The Cabbage Merchant
[[The Cabbage Merchant]] leads a mono-green [[symbol:g]] artifact combo deck. The Merchant makes a Food whenever an opponent casts a noncreature spell, and you can tap two untapped Foods for one mana of any color. You turn those Foods into card draw and infinite mana with [[Peregrin Took]], [[Academy Manufactor]] and [[Nuka-Cola Vending Machine]], then win with [[Walking Ballista]].
Core Gameplan
Cast [[The Cabbage Merchant]] early so opponents' noncreature spells start building your Food supply. Use creature tutors to find the support you need: more tokens, card draw, or a way to convert artifacts into mana.
Develop around the hate pieces in play. The Merchant and [[Peregrin Took]] can still use Food through artifact shutdown effects, but several combo pieces cannot. Once you have cards and mana, find the missing artifact and clear anything that stops the finish.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
Mana on Their Turns: Every noncreature spell an opponent casts gives you a Food, so you ramp while they set up.
Creature Tutors: [[Peregrin Took]], [[Academy Manufactor]] and [[Chrome Dome]] are creatures, so green tutors can find them ([[Chord of Calling]], [[Finale of Devastation]], [[Invasion of Ikoria]]).
Plays Through Some Artifact Hate: [[Null Rod]] and [[Collector Ouphe]] don't stop the Merchant's Food mana or [[Peregrin Took]]'s card draw, since those are creature abilities. The deck also runs a lot of artifact removal ([[Archdruid's Charm]], [[Krosan Grip]], [[Boseiju, Who Endures]], [[Force of Vigor]]). [[Cursed Totem]] stops both creatures, but the same removal answers it.
Hard to Counter: [[Veil of Summer]] makes your spells uncounterable for the turn; [[Autumn's Veil]] protects them from blue and black counterspells. [[Allosaurus Shepherd]] makes your green spells uncounterable.
Weaknesses
Limited Stack Interaction: Most of your answers need to remove a permanent or restrict opponents before they begin a combo ([[Disruptor Flute]], [[Vexing Bauble]], [[Damping Sphere]]).
Engine Pieces Are Creatures: Removal or a board wipe on the Merchant, [[Peregrin Took]] or [[Academy Manufactor]] sets you back, so hold up protection ([[Heroic Intervention]], [[Legolas's Quick Reflexes]], [[Sylvan Safekeeper]]).
Depends on the Table: The Merchant only makes Food off noncreature spells, so a table that casts few spells, or mostly creatures, gives you much less mana.
Core Combos
[[Peregrin Took]] + [[Nuka-Cola Vending Machine]]
Requirements: [[Peregrin Took]], [[Nuka-Cola Vending Machine]] and three Foods on the battlefield.
Sacrifice three Foods to Peregrin Took to draw a card.
Nuka-Cola triggers once for each Food. Each trigger makes a tapped Treasure and a tapped Food through Peregrin's replacement effect. These triggers resolve before the card draw.
Let the draw resolve, then repeat with the three new Foods while you have cards left to draw.
See Win Conditions below.
Note: This draw sequence is limited by your library. For mana without drawing, add [[Krark-Clan Ironworks]] and sacrifice one Food to it instead: Nuka-Cola and Peregrin replace that Food and add a tapped Treasure. Let each Nuka-Cola trigger resolve before repeating. Build the mana before starting to cast [[Walking Ballista]] if you have it.
[[Academy Manufactor]] + [[Nuka-Cola Vending Machine]] + [[Krark-Clan Ironworks]]
Requirements: [[Academy Manufactor]], [[Nuka-Cola Vending Machine]], [[Krark-Clan Ironworks]] (KCI) and one Food on the battlefield.
Sacrifice the Food to KCI for [[symbol:2]].
Let Nuka-Cola’s trigger resolve. Academy Manufactor replaces its token creation with a tapped Treasure, a tapped Clue and a tapped Food.
Sacrifice the Treasure to KCI. Then either sacrifice the Clue to KCI for more mana, or pay [[symbol:2]] and sacrifice it to its own ability to draw a card.
Repeat with the new Food for [[symbol:infinity-c]]. Resolve any chosen Clue draw before repeating, and draw only while cards remain in your library.
See Win Conditions below.
[[Chrome Dome]] + [[Academy Manufactor]] + [[Krark-Clan Ironworks]]
Requirements: [[Chrome Dome]], [[Academy Manufactor]], [[Krark-Clan Ironworks]], a Food, Clue or Treasure, and [[symbol:5]].
Pay [[symbol:5]] for Chrome Dome to copy your Food, Clue or Treasure.
Academy Manufactor turns the copy into a Food, a Clue and a Treasure.
Sacrifice the three new tokens to KCI for [[symbol:6]].
Repeat steps 1 - 3, copying the same token each time, to create [[symbol:infinity-c]].
See Win Conditions below.
[[Peregrin Took]] + [[Clock of Omens]] + [[Transmutation Font]]
Requirements: [[Peregrin Took]], [[Clock of Omens]] and an untapped [[Transmutation Font]] on the battlefield.
Tap Transmutation Font to create a Food. Peregrin adds a second Food.
Tap the two new Foods to Clock of Omens to untap the Font.
Repeat steps 1 - 2 to make as many Foods as you want.
Sacrifice the Foods to Peregrin three at a time, resolving each draw before choosing another. Stop at your payoff before attempting to draw from an empty library.
See Win Conditions below.
Note: Once you've made all the Foods you want, you can sacrifice the tapped ones to [[Krark-Clan Ironworks]] for [[symbol:infinity-c]].
Win Conditions
[[Walking Ballista]]
With Ballista in hand and no effects changing its cost or damage, choose X at least equal to your opponents' combined life total and make twice X mana before casting it. Normally, cast it in your main phase with an empty stack. Let it resolve, then remove enough counters for each opponent and let the damage abilities resolve.
[[Grinding Station]]
Start with Grinding Station untapped. With [[Academy Manufactor]] and [[Nuka-Cola Vending Machine]], tap Station and sacrifice a Food to mill an opponent. Let Nuka-Cola replace the Food and the new artifacts trigger Station's untap before repeating. With the [[Transmutation Font]] loop, make the next pair of Foods, use them to untap Font, then sacrifice one to Station after resolving its untap trigger. Keep making new artifacts between mill activations. Opponents lose only after a failed empty-library draw; reshuffle effects can prevent the finish.
Tips for Playing The Cabbage Merchant
Mulligan: Keep hands that cast the Merchant by turn two and have a creature tutor or a combo piece.
Protect Your Food Supply: Each creature that deals combat damage to you makes you sacrifice a Food. Block when losing those Foods would leave you short of mana or combo fuel.
Combo After They Tap Out: Look for a window after opponents spend mana on noncreature spells, which also makes you Foods. Check the other players' available interaction before committing.
Stax Pieces: [[Disruptor Flute]] can name an opponent's main combo card. [[Vexing Bauble]] counters free spells like [[Force of Will]] and [[Fierce Guardianship]], but it also counters your own [[Lotus Petal]] and moxen.
Clear Hate Before the Kill: Under [[Null Rod]] or [[Collector Ouphe]] you can still draw your deck with [[Peregrin Took]] and [[Nuka-Cola Vending Machine]], but [[Krark-Clan Ironworks]] and [[Walking Ballista]] won't work, so remove the hate piece first.
Conclusion
Check the win package in the list you choose. Ballista is common, but some builds use different outlets; making Foods or mana does not by itself finish the game.
Updated October 2026.
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