This is one weird enchantment. Lich can be difficult to work with, so good luck if you use it or something similar (Nefarious Lich, for example). Lich is misunderstood. It has so many drawbacks that it's easy to assume that it's just plain useless. But then there's TurboLich. Actually, there are at least a few ways to make combo decks using Lich. Overgrown Estate is often key. Zuran Orb works too, although the former is preferable. Instead of gaining life, which would be boring, Lich decks draw cards. And looking at the potential life that would be gained by something like Overgrown Estate, that's a lot of cards. Nourishing Shoal and Autochthon Wurm are a newer engine for Lich to play with. Kill conditions for Lich decks vary, but my favorite is probably Mirror Universe, because there's something special about switching life totals with your opponent as the win condition for a deck.#19: Illusions of Grandeur
An old standby of mine and something I really need to bring back. Illusions of Grandeur won me lots of games once upon a time (seven years ago or thereabouts). It was probably intended as a stalling device that could keep your alive while you already have your opponent on a clock with some other cards that can kill him. After all, the cumulative upkeep ensures that you won't get to keep all the life you gained with it. But that's not how I used Illusions of Grandeur and that's not what it's really known for. It's quite simple: if an opponent gains control of Illusions of Grandeur, he's sitting on a time bomb that will hit him for 20 once he can't pay the rapidly increasing upkeep, all while you get to keep the 20 life you gained forever and ever. Fortunately, Donate does just this for only three mana. Apparently some players really hate it if you do this to them, but I think it's awesome. Don't do it all the time though.#18: Enduring Renewal
These days, there are better enablers for infinite combos, but Enduring Renewal is the classic, the icon, and one of the first. I couldn't possibly list every single combo with Enduring Renewal, but I can give a few examples. Use it with Ornithopter and Fallen Angel for a flying attacker that's as big as your heart desires. Use it with Mogg Fanatic and Aluren for endless targeted damage. Wild Cantor and any storm spell give you a ridiculously high storm count to power the spell. My personal favorite is Goblin Bombardment, which was already featured on this list. They won't do any damage by themselves, but damage from using these two cards alongside small creatures can rack up very quickly, and a free creature (Ornithopter, Wild Cantor, Cloud of Faeries, whatever) will still give you access to that trick.
#17: Mind Over Matter
Six mana to win the game. Yes, it's one of the costliest enchantments on the list. It's still a force to be reckoned with. It turns out that some effects are so powerful, paying six mana is still worth it. Being able to tap or untap whatever you want for the cost of discarding one card is such an effect. With the right engine to fill your hand, Mind over Matter offers a strange degree of control over the game, letting your lock your opponents down by tapping everything they have, while you repeatedly use activated abilities on your own permanents and then untap them. That second part can easily be enough to win the game, especially if you happen to have a Quicksilver Dagger. Other fun combos include Tolarian Academy (I used this a lot), Library of Alexandria, and Arcanis the Omnipotent.
These days, there are better enablers for infinite combos, but Enduring Renewal is the classic, the icon, and one of the first. I couldn't possibly list every single combo with Enduring Renewal, but I can give a few examples. Use it with Ornithopter and Fallen Angel for a flying attacker that's as big as your heart desires. Use it with Mogg Fanatic and Aluren for endless targeted damage. Wild Cantor and any storm spell give you a ridiculously high storm count to power the spell. My personal favorite is Goblin Bombardment, which was already featured on this list. They won't do any damage by themselves, but damage from using these two cards alongside small creatures can rack up very quickly, and a free creature (Ornithopter, Wild Cantor, Cloud of Faeries, whatever) will still give you access to that trick.#17: Mind Over Matter
Six mana to win the game. Yes, it's one of the costliest enchantments on the list. It's still a force to be reckoned with. It turns out that some effects are so powerful, paying six mana is still worth it. Being able to tap or untap whatever you want for the cost of discarding one card is such an effect. With the right engine to fill your hand, Mind over Matter offers a strange degree of control over the game, letting your lock your opponents down by tapping everything they have, while you repeatedly use activated abilities on your own permanents and then untap them. That second part can easily be enough to win the game, especially if you happen to have a Quicksilver Dagger. Other fun combos include Tolarian Academy (I used this a lot), Library of Alexandria, and Arcanis the Omnipotent.#16: Standstill
This is possibly the most powerful blue enchantment ever, and certainly the strongest blue enchantment in the Legacy format right now. Yes, it's better than Counterbalance. Standstill can be used with lots of things, but perhaps the most straightforward is a control deck featuring man-lands, especially Mishra's Factory. Your opponent is left with two options. He can avoid playing spells so that you can't take advantage of Standstill, in which case he dies from your lands beating him down, or he can play spells and let you draw the cards from Standstill. The latter option is what almost always happens, and that means Standstill is really letting you draw three cards for two mana. Drawing three cards for two mana is a really, really good deal. Fear Standstill.
This is possibly the most powerful blue enchantment ever, and certainly the strongest blue enchantment in the Legacy format right now. Yes, it's better than Counterbalance. Standstill can be used with lots of things, but perhaps the most straightforward is a control deck featuring man-lands, especially Mishra's Factory. Your opponent is left with two options. He can avoid playing spells so that you can't take advantage of Standstill, in which case he dies from your lands beating him down, or he can play spells and let you draw the cards from Standstill. The latter option is what almost always happens, and that means Standstill is really letting you draw three cards for two mana. Drawing three cards for two mana is a really, really good deal. Fear Standstill.
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