Infinite
Buried Alive setup for Thranduil + Devoted Druid + Incubation Druid + Zameck Guildmage
Reviewed research only: the proposed line can create infinite mana and draw the deck when Thranduil can legally use the Druid mana, Druid untap, Incubation Druid adapt, and Zameck Guildmage counter-removal abilities.
Required Cards
Setup
- Thranduil is on the battlefield and can legally activate inherited abilities.
- Buried Alive has put Devoted Druid, Incubation Druid, and Zameck Guildmage into your graveyard.
- Thranduil either began the turn under your control or has a legal haste-style permission effect for tap abilities.
- The line has enough starting mana and counter access to pay for the relevant inherited abilities.
Needs enough initial mana to cast Buried Alive and begin the inherited activation sequence; exact loop mana is under rules review.
Sequence
- Cast Buried Alive and search for Devoted Druid, Incubation Druid, and Zameck Guildmage.
- Resolve Thranduil or untap with Thranduil already under your control.
- Use the inherited Devoted Druid ability to make green mana and untap Thranduil with -1/-1 counters.
- Use Incubation Druid's adapt ability and Zameck Guildmage's counter-removal ability to convert counters into cards.
- Repeat only if the rules review confirms the mana, counter, and timing loop is legal.
Interruption Points
- Remove Thranduil before inherited abilities are activated.
- Exile one of the three Elf cards from the graveyard.
- Counter or stop Buried Alive before the graveyard is loaded.
- Remove the haste-style permission effect before Thranduil can use tap abilities.
- Stop the loop when counters, mana, or draw replacement effects no longer line up.
Thranduil, the Elvenking role: Thranduil is the permanent using the inherited Devoted Druid, Incubation Druid, and Zameck Guildmage abilities.
Timing: Summoning sickness matters for inherited tap abilities unless a legal effect such as Tyvar or Thousand-Year Elixir applies.
Rules notes: Buried Alive is setup, not the whole combo. Thranduil gains activated abilities from Elf cards in your graveyard. Tap and untap symbols on gained abilities use Thranduil. Counters placed or removed as costs are placed on or removed from Thranduil. This record stays reviewed research until the complete rules sequence is validated. Thranduil rule 1: Thranduil gains only activated abilities of Elf cards in your graveyard. Thranduil rule 2: Activated abilities are identified by a cost, a colon, and an effect. Thranduil rule 3: Static and triggered abilities of graveyard Elf cards are not gained. Thranduil rule 4: The available ability set updates as graveyard contents and card types change. Thranduil rule 5: An Elf card leaving your graveyard removes that ability for future activations. Thranduil rule 6: An already-activated ability remains on the stack independently of the graveyard card. Thranduil rule 7: Thranduil is the source of each gained ability. Thranduil rule 8: Self-referential printed names on gained abilities refer to Thranduil. Thranduil rule 9: Tap and untap symbols on gained abilities tap or untap Thranduil. Thranduil rule 10: Summoning sickness restricts gained tap-symbol and untap-symbol abilities. Thranduil rule 11: Haste and as-though-haste permission effects need exact text before they allow immediate activation. Thranduil rule 12: Gained mana abilities do not use the stack. Thranduil rule 13: Gained non-mana abilities use the stack unless another rule says otherwise. Thranduil rule 14: Sacrifice-self costs sacrifice Thranduil, not the graveyard card. Thranduil rule 15: Counters used as costs are placed on or removed from Thranduil. Thranduil rule 16: Power and toughness checks use Thranduil's current values where appropriate. Thranduil rule 17: Zone-restricted abilities can be unusable if their instructions only work from another zone. Thranduil rule 18: Cycling, unearth, channel, ninjutsu, and similar abilities require exact zone and cost verification. Thranduil rule 19: Linked abilities acquired together remain linked only as allowed by rule 607. Thranduil rule 20: An undefined linked choice produces no relevant result. Thranduil rule 21: Multiple identical gained abilities remain separate instances. Thranduil rule 22: Type-changing effects that apply to graveyard cards can affect Elf eligibility. Thranduil rule 23: Ashes of the Fallen can make creature cards in your graveyard the chosen type for Thranduil checks. Thranduil rule 24: Maskwood Nexus affects creature cards outside the battlefield through its explicit all-zones text. Thranduil rule 25: Battlefield-only type-changing effects do not alter graveyard eligibility. Thranduil rule 26: Another legendary Elf excludes Thranduil himself entering. Thranduil rule 27: A permanent must be both legendary and an Elf when it enters to trigger Thranduil. Thranduil rule 28: Legendary changelings qualify if they enter as legendary Elves. Thranduil rule 29: Token copies can qualify if they enter as legendary Elves. Thranduil rule 30: Several qualifying permanents entering create several separate triggers. Thranduil rule 31: Legend-rule removal does not erase a trigger that already triggered. Thranduil rule 32: Each trigger draws two cards and then discards one card. Thranduil rule 33: The discarded card does not need to be an Elf. Thranduil rule 34: The legendary-Elf trigger does not target. Thranduil rule 35: Replacing the draws does not automatically remove the discard instruction. Thranduil rule 36: An existing Thranduil can trigger when another Thranduil enters under your control.
Last reviewed: Aug 24, 2026
