The 33 Best Extra Combat Cards in Magic Ranked

Last updated on July 17, 2024

Karlach, Fury of Avernus | Illustration by Billy Christian

Hello, planeswalkers! We as a society are always trying to get the most out of everything. Discounts, special offers, Collector boosters, and of course getting extra turns. MTG is no exception to this, and we’re all looking for the extra interactions or values that can take a deck to another level. Today let's get some extra combat!

Taking additional combat phases is the mid-to-end-game smash strategy creature-centric that red decks love. If you can hold the board and power advantage, taking an extra combat phase may be enough to crush many opponents. Let’s get to it and take a look at the creatures, spells, and other permanents that’ll help you to take additional combat phases.

What Are Extra Combat Cards in MTG?

Lightning Runner | Illustration by Raymond Swanland

Extra combat cards are the cards that say “… there is an additional combat phase…”, or something similar. These cards alter the turn structure by adding additional combat phases to a turn. A player who casts or triggers one of these abilities goes through all the five steps of a combat phase another time in the same turn.

The extra (really additional) combat effects are overwhelmingly in red cards. They have a long history and development going back to the Onslaught MTG set. Because of the inherent advantage of adding additional phases to a turn, these cards are often on the higher end of a deck's curve. The many color combinations of red can all benefit from the development of board advantage and taking additional combat phases.

#33. Swinging Ship

We might as well include an attraction card for you Unfinity fans. I won’t bore you with too many details about how attractions work; all you need to know for Swinging Ship is you need to open the attraction, roll a 6-sided dice, and get a 2 or a 6 during your first main phase, and then you get an additional combat phase after your first one. This card is probably just for the diehard Unfinity fans.

#32. Take the Bait

Take the Bait is an interesting Boros () instant for this ranking. I debated about including it. It’s a card for a big multiplayer game and when you don’t care about keeping the peace. It has a specific cast timing and goads an opponent’s creatures into attacking another opponent. Why would you want to give an opponent an additional combat phase? Well, I guess it’s fine because they have to attack a different player from you.

#31. Illusionist’s Gambit

Illusionist's Gambit is one of the few non-red cards on this list. This blue instant works similarly to Take the Bait in that it doesn’t help your attacking strategies, but it protects you and makes an opponent attack a different player than you. If I had to choose one of the mentioned cards, I might choose Illusionist's Gambit because it feels like a better fit in a blue-colored control deck, rather than Boros which is usually aggressive.

#30. Last Night Together

The iconography and theme of Last Night Together is wonderful. You choose two of your creatures, they get much more powerful, and only they can attack in an additional combat phase. This Gruul () sorcery isn’t as good as letting your entire board attack, but there can be some solid pairs of creatures to attack again. I’m thinking creatures like Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma and Etali, Primal Storm. Yeah, that would do the trick.

#29. Fury of the Horde

Fury of the Horde is the ultimate “play-it-by-ear” kind of card. The 7 MV is massive for a red sorcery that may not even guarantee victory or advantage. However, if you have the right board presence, you can pitch two red cards from your hand to cast Fury of the Horde. I’m not sure I’d risk this being dead weight in my hand, but it has its value and scenarios where it can excel.

#28. Anzrag, the Quake-Mole

Anzrag, the Quake-Mole has the potential to be a great card, but with some unfortunate limitations. The fact that you can force your opponents to block it and then get an additional combat may work itself out to be a great removal strategy. However, you don’t see this card so much in the Standard meta at the moment because of the high cost of its activated ability and just the sheer amount of cheap removal available.

#27. Lightning Runner

Using alternative resources can be a massive advantage, as are additional combat phases. Lightning Runner can use eight energy counters to create an additional combat and untap all of your creatures. This red creature creates two energy counters when it attacks, so all you need is to create more energy counters alongside it with cards like Aetherworks Marvel and Brotherhood Scribe. 

#26. Éomer, Marshal of Rohan

Éomer, Marshal of Rohan makes your opponents think twice about their blocking choices. If one of your attacking legendary creatures dies, you get an additional combat phase after this one. This puts a lot of pressure on your opponent’s decisions. That said, this red human knight requires you to have legendary creatures and that they die in combat. It’s not the easiest way to get an additional combat compared to the other cards on this list.

