Wombo Combo - Azorius Edition
January 16, 2024 by
Ethan Coover 
(Brago, King Eternal | Art by Karla Ortiz)
Order In The Court!
Welcome back to the article series helping you to keep order in your court - Wombo Combo! Here, we evaluate the top combo cards in a particular color identity, using data from EDHREC and Commander Spellbook. After the previous Rakdos edition, a poll was conducted in the Commander Spellbook Discord to determine the next two-color identity to be covered. The winner of that poll was the combination of white and blue, most commonly referred to as Azorius.
Azorius is the most common color identity for control/Stax related effects, including fan favorite commanders such as Grand Arbiter Augustin IV and The Council of Four. Azorius also has several artifact and enchantment loving commanders, including Shorikai, Genesis Engine, Tameshi, Reality Architect and Kotori, Pilot Prodigy. Effects that "blink" or "flicker" a creature (exiling a creature, then returning it to the battlefield) are also very common in Azorius. This list will contain an even mix of cards used for infinite combos, and cards that are used for Stax-related locks that allow you to control the game.
#10: Shabraz, the Skyshark
Deck Inclusions: 2,740 decks as commander (#380 with Brallin); 10,742 decks as card (1.409%)
If a flying shark doesn't scream law and order to you, then you clearly are not familiar with one of Magic's most interesting cards: Shabraz, the Skyshark. Shabraz has a simple ability that allows you to gain 1 life and put a +1/+1 counter on it whenever you draw a card. This allows for easy combos with cards such as Drogskol Reaver, Lich's Mastery, and Famished Paladin plus Hard Cover. From here, you can get a very large flying shark (as if a flying shark wasn't intimidating enough), a considerable amount of lifegain, and your entire deck to play around with. Then, you can tell all your friends you won a game of Magic using a flying shark...although I cannot guarantee if they will be enthusiastic or concerned after being told that.
#9: Brago, King Eternal
Deck Inclusions: 7,661 decks as commander (#79); 32,541 decks as card (4.267%)
Brago, King Eternal uses his powers to blink nonland permanents you control whenever he deals combat damage to a player. The key attribute of Brago's ability that makes it so strong is that it can blink any number of nonland permanents you wish, meaning you could blink everything if you so desired. This effect can be infinitely looped using a card such as Strionic Resonator to copy Brago's effect over and over, or it can be used as an easy extra turn vessel. Using Brago, you can blink Archaeomancer or a similar card, bouncing an extra turn spell like Time Warp to your hand, where you can cast it and repeat again on the next turn. Another well known use of Brago is to use it to kick off an infinite blinking combo by blinking Icewind Stalwart, and swapping blinks between it and Glorious Protector.
#8: Tameshi, Reality Architect
Deck Inclusions: 2,768 as commander (#354); 7,581 as card (1.013%)
If you want to construct a reality where you are victorious in a game of Magic, then look no further than Tameshi, Reality Architect. Tameshi allows you to pay mana and return a land to your hand to recur an artifact or enchantment to the battlefield. This creates a multitude of possibility for artifact / enchantment combos, as well as landfall combos from the combo return and placing of lands. Cards such as Patron of the Moon, Walking Atlas and Sculpting Steel help to make this a reality, alongside artifact lands such as Ancient Den or Seat of the Synod. You can also create a simple infinite turn combo using Magistrate's Scepter and Coretapper, if the slow grinding wins are more your style.
#7: Soulherder
Deck Inclusions: 45,741 decks (5.998%)
Now you see Soulherder, and now you don't. Soulherder allows you to blink one creature per turn, and put a +1/+1 counter on it whenever a creature is exiled from the battlefield. Soulherder is used in many of the same lines as the aforementioned Brago, revolving around extra turn spells and Archaeomancer and its equivalents. Another extra turn combo involves blinking Wernog, Rider's Chaplain with an Academy Manufactor out to get enough artifacts for a Time Sieve activation. You can also blink your Auramancer to return Second Chance if your life total allows.
#6: Medomai the Ageless
Deck Inclusions: 397 as commander (#1,247); 8,748 as card (1.139%)
Medomai the Ageless is a unique card that gives you extra turns when it deals combat damage to a player, but cannot attack during extra turns. The second ability was designed to prevent Medomai from continuously giving consecutive extra turns. However, there are plenty of ways to avoid this restriction and get infinite turns. Medomai's restriction only prevents you from declaring it as an attacker, so if you can make it attack without declaring it as an attacker, you can still get more extra turns. One of the simplest ways is to use Satoru Umezawa to ninjutsu Medomai in, or to make "tapped and attacking" tokens using a card such as Delina, Wild Mage or Phantom Steed.
