<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ozai, the Phoenix King" href="#" target="_blank">Ozai, the Phoenix King</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="http://www.kekaiart.com/">Kekai Kotaki</a></em></p>
<h2>Rising From the Ashes</h2>
<p>Welcome to this first deck tech of the year from Yours Truly! Hopefully, the holidays have been kind to everyone.</p>
<p>Today, we have yet another legendary creature from the <em>ATLA</em> set (spoilers: There's one more I want to cover, but that'll be later this month). This time, in true final boss fashion, we have the Big Bad himself. So, let's get on with it.</p>
<h3>Phoenix King Rising</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ozai, the Phoenix King"></div></div>
<p>Our commander for the day may not have had many appearances in the show, but he certainly left quite an impression. A descendant of Fire Lord Sozin, Ozai aimed to achieve his grandfather's wish of conquering the world.</p>
<p>Initially, he appears as this shadowed figure, but fully revealed in the later seasons. Just as Sozin destroyed the Air Nomads, Ozai attempted this with the Earth Kingdom, only to get defeated by Aang. But, hey, at least he had his pants on for that fight!</p>
<p>Our commander needs us to load up on red mana, then cast some explosive spells and go <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kaboom!" href="#" target="_blank">Kaboom!</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. He reminds me a bit of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rowan, Scion of War" href="#" target="_blank">Rowan, Scion of War</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but the only difference is that we're trying not to kill ourselves while powering up our massive spells.</p>
<p>We also have mana sinks that'll let us access some other options if we don't have a x-spell handy. I should note that we shouldn't let that mana count dip below six, because we need to keep Ozai indestructible for reasons I'll explain below.</p>
<h3>Journey to Ascendancy</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Braid of Fire|sld|2307"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Electro, Assaulting Battery"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doubling Cube|sld|1080"></div></div>
<p>While Ozai helps with getting red mana and keeping it, we have a few options that'll help us build up even faster. Firstly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Electro, Assaulting Battery" href="#" target="_blank">Electro, Assaulting Battery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> serves as a redundant effect.</p>
<p>Ozai is not easy to cast, being six mana (four of it being colored), so having something that comes down cheaper is a boon for us. In addition, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Braid of Fire|sld|2307" href="#" target="_blank">Braid of Fire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> lets us build up mana during our upkeeps, but it'll all fizzle unless Ozai or Electro are out to contain it.</p>
<p>If we do keep them around, then we can use <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doubling Cube" href="#" target="_blank">Doubling Cube</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to double all that red mana, and prepare for something explosive.</p>
<p>Keeping all of that mana is a crucial part of the strategy, so we need ways to protect either of them. Ozai, fortunately, has built-in indestructible as long as we have six or more red mana floating, but a simple <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swords to Plowshares|fic|256" href="#" target="_blank">Swords to Plowshares</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will end him (until you recast him), and you'll have to store up that mana all over again.</p>
<p>The usual suspects, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swiftfoot Boots|tle|317" href="#" target="_blank">Swiftfoot Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will help with this. Though, we also have the likes of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bolt Bend|tle|163" href="#" target="_blank">Bolt Bend</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to keep such spells away from our commander.</p>
<h3>The Arrival of Sozin's Comet</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Aggravated Assault|sld|1026"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fire Nation Turret"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gogo, Mysterious Mime"></div></div>
<p>The question, at this point, is what are we going to do with all of this mana? I'll partially answer that question here, but save some of the more prominent options for a little bit. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gogo, Mysterious Mime" href="#" target="_blank">Gogo, Mysterious Mime</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will make Ozai slightly bigger, but we'd now have eight mana stored in one combat step.</p>
<p>However, there is one card that could potentially push the below deck list into Bracket 3: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aggravated Assault" href="#" target="_blank">Aggravated Assault</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. With enough red mana in our pool, we could attack with Ozai, then use the mana we've been holding on to get a second combat step.</p>
<p>If we had something like Gogo or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Avatar Roku, Firebender" href="#" target="_blank">Avatar Roku, Firebender</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we'd have infinite combat steps! With Ozai starting out as a hefty 7/7, this'll mean we get to bludgeon our opponents to death with commander damage.</p>
<p>Moreover, another good use of all that red mana is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire Nation Turret" href="#" target="_blank">Fire Nation Turret</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It takes 50 red mana to hyper beam an opponent out of existence, and most decks wouldn't run it for that reason.</p>
<p>That said, Ozai can take advantage of this by all the mana he or Electro are storing, making the glacial climb that much easier. Beware that opponents will see this coming from miles away, and will try to remove it. If we blast them for that 50, we deserve it, no matter how salty they get.</p>
<h3>The Phoenix's Armada</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Going Universes Beyond-Rise of the Phoenix King" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Ozai, the Phoenix King
[/Commander]
[Enchantments]
*1 Aggravated Assault
*1 Black Market Connections
*1 Braid of Fire
*1 Fated Firepower
*1 Pyrohemia
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Abrade
*1 Bedevil
*1 Big Score
*1 Bituminous Blast
*1 Bolt Bend
*1 Bottle-Cap Blast