#25. Grim Reaper’s Sprint

The morbid ability of Grim Reaper's Sprint is what can make it a useful red enchantment in an Eternal format deck. This aura feels more like a combat trick than some of the other cards on this list, and it can work fairly efficiently. If one of your creatures has died you can get an additional combat for the ridiculously cheap cost of 2 mana. This can play quite well into some Rakdos () and Gruul () decks.

#24. Breath of Fury

Here’s the ultimate question for Breath of Fury, is it worth it to sacrifice one of your creatures to get an additional combat? I believe it all depends on how you build your deck. If you can attach this red aura to a chump creature, then heck yes an additional combat is worth the cost. Interestingly, Breath of Fury also jumps to another creature instead of going to the graveyard, giving more chances to get additional combats.

#23. Raiyuu, Storm’s Edge

Raiyuu, Storm's Edge is a legendary creature to build a samurai or warrior deck around. This card is a great example of samurais, and sometimes warriors, benefiting from attacking alone. Creatures like Isshin, Two Heavens as One or Laelia, the Blade Reforged can use Raiyuu’s ability to attack your opponents relentlessly.

#22. Zariel, Archduke of Avernus

As the only planeswalker on the list, Zariel, Archduke of Avernus is interesting. Planeswalkers can be quite powerful, but oftentimes they become quick targets and don’t make it to their ultimate loyalty ability. The final loyalty ability of this red planeswalker gives you an additional combat phase but only untaps one of your creatures. The other loyalty abilities of Zariel, Archduke of Avernus are great for aggressive decks, but as far as the additional combat is concerned, I think we can do better.

#21. Waves of Aggression

Waves of Aggression is quite similar to World at War. Where I mark this card slightly lower is that retrace isn’t as good as rebound, and that’s it. They’re essentially the same card, but Waves of Aggression is multicolored, although it can be cast with hybrid mana. It’s a solid Boros enchantment, but probably won’t excite too many players.

#20. Finest Hour

Finest Hour is an interesting Bant () and exalted combo to try. Whenever a creature attacks alone it will get counters and an additional combat with this card. If you can pile up the exalted effects, and use the right creature, it could be a great combo. A lone attacker like Sigiled Paladin that’s exalted by Finest Hour, Rafiq of the Many, and Sublime Archangel seems like a great attack to me.

#19. Bloodthirster

Bloodthirster is a worse version of Port Razer but has a better chance of dealing combat damage. When it deals combat damage to a player this demon untaps only itself and then can’t attack the same player. The trample and flying keyword abilities do make it more likely to do combat damage to a player and also survive multiple turns. Take the good with the bad, I guess.

#18. Najeela, the Blade-Blossom

If you can develop some ways to get tons of any color mana, then Najeela, the Blade-Blossom is a wonderful card for attack-heavy decks: it's both one of the strongest 5-color commanders and best aggro commanders in the game. For the cost of each color mana, you can give your creatures a ton of useful keywords – haste, trample, and lifelink – and an additional combat phase. The activated ability may be a somewhat difficult cost, but with cards like Timeless Lotus and Mobile Garrison, imagine how many additional combat phases you can get!

#17. Hexplate Wallbreaker

Hexplate Wallbreaker is an equipment that helps your well-equipped creatures to attack again. The MV and equip cost are steep, but the for Mirrodin! mechanic at least gives you a token creature attached with this card to start. If you can attack several times with some well-armed creatures, you may just break through your opponent’s defenses.

#16. Savage Beating

Savage Beating is an expensive red instant that if done right can produce wonderful effects. A 5-, potentially 7-mana combat trick usually won’t cut it for most serious players. However, with double strike for your creatures and an extra combat phase, few defenses can withstand that. Shoot for the stars with Savage Beating and hope that the game flow sets it up to be a devastating play!

#15. World at War

World at War is a solid additional combat sorcery. It’s reasonably curve-friendly, it untapped all of your creatures that survived the first combat, and most importantly it has rebound for even more impact. Its sorcery speed makes it slightly less valuable, but you could do a lot worse.