#5: Godhead of Awe
Deck Inclusions: 969 decks (0.126%)
Our sleeper card of this ranking belongs to Godhead of Awe, a card with very little infinite combo potential, but massive lock potential. Godhead of Awe has a simple but powerful ability that causes every other creature to have base power and toughness 1/1. With this ability, unmodified creatures can be completely knocked out with cards such as Kaervek, the Spiteful or Night of Souls' Betrayal, If you only want to knock out the opposition, you can use cards such as Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite or Ethereal Absolution instead. Of course, there is a downside to all your creatures being 1/1, but having a complete clamp on your opponents' creature play can completely stunt their decks.
#4: Enchanted Evening
Deck Inclusions: 9,772 decks (1.272%)
Possibly the most versatile card on our list, Enchanted Evening can be used to facilitate infinite combos, locks, or even draw the game. When paired with Archon of Sun's Grace or Ajani's Chosen, Enchanted Evening leads to you getting infinite creature tokens. On top of this, it also creates a mandatory infinite loop, which will end the game in a draw if it isn't interacted with in some capacity. So, if you want to get the creature tokens, make sure to have a piece of removal or a Stifle to eventually stop the combo. You could also include a sacrifice outlet, like Altar of Dementia to get added benefits and to stop the combo. Enchanted Evening and Opalescence can be paired to have a lock on zero mana value permanents - yes, that includes lands. Or, you can pair it with Aura Thief to gain control of all permanents. Disclaimer: I am not responsible for the friends you lose pulling these off, only the victory that ensues later.
#3: Fractured Identity
Deck Inclusions: 12,417 decks (1.616%)
Fractured Identity is a Magic version of the UNO Reverse card. "Oh, you played that permanent? Nope, exile it, and now everyone else gets a copy of it!" Fractured Identity can give you, and all other opponents, a copy of a strong card like Storm Crow…or it can give out copies of very bad cards. For example, the most notorious Fractured Identity combo uses it on your Phage the Untouchable, causing each opponent to lose the game on the spot. Slightly slower ways to cause your opponents to use include using Fractured Identity on Leveler, Transcendence, or Nine Lives with an enchantment board wipe.
#2: Azorius Chancery
Deck Inclusions: 119,643 decks (15.575%)
Our nicest card on this list is Azorius' resident bounceland - Azorius Chancery. Much like the previous bouncelands we have covered in our two-color series, Azorius Chancery has immense potential for landfall combos, including cards such as Retreat to Coralhelm and Walking Atlas. Moreover, it is a perfectly acceptable land to include in most low-medium budget land bases. With the ability to bounce itself or another land of your choice to your hand, Chancery allows for easy combo potential, or at the very least, additional landfall triggers.
#1: Urza, Prince of Kroog
Deck Inclusions: 1,827 as commander (#530); 16,205 as card (3.010%)
It's time for the #1 card on our list - Urza, Prince of Kroog. Urza is a recent card, released in November 2022 in The Brothers' War, but it has proven itself as the strongest combo contender in Azorius. Urza's sole purpose is to turn out copies of your artifacts that are also 1/1 Soldier creature tokens. Urza is similar in effect to Cogwork Assembler, but the added ability to have the effect in the command zone is a great help. Urza combos easily with cards such as Triplicate Titan, Myr Battlesphere or Su-Chi Cave Guard. You may also go for a cheap Mechanized Production or Hellkite Tyrant win using artifact token producers, if that's more your style. If artifacts are what you are looking to build around, there's no doubt that Urza is a strong command zone contender.
Honorable Mentions
These cards may not have made our Top 10, but they can still tip the scales in your favor:
- Shorikai, Genesis Engine: Card advantage and creature tokens for only one mana in the command zone. Need I say more?
- Teferi, Time Raveler: Allows for sorceries to have flash, and also serves as a bounce piece.
- Denry Klin, Editor in Chief: Provides an easy way to get counters onto creatures entering the battlefield, perfect for counteracting undying or persist abilities.
- Zethi, Arcane Blademaster: A more unique card that allows for free copies of instant cards, perfect for extra turn combos with cards such as Nexus of Fate (with some shenanigans to get it into your graveyard) or Savage Beating.
- Oath of Teferi: A staple card in Superfriends themed decks that also allows for easy Planeswalker combo potential.
This concludes this edition of Wombo Combo! Thanks so much for reading, and be sure to check out Commander Spellbook for more EDH combos, as well as the Commander Spellbook Discord to vote on the next edition of Wombo Combo!
Read more:
Myth Realized - What if Any Planeswalker Could Be Your Commander? (Azorius)
Ethan Coover
Ethan has been an avid EDH player since 2014 with the release of Core Set 2015. In 2021, he joined the Commander Spellbook project as an editor, and later a head-editor and moderator, and has assisted in the curation, updating and/or uploading of over 10,000 unique EDH combos. In his spare time, Ethan loves coming up with new jank EDH lines, playing video games, and going for long walks.
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