Building a High Power Fire Lord Azula Deck

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire Lord Zuko" href="#" target="_blank">Fire Lord Zuko</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/yuxingart/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jo Cordisco</a></em></p>
<p>Last week, I teased that I was going to cover one of the three Fire Lords: Azula, Zuko, and Ozai. Seeing the image and the title, you would already figure out who I'm covering: Zuko. I knew I wanted to cover him one day, but I needed to see the rest of the <em><a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/tla" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Avatar: The Last Airbender</a> </em>(<em>ATLA</em> going forward) set before I could tackle him.</p>
<p>We now know every card in the set, and its supplements. Armed with that knowledge, let's jump right into this deck tech.</p>
<h2>Zuko Turns Over a New Leaf</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fire Lord Zuko"></div></div>
<p>If I had told you that Toph was my favorite character in the show, that holds true still. In fact, it's a tie between Toph and Zuko (Iroh is second, if you were curious). A large part of why is his backstory. In the beginning, Zuko was bound and determined to capture the Avatar to regain his honor.</p>
<p>Tragically, this began with him speaking out of turn (which he did apologize for, in fairness). His father, Ozai, went full overkill by burning his eye and banishing him, only allowing him to return if he captured Aang. But, after the first season, he began to turn, and Iroh had been guiding him through it. His redemption arc culminated with him joining Team Avatar, fighting a psychotic Azula in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="The Last Agni Kai" href="#" target="_blank">The Last Agni Kai</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and becoming Fire Lord, ending the war.</p>
<p>Curiously enough, Zuko's firebending ability doesn't matter too much. It's his more flavorful exile-related ability that's the focus (but we are also running a ton of instants and activated abilities for good measure). Zuko also puts a +1/+1 counter on himself, making his firebending ability that much stronger.</p>
<h2>That's a Whole Lotta Firebending</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Big Score|fic|290"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fire Nation Archers"></div></div>
<p>With Zuko generating red mana with firebending, we'll need to find ways to use it before end of combat, when it fizzles out. The most obvious use is to cast stuff at instant speed, like combat tricks. Anything with lots of generic mana in its casting cost can be reduced because of the firebending trigger, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Big Score|fic|290" href="#" target="_blank">Big Score</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Instant speed X-spells are also really good with it, so we'll be sure to pack as many of those as we can.</p>
<p>One of the main reasons I decided to wait until now to do Zuko is because we needed payoffs for firebending. That's where cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fire Nation Archers" href="#" target="_blank">Fire Nation Archers</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> come in. With that, we have a mana sink that we could pour into, so that red mana doesn't go to waste. What makes things worse is that the number of payoffs we got is small, but that number goes further down once we eliminate the not-so-useful payoffs.</p>
<p>That said, there is another side to Zuko that needs to be said.</p>
<h2>Disbanding the Army</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Secure the Wastes|sld|1748"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Canoptek Scarab Swarm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sun Warriors"></div></div>
<p>That other side? Tokens! Zuko buffs each creature (including himself) each time something is cast or played from exile. In addition, with how exile decks work, they tend to snowball, and get out of hand quickly. Meaning, the creatures we buff will become lethal threats rapidly. Cards that act like "armies in a can" like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Adeline, Resplendent Cathar|fca|1" href="#" target="_blank">Adeline, Resplendent Cathar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> become very important, especially once we get things going. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Canoptek Scarab Swarm" href="#" target="_blank">Canoptek Scarab Swarm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is that, and graveyard hate as well, letting us keep those reanimation decks honest.</p>
<p>Also, cards that make tokens and work with Zuko's firebending ability became all-stars. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Secure the Wastes|sld|1748" href="#" target="_blank">Secure the Wastes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sun Warriors" href="#" target="_blank">Sun Warriors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can unload a bunch of tokens very quickly. The latter is also noteworthy for fueling its own ability, since the amount of red mana we get from firebending is equal to the number of creatures we control.</p>
<p>It goes without saying that we'll need to protect our board. Opponents will see what's going on from miles away, and will act to try and stop us. This is where cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Restoration Magic" href="#" target="_blank">Restoration Magic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Boros Charm|sld|1771" href="#" target="_blank">Boros Charm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> come in.</p>
<h2>Path From Exile</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Passionate Archaeologist|sld|2220"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Appa, Steadfast Guardian"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Keeper of Secrets"></div></div>
<p>I covered an exile deck <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/gwen-stacy-ghost-spider-commander-deck-tech-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not too long ago</a>, and a lot of what I said there still stands. The only real difference this time is that we're going wide. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Appa, Steadfast Guardian" href="#" target="_blank">Appa, Steadfast Guardian</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will save our nonland permanents (and unfortunately resetting the counters we've been accumulating), but he allows us to recast cards from exile.</p>
<p>Sequence things right, and we're going to have a big army all over again, much to our opponents' collective dismay.</p>
<p>Conversely, we can use cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Keeper of Secrets" href="#" target="_blank">Keeper of Secrets</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Passionate Archaeologist|sld|2220" href="#" target="_blank">Passionate Archaeologist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to chip away at our opponents' life totals to soften them up for a death blow. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Spider-Verse" href="#" target="_blank">Spider-Verse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will copy any card we cast from exile, giving us more value.</p>
