weak spots were sweepers like Magmaquake, heavy stax that slowed the spell count, and attack taxes like Ghostly Prison. Rionya also drew early attention, since the table knew how fast it could end things.