#14. Port Razer

Port Razer is a solid red orc pirate to try and get additional combat phases from. However, to get an additional combat it has to deal combat damage to a player and then it can’t attack the same player twice. There are several upsides and downsides to this card, but the chance of getting additional combat on several turns is enticing.

#13. Akki Battle Squad

There’s something about modified decks that always seems so enticing. Akki Battle Squad untaps all your modified creatures and gives you an additional combat phase if you attack with at least one modified creature. This can be an easy trigger to achieve and Akki Battle Squad has great stats for its MV. There’s a lot to like about this goblin samurai as long as you can establish some modified creatures and hopefully avoid removal.

#12. Godo, Bandit Warlord

What’s a samurai, but a reflection of his training and equipment? Godo, Bandit Warlord is a lead for your samurai-typal and equipment-style deck. You can fetch any equipment in your deck, place it onto the battlefield, and gain additional combats for all your samurai creatures. It’s very specific, but at least the two themes work well together.

#11. Great Train Heist

The spree cards of Outlaws of Thunder Junction have been wonderful in many Magic formats. Cards like Three Steps Ahead are great, but I think Great Train Heist just might be the best of them. This card's versatility is the ultimate combat trick.

Need first strike? No problem, only 3 mana. Need some Treasure tokens? No problem, only 2 mana. But, the killer is the additional combat for only 4 mana at instant speed. There are so many options for this card and that gives it a ton of value.

#10. Response // Resurgence

There’s a lot to love about Response and Resurgence. The versatility of split cards can make them wonderful additions to so many decks. Response gives you some early combat removal to establish your board presence. If you can wait, however, you’ll be greatly rewarded with Resurgence. You get great combat keywords in vigilance and first strike, an extra combat phase, and an additional main phase. This is the kind of support card that can make some midrange Boros decks nasty!

#9. Scourge of the Throne

Scourge of the Throne is such an accurate name for this card. This dragon is incentivized to attack the player(s) with the most life and dethrone them. It gets bigger and gives you an additional combat phase when it attacks the player with the most life for the first time each turn. Scourge of the Throne is quite good in a 1v1 matchup, but don’t be surprised if it puts a target on you in a multiplayer game.

#8. Hellkite Charger

Hellkite Charger can be a deadly addition to dragon decks in Modern and Eternal formats. Seven mana seems like a high cost for an ability until you remember some of the amazing dragon synergies like Goldspan Dragon and Savage Ventmaw. This card is curve-appropriate, has haste, and additional combats make your dragons even scarier.

#7. Combat Celebrant

The costs of exerting a creature are well worth the benefits of getting an additional combat phase. Combat Celebrant is one of the cheapest cards on this list and a fairly easy way to get an additional combat phase. The obvious downside of this card is its toughness of one, but the speed and aggressiveness it gives can be a game-changer. Attacking twice in a single turn before your opponent can properly set up defenses could be devastating.

#6. Seize the Day

Seize the Day isn’t the most powerful card on this list, but it can be quite efficient. The low MV and flashback cost of this card give it a ton of power if you have a good board presence. As for the downsides, it only untaps one of your creatures and is a sorcery. In my opinion, it’s a good card for Commander decks that have to have a large variety of cards, but you don’t need multiple copies of this card in any deck.

#5. Relentless Assault

Relentless Assault’s MV makes it a great option for pairing with other spells. The four MV is one of the cheapest of these additional combat spells and if this card is paired with a card like Double Vision it can have deadly outcomes for your opponents. This card is more on the aggressive side of these rankings, but be careful with the wording of this red sorcery. Don’t cast it before attacking, and cards that can allow you to cast it on opponent’s turns aren’t going to help you.

#4. Aggravated Assault

Outside some of the legendary creatures on this list, Aggravated Assault is the permanent card you want to use. This red enchantment allows you to gain an additional combat each turn you pay its 5-mana activated ability. At a MV of 3 and a reasonable activation cost, this card is wonderful for those players who want to apply some combat pressure. Of all the additional combat cards, this enchantment may be my favorite because of its utility.

