Combo Watch: Kiki-Jiki + Zealous Conscripts

How the combo works

The mechanism is elegant in its simplicity. You have Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker on the battlefield and cast Zealous Conscripts. When Conscripts enters the battlefield, its triggered ability lets you take control of a permanent — choose Kiki-Jiki himself (even though he's yours, the card doesn't specify "an opponent's").

Now you have an untapped Kiki-Jiki and the turn isn't over yet: you use Kiki-Jiki to create a token copy of Conscripts. The token enters the battlefield, triggers again, untaps Kiki-Jiki, and the loop restarts. Each token is created with haste, so you can attack with all the accumulated copies in the same turn. The result is an arbitrarily large number of creatures with haste ready to deal lethal damage.

Two pieces, no middleman, immediate win condition. That's what makes this combo so popular.

Requirements: Kiki-Jiki on the battlefield untapped, Conscripts entering the battlefield that turn (or a way to untap Kiki after using him).

Where to play it (suggested commanders)

The combined color identity of the two cards is pure red — both Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker and Zealous Conscripts are mono-red. This opens the door to any commander that includes red in their color identity, but the most natural homes are:

1. Purphoros, God of the Forge — Every token you create triggers Purphoros for 2 damage each. With the combo active, damage piles up even before you attack.
2. Krenko, Mob Boss — A natural Goblin home for Kiki-Jiki (who is himself a Goblin); the combo integrates seamlessly into the aggressive game plan.
3. Izzet Guildmage or any Izzet commander — In blue/red you have access to interaction and tutors like Mystical Tutor to find the combo pieces more easily.
4. Prossh, Skyraider of Kher (Jund) — In a token/sacrifice shell you gain additional synergies with the tokens generated.
5. Wort, the Raidmother — Gruul with a focus on copied spells; Kiki-Jiki fits nicely into the creature-centric theme.

Lines of play and protection

The combo's weak point is that it needs two distinct steps to "arm" itself: you need Kiki-Jiki on the battlefield before casting Conscripts, or you need a way to untap Kiki after he's already tapped.

How to protect it:

• Speed: Try to execute the combo in the same turn you assemble both pieces, so you're on the stack and opponents have fewer windows to interact.
• Interaction: In decks with blue, Deflecting Swat or Fierce Guardianship protect Kiki-Jiki from removal in response.
• Haste enabler: If Kiki-Jiki doesn't have haste, he's vulnerable for an entire turn the moment he enters the battlefield. Lightning Greaves or Swiftfoot Boots solve the problem and cost very little.
• Flash outlet: In decks with green or blue, giving Conscripts flash via Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir or Vedalken Orrery lets you execute the combo on an opponent's turn when Kiki-Jiki is already on the battlefield.

Budget vs. premium versions

This is one of the most accessible combos in the format:

Budget: The two core pieces cost less than €7 together. There's no "budget version" to build — this is the budget version. Conscripts at €0.19 is practically a free autoinclude.

Premium: The upgrades aren't about the combo pieces themselves, but the support around them. Imperial Recruiter (tutors up Kiki-Jiki) and Goblin Recruiter (in a Goblin shell) are the premium inclusions that make the combo more consistent, but they noticeably increase the overall cost of the deck.

Verdict

Kiki-Jiki + Zealous Conscripts is one of those combos every Commander player should know, both to play it and to play against it. Less than €7 for a two-piece win condition with built-in haste is an objectively great deal — and its place in every red deck at power level 3 or above is completely justified.

Don't expect to win against hyper-optimized tables without adequate support, but in a bracket 3–4 context this combo does its dirty work reliably and straightforwardly.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ — Efficient, affordable, and worth knowing by heart.