Food Chain + Squee, the Immortal

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Overview

If you have Food Chain and Squee, the Immortal on the battlefield, you may activate Food Chain to exile Squee and add 1 + Squee’s mana value (1 + 3 = 4) mana of one color, then cast Squee from exile using that mana. Because Food Chain’s mana may be spent only to cast creature spells and may pay additional costs, and Squee’s static permission lets you cast it from exile, each cycle (exile Squee for 4, cast Squee for = 3) nets 1 mana and returns Squee to the battlefield — producing a repeatable loop. You must follow normal timing and casting rules when casting Squee from exile [2018-04-27], and Food Chain’s mana can pay additional costs of the creature spell [2004-10-04]. The card being exiled is in the exile zone and may be cast from exile as allowed by Squee’s ability [406.3].

The StackRules & CitationsDetails & Edge Cases

Step 1

Have Food Chain on the battlefield and Squee, the Immortal on the battlefield (Squee’s mana value is 3). Activate Food Chain’s ability and exile Squee as part of that activation’s cost; Food Chain’s ability will add X = 1 + the exiled creature’s mana value = 4 mana to your mana pool when it resolves [406.2] [406.3].

Step 2

When Food Chain’s activation resolves, the 4 mana enters your mana pool. That mana is restricted to casting creature spells (Food Chain’s restriction) but may pay additional costs of those creature spells [2004-10-04].

Step 3

Cast Squee from exile by announcing the cast and moving the card from exile to the stack, following the casting steps in rule [601.2]; pay Squee’s mana cost of (3) using Food Chain’s mana, leaving you with 1 net mana in your pool after the cost is paid [601.2] [2004-10-04].

Step 4

Squee resolves and becomes a creature you control on the battlefield. Because Squee is again a creature you control, you may activate Food Chain again to exile it and repeat the loop (subject to timing and priority) [601.2] [2018-04-27].

Resolution

With Food Chain in play and Squee on the battlefield, you can repeatedly do the following: activate Food Chain and exile Squee as the activation’s cost to add X = 1 + mana value (1 + 3 = 4) mana; use 3 of that mana to cast Squee from exile (you may cast it from exile because of its ability), leaving you with +1 net mana each loop. This creates an engine that produces arbitrarily large amounts of mana and repeated casts of Squee, subject to normal timing/priority and casting requirements [601.2] and the restriction that Food Chain’s mana may be spent only to cast creature spells (and can pay additional costs) [2004-10-04] and you must follow normal timing permissions to cast Squee from exile or the graveyard [2018-04-27]. If Squee is not on the battlefield (for example, it’s only in the graveyard), Food Chain cannot exile it because Food Chain’s activation exiles a creature you control (it must be a creature on the battlefield) [406.2].