Kodama of the East Tree + Scute Swarm + Selesnya Sanctuary
Overview
This is a repeatable (effectively infinite) loop using Kodama of the East Tree, Scute Swarm, and Selesnya Sanctuary. You play Selesnya Sanctuary as a land (this is a special action) ; that causes three triggered abilities: the Sanctuary enter-the-battlefield ability, Scute Swarm’s landfall, and Kodama’s “another permanent enters” trigger. After those triggers are created they are put on the stack and you, as the player who caused the land to enter, receive priority after the land play . By ordering the triggered abilities so Sanctuary’s ETB resolves first you return the Sanctuary to your hand (you may return itself if it is the only land [Ruling 2013-04-15]). Then resolve Scute Swarm’s landfall to make a 1/1 Insect token (landfall triggers on any land entering the battlefield for any reason [Ruling 2024-11-08]). That token entering causes Kodama to trigger again; when that Kodama trigger resolves you may put Selesnya Sanctuary from your hand onto the battlefield (Kodama’s ability allows putting a permanent from hand onto the battlefield). Repeat: Sanctuary’s ETB returns the land to hand, Scute creates a token, token causes Kodama to allow Selesnya back onto battlefield, and so on. Because Kodama’s own clause prevents it from triggering off a permanent that was put onto the battlefield by Kodama’s ability, the loop relies on Kodama triggering off the token (or another non-Kodama put permanent) rather than off the Sanctuary that Kodama just put onto the battlefield. The described ordering and interactions make the loop repeat indefinitely.
Step 1
Have Kodama of the East Tree and Scute Swarm on the battlefield and Selesnya Sanctuary in your hand. Play Selesnya Sanctuary as your land for the turn (playing a land is a special action) .
Step 2
When the land enters, three triggered abilities are created: Selesnya Sanctuary’s ETB (When this land enters, return a land you control to its owner's hand), Scute Swarm’s landfall trigger (it triggers because a land entered) [Ruling 2024-11-08], and Kodama’s trigger (Whenever another permanent you control enters...). Those triggered abilities are waiting to be put on the stack; the game will put them on the stack after state-based actions are checked .
Step 3
After you played the land you receive priority . Arrange the simultaneous triggered abilities so Selesnya Sanctuary’s ETB resolves first.
Step 4
Resolve Selesnya Sanctuary’s ETB and choose a land you control to return to your hand. You may choose to return the Sanctuary itself if it’s the only land you control (that is allowed) [Ruling 2013-04-15]. The Sanctuary leaves the battlefield and goes to your hand.
Step 5
Resolve Scute Swarm’s landfall trigger next. It creates a 1/1 green Insect token (or a copy of Scute Swarm if you control six or more lands). That token entering the battlefield is a new permanent entering the battlefield and will cause Kodama’s ability to trigger again (in addition to any Kodama trigger already waiting from the original land entering).
Step 6
When the Kodama trigger generated by the token resolves, you may put a permanent card from your hand with equal or lesser mana value onto the battlefield. Put Selesnya Sanctuary from your hand onto the battlefield using Kodama’s ability.
Step 7
Because Sanctuary was put onto the battlefield by Kodama’s ability this entering will not cause Kodama to trigger for that specific entering (Kodama’s ability has the built-in check). However Selesnya’s ETB will trigger again when it enters, and Scute Swarm’s landfall will trigger as well. Order those triggers so the Sanctuary ETB returns the Sanctuary to your hand again, then resolve Scute to create another token, generate another Kodama trigger from that token, use Kodama to put the Sanctuary back, and repeat indefinitely.
Resolution
Yes — with Kodama of the East Tree and Scute Swarm on the battlefield and Selesnya Sanctuary in hand, you can create an effectively infinite loop by (1) playing Selesnya as a land (a special action) , (2) ordering the simultaneous triggers so Selesnya’s ETB resolves first and returns the land to your hand (returning itself is allowed if it’s the only land you control [Ruling 2013-04-15]), (3) resolving Scute Swarm’s landfall to make a 1/1 Insect token (landfall triggers on any land entering for any reason [Ruling 2024-11-08]), and (4) resolving the Kodama trigger generated by that token to put Selesnya back onto the battlefield from your hand. Triggered abilities created by the land entering are put on the stack after the event , and you receive priority after taking the special action of playing the land . Because Kodama’s wording prevents it from triggering from permanents that were put onto the battlefield by its own ability, the loop depends on Kodama triggering from the token (or another non-Kodama-put permanent) each cycle.
