Combo Watch: Mikaeus + Triskelion, Infinite Damage for €23.69

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed plus Triskelion is the most efficient two-piece combo in the black slot under €25. No third piece, no waiting around: once you assemble the board, the table dies.

The loop, step by step

• Triskelion enters with three +1/+1 counters.
• Remove the counters one at a time to deal 1 damage to a target of your choice (player or creature).
• Once the third counter is removed, Triskelion is a 0/0 and dies to state-based action.
• With Mikaeus, the Unhallowed on the battlefield, Triskelion returns from the graveyard thanks to undying: it comes back with one more +1/+1 counter than it had when it died, so with 4 counters.
• Remove the 4 counters for 4 damage, Triskelion dies again, comes back with 5 counters thanks to undying (which only triggers if it had no counters when it died — the correct sequence here is: remove all counters, die at zero, come back with +1 relative to the last time it entered).
• The counter count grows with each cycle: the loop isn't "infinite" in the strict sense (each iteration adds increasing damage), but it converges on a lethal output in very few turns — often 2-3 cycles are enough to surpass 40 total damage, whether spread out or concentrated.

Technical note: undying only triggers if the creature had no +1/+1 counters on it at the time of death. Removing all counters before letting it die is a necessary condition, not optional. If you get the order wrong and leave residual counters, the loop shuts down.

Where it fits

Color identity: mono black. The natural candidates are commanders that want sacrifice/aristocrats or death-and-rebirth value.

• Mikaeus, the Unhallowed as the commander itself: grants undying to the whole team, not just Triskelion. Built-in redundancy.
• Teysa Karlov: doubles death triggers, though the added value here is marginal compared to other aristocrats packages.
• Yawgmoth, Thran Physician: huge structural synergy with counters and sacrifice, mono black, top tier for bracket 4.
• Meren of Clan Nel Toth: recursion and mono black (with a touch of green in the color identity), a good backup plan if Mikaeus is missing.
• Karador, Ghost Chieftain: if you're playing Jund/Abzan-adjacent, the combo slots in as a plan B without feeling out of place.

Lines of play and protection

• Try to resolve Mikaeus, the Unhallowed first, then Triskelion: the reverse order works just as well (you just need both on the battlefield simultaneously), but if you have counterspells in hand, play the more removal-vulnerable piece first.
• Mikaeus, the Unhallowed is the real target for opponents: without him, Triskelion just dies. Keep him protected with Fog effects, generic indestructible, or simply by bluffing a counterspell.
• If only Triskelion is on the battlefield, use it anyway as removal/burn: 3 damage spread around isn't something to throw away even outside the loop.
• Against board wipes: the combo doesn't need complex setup, so you can afford to wait an extra turn before committing both pieces.

Budget vs Premium

There's no real delta here: €23.69 total is already the optimized version. Triskelion at €0.15 is negligible; the cost is entirely in Mikaeus, the Unhallowed at €23.54. There's no "budget" version cheaper than the combo itself — it's already one of the most efficient two-piece packages around for output (instant win) relative to investment.

If you want redundancy, other sources of undying (no, Fauna Shaman doesn't fit here, but think of creatures with native undying that synergize with separate counter removal) raise the budget without proportionally raising reliability. Not worth it below bracket 4.

Verdict

A textbook combo: two cards, no third piece required, negligible assembly cost, lethal output in just a few cycles. The single point of failure is Mikaeus, the Unhallowed — targeted removal neutralizes him and leaves you holding a dead 0/0 as a memento. Bracket 4 is the correct floor: below that threshold the table probably doesn't have the tools to respond in time, which makes it unfair in lower-power contexts. Value for money: excellent, 9/10. Resilience to single-target removal: 5/10, play accordingly.