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Crypt Incursion
*1 Deadly Dispute
*1 Heartless Act
*1 Kill! Maim! Burn!
*1 Laughing Mad
*1 Lightning Bolt
*1 Overkill
*1 Redirect Lightning
*1 Reverberate
*1 Terminate
*1 Unexpected Windfall
[/Instants]
[Creatures]
*1 Ancient Copper Dragon
*1 Avatar Roku, Firebender
*1 Chaos Terminator Lord
*1 Combustible Gearhulk
*1 Electro, Assaulting Battery
*1 Gogo, Mysterious Mime
*1 Kefka, Dancing Mad
*1 Knuckles the Echidna
*1 Noxious Gearhulk
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Rampaging War Mammoth
*1 Sabin, Master Monk
*1 Summon: Bahamut
*1 The Balrog of Moria
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Doubling Cube
*1 Fire Nation Turret
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mithril Coat
*1 Palantír of Orthanc
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Talisman of Indulgence
*1 The Fire Crystal
*1 The Spear of Leonidas
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Cathartic Reunion
*1 Earthquake
*1 Exsanguinate
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Insurrection
*1 Into the Time Vortex
*1 Night&#039;s Whisper
*1 Overpowering Attack
*1 Seize the Day
*1 Torment of Hailfire
*1 Toxic Deluge
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Canyon Slough
*1 Command Beacon
*1 Command Tower
*1 Dragonskull Summit
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Foreboding Ruins
*1 Geothermal Bog
*1 Graven Cairns
*1 Haunted Ridge
*10 Mountain
*1 Shadowblood Ridge
*1 Smoldering Marsh
*1 Sulfurous Springs
*10 Swamp
*1 Tainted Peak
*1 Temple of Malice
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
*1 Thriving Bluff
*1 Thriving Moor
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h3>Go! HYPER BEAM...Wait, Wrong Franchise</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fated Firepower"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Torment of Hailfire|sld|2287"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Earthquake|ltc|214"></div></div>
<p>Remember what I said above? Our real killing machines are the true wincons of the deck. We can't go wrong with an old-fashioned <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Earthquake|ltc|214" href="#" target="_blank">Earthquake</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, unless Ozai himself doesn't have flying. As long as we have six unspent red mana, Ozai won't be hit by the spell (unless, of course, he's wearing a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mithril Coat" href="#" target="_blank">Mithril Coat</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<p>In addition, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Torment of Hailfire|sld|2287" href="#" target="_blank">Torment of Hailfire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another good one, though perhaps a tad more salt-inducing. Another classic is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Exsanguinate|fic|276" href="#" target="_blank">Exsanguinate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which will also help pad our life total.</p>
<p>Failing these options, Ozai comes in as a 7/7. Stats we can certainly exploit for commander damage. Both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Spear of Leonidas" href="#" target="_blank">The Spear of Leonidas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chaos Terminator Lord" href="#" target="_blank">Chaos Terminator Lord</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will make our commander into a two-hit threat, making our opponents sweat.</p>
<p>Furthermore, like with Aggravated Assault, we have more ways to initiate extra combat phases to make the most of both Ozai's stats, and his firebending. Lastly, it doesn't take much for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fated Firepower" href="#" target="_blank">Fated Firepower</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to be a major threat. Cast it for seven, and Ozai will be one-shotting opponents.</p>
<h3>Conquering the Multiverse</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Neheb, the Eternal"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Crackle with Power"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Leyline Tyrant"></div></div>
<p>When we open up our card pool to in-universe cards, our options go above and beyond (har har). Firstly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leyline Tyrant" href="#" target="_blank">Leyline Tyrant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> acts as yet another red mana storage unit to protect. Like Electro, though, it allows you to remove something when it does.</p>
<p>It'd still be better to protect it, however. As of Ozai and all that firebending isn't enough, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Neheb, the Eternal" href="#" target="_blank">Neheb, the Eternal</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will dump red mana equal to the amount of life an opponent lost this turn.</p>
<p>With Aggravated Assault, this becomes a two-card infinite combo (note that <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Reaver Cleaver" href="#" target="_blank">The Reaver Cleaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> does this, too), so be wary of this. Unless, of course, we intend on playing at a higher bracket.</p>
<p>Even or x-spell options open up, plus more ritual spells to fuel them. Both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Seething Song" href="#" target="_blank">Seething Song</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mana Geyser" href="#" target="_blank">Mana Geyser</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will give Ozai a load of red mana to play with. Speaking of x-spells, while we do get some good ones like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Comet Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Comet Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, very few rival the powerhouse that is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crackle with Power" href="#" target="_blank">Crackle with Power</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Just spending one mana for each of the X in the cost will deal five damage to something. The more we pump into the spell, the more lethal it becomes. This, alongside Torment of Hailfire, becomes our most powerful finisher.</p>
<h3>Phoenix Down</h3>
<p>With this first deck tech done, and since I wrote the first draft of this article (which was last year!), lots of stuff have been spoiled. One in particular has me excited, and I wasn't doing to do deck techs for the <em>Marvel</em> sets without covering perhaps my favorite character from the franchise. Tune in next week to see exactly who I'm planning to cover.</p>


black red

Brewing an Ozai, the Phoenix King deck with Universes Beyond Cards

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