<p>Finally, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wild Wasteland" href="#" target="_blank">Wild Wasteland</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will skip our draw step, but it will give us to cards to cast from exile each turn.</p>
<h2>Fire Lord Zuko Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Going Universes Beyond-Fire Lord Zuko" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Fire Lord Zuko
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 Anguished Unmaking
*1 Bedevil
*1 Big Score
*1 Bituminous Blast
*1 Boros Charm
*1 Clever Concealment
*1 Crush Contraband
*1 Despark
*1 Entrapment Maneuver
*1 Ephemerate
*1 Lightning Bolt
*1 Opera Love Song
*1 Overkill
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Redirect Lightning
*1 Release to Memory
*1 Restoration Magic
*1 Secure the Wastes
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 The Last Agni Kai
*1 Unexpected Windfall
*1 Utter End
[/Instants]
[Creatures]
*1 Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
*1 Appa, Steadfast Guardian
*1 Auron, Venerated Guardian
*1 Canoptek Scarab Swarm
*1 Fire Nation Archers
*1 Gimli of the Glittering Caves
*1 Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor
*1 Keeper of Secrets
*1 Kefka, Dancing Mad
*1 Loyal Apprentice
*1 Murderous Rider // Swift End
*1 Professional Face-Breaker
*1 Strago and Relm
*1 Summon: Esper Valigarmanda
*1 Sun Warriors
[/Creatures]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Cleansing Nova
*1 Feed the Swarm
*1 Into the Time Vortex
*1 Lidless Gaze
*1 Light Up the Stage
*1 Night&#039;s Whisper
*1 Ruinous Ultimatum
*1 Throes of Chaos
*1 Toxic Deluge
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Black Market Connections
*1 Descent into Avernus
*1 Passionate Archaeologist
*1 Spider-Verse
*1 The Flux
*1 The Ruinous Powers
*1 Wild Wasteland
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Fire Nation Turret
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Talisman of Hierarchy
*1 Talisman of Indulgence
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Lands]
*1 Bojuka Bog
*1 Command Tower
*1 Desolate Mire
*1 Evolving Wilds
*1 Exotic Orchard
*1 Fetid Heath
*1 Foreboding Ruins
*1 Furycalm Snarl
*1 Graven Cairns
*7 Mountain
*1 Nomad Outpost
*1 Opal Palace
*7 Plains
*1 Rugged Prairie
*1 Shadowblood Ridge
*1 Shineshadow Snarl
*1 Sunscorched Divide
*7 Swamp
*1 Terramorphic Expanse
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Ending the War</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Descent into Avernus|sld|2176"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Fire Nation Turret"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ruinous Ultimatum|fic|329"></div></div>
<p>I wish I had more mass token producers, but we'll take what we can get. This, you might say, is why we'll want to cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ruinous Ultimatum|fic|329" href="#" target="_blank">Ruinous Ultimatum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> at the right time. It gives us a window with which to deal devastating damage with our beefy tokens, potentially closing out the game. In any case, there's plenty of cards in the deck that are best cast at the right time, like the protection spells.</p>
<p>However, given that Ruinous Ultimatum has a hefty casting cost, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Descent into Avernus|sld|2176" href="#" target="_blank">Descent into Avernus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give us a lot of ramp, but it also damages each player. So, while it whittles down our opponents' life totals, it also brings us down as well, so proceed with caution.</p>
<p>Lastly, there's <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>. This card will take a while to build up, but anyone who's experienced the power of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherflux Reservoir" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherflux Reservoir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will tell us that it's justified. Fifty red mana is a lofty goal to reach, but getting there likely means that it reads "destroy target player." Unless, of course, we're up against those pesky <a href="https://edhrec.com/tags/lifegain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lifegain</a> decks. Then we get even more work cut out for us.</p>
<p>The firebending abilities will help us charge up the turret, but our opponents will try and stop us from reaching 50.</p>
<h2>Multiversal Prosperity</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ashling, Flame Dancer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grand Crescendo"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Norin the Wary"></div></div>
<p>Going into the in-universe card pool doesn't open up too much, but it certainly gives us some better toys. Cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ashling, Flame Dancer" href="#" target="_blank">Ashling, Flame Dancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> ensures we get to keep what red mana we get from Zuko's firebending ability, allowing us to bypass the combat limitation. Meanwhile, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tannuk, Steadfast Second" href="#" target="_blank">Tannuk, Steadfast Second</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> gives our other creatures haste, and lets us cast them from exile, assuming we warped them in first.</p>
<p>Checking out the expanded card pool also opens us up to a lot more exile options, making us potentially lean harder into it. Firstly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cunning Rhetoric" href="#" target="_blank">Cunning Rhetoric</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a really good pillowfort card, letting us use our opponents' spells to make our board stronger if they attack us. On the other hand, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kami of Celebration" href="#" target="_blank">Kami of Celebration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> exiles from the top of our library, and buffs our creatures, working in tandem with Zuko.</p>
<p>Lastly, while we don't get to do much to take advantage of the +1/+1 counters we'll be accruing, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dusk Legion Zealot" href="#" target="_blank">Dusk Legion Zealot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will provide us with a steady stream of card draw, so that we don't run out of gas.</p>
<h2>Peace at Last...</h2>
<p>...or is it? Last year, I did an advent calendar, using packs to count down the days. I intend on doing it again. This time, I'll be covering them here (there's a Commander-related scheme in all of this. Also, it's possible that I'll do this with a 100% in-universe lens), and I'll be covering details on this later on, so I don't stray from the Commander focus.</p>


fire lord

Building a High Power Fire Lord Azula Deck

Fire Lord Zuko Commander Deck Tech