#3. Moraug, Fury of Akoum

Let’s bring the fury with Moraug, Fury of Akoum! A 6/6 creature for 6 mana is right on the curve, and the attacking abilities of this minotaur warrior are amazing. With its landfall ability, you can get an additional combat phase and pump up your creatures for each time they have attacked each turn. Moraug, Fury of Akoum is a solid extra-combat commander to build around and could be very powerful paired with a card like Aftermath Analyst.

#2. Aurelia, the Warleader

Aurelia, the Warleader is a great warleader for your creature-heavy decks. The 6 MV is steep, but its keywords more than make up for that, especially haste. You can surprise your opponents with multiple combat phases and gain an additional combat for every turn that this legendary angel attacks. If you’re building a Boros midrange deck, then Aurelia, the Warleader is a solid card to use.

#1. Karlach, Fury of Avernus

Unsurprisingly, the top of these ranks are all creatures that are worth considering as a Commander. Karlach, Fury of Avernus is itself a red commander, but with the added benefit of background as your second commander. This tiefling barbarian gives you an additional combat phase and your creatures first strike whenever you attack. In the right Commander deck, this card can be lethal! My suggestions for some backgrounds to pair with it are Sword Coast Sailor or Cultist of the Absolute.

Best Extra Combat Payoffs

Let’s get straight to the point, how can you take advantage of having an additional combat phase?

A clear advantage is that if you have bigger creatures than your opponent, you can get real stompy. Creatures like Blitz Hellion, Ghalta, Primal Hunger, and Iroas, God of Victory make extra combat phases so much more fun!

A crazy good strategy is to pair cards that give additional combat phases and cards with attacking triggers. I’m looking at cards like Otharri, Suns' Glory, Etali, Primal Storm, and Brutal Hordechief for additional triggers from additional combat phases.

Along similar lines to the above strategy, cards like Goro-Goro and Satoru and Ojer Kaslem, Deepest Growth with triggers when dealing combat damage to a player can greatly benefit from additional combat phases.

Another trigger that benefits here is “at the beginning of combat on your turn”. Crush your opponents with cards like Xenagos, God of Revels, Rionya, Fire Dancer, or Helm of the Host.

As a final trigger to focus on, cards that can double the effects of your triggers let you attack many times in a single turn. As one of the best Mardu commanders and specifically an amazing extra-combat commander, Isshin, Two Heavens as One would be an excellent example; Wulfgar of Icewind Dale is another great consideration for decks that want many combat phases.

And don’t forget Boros Charm or Heroic Intervention as protection for your attacking creatures.

How Many Extra Combats Can You Have?

In short, as many as your cards allow you to. Many cards like Akki Battle Squad specifically say that you may only have one additional combat phase. However, cards like Grim Reaper's Sprint can be altered by other effects or abilities to gain even more combat phases. I’ll refer you to my description of Moraug, Fury of Akoum for an example of how to get multiple additional combat phases in a single turn.

I’m working on a Standard deck to make Anzrag, the Quake-Mole indestructible and hopefully, it keeps getting blocked and I keep getting extra combat phases. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Do Extra Combats Give Another Main Phase?

Many of them do. For many of the cards like Fury of the Horde they’ll say “..an additional combat phase followed by an additional main phase”.

If the card doesn’t have text similar to the above, you don’t get an additional main phase.

Do Extra Combats Trigger Abilities?

The answer is yes.  When taking an additional combat phase you go through all of the normal steps in a combat phase: Beginning, Declaring attackers, Declaring blockers, Combat damage, and End of combat. Triggers for the beginning of combat, when a creature attacks, when it is blocked, when it deals or is dealt damage, or any other combat trigger will all trigger again on any of these extra combat steps.

Wrap Up

Combat Celebrant | Illustration by Chris Rallis

Well, I think I’m going to need an additional nap phase after this one. As you can see there are plenty of red and red-leaning cards if you feel like one combat per turn is just not enough. These permanents and spells can cause some real damage and are solid strategies to try and integrate into your Constructed, and especially, Limited builds.

Thank you so much for your time and for reading this article. If you want tons of more MTG information or support then read all the other wonderful articles on the Draftsim blog, and use the Arena Tutor app to take your play to another level. Join in the conversation by leaving a comment below, joining us on Draftsim's Twitter/X, or hopping on the official Draftsim Discord channel.

Thank you, and swing hard and often!