So this is a deck I made for my girlfriend after asking the type of deck that she would like to play, so she can play with some of my friends. She wanted a deck with the biggest creatures possible since she is so tiny. Looking at possible options, it seemed that Azusa, Lost but Seeking was an ideal commander for the deck she wanted to play. The deck was designed to poop out land, plays huge beaters and can occasionally dump huge numbers of tokens out with its huge mana. After playing with the deck a few games and giving it some tuning, I often find myself playing it when she's not around since I find it fun and it likes to pull crazy turn 5-6 wins every few games.
Who is Azusa?
She's lost, but seeking. 'Seeking what?' is always the question. Azusa jumped onto the scene during the Kamigawa block as a monk of the sacred order of Jukai Forest. She started a quest from Jukai all across Kamigawa, and learned from all the cultures of the world. So yeah, she was seeking knowlege...to dominate everyone else.
What does Azusa do?
To put it plainly, Azusa ramps like a fool. Assuming you have the cards in hand to do so, her ability essentially lets you play three lands for every one land your opponents play. It doesn't take too many turns of Azusa on the field for her turn bury your opponents with the mana advantage she can generate. Its easily possible to have turn 5-6 wins just swinging with guys through the power of Azusa's ramp
What kind of deck should Azusa lead?
Well If you make an Azusa deck and it doesn't ramp, you're doing it wrong. She is the absolute premier ramp commander in the game and can get a ton of mana out faster than any other general. Beyond ramping, there are four main directions that you can take Azusa: fatties/tokens, lands, combo, and stax. The types have a great overlap in cards and many Azusa decks will find themselves delving into portions of the others.
Ultimately When I look at Azusa's deck, I want ways to use and abuse huge amounts of mana. Adding big creatures such as the eldrazi seems like a given, but what else? I like cards that can act as mana sinks, cards that let me pay 'X', cards with multikicker and cards with pump abilities to funnel the mana into. If I'm going to have 20 or 30 mana during the course of the game, I want something to do with it, places to put it to gain value. Why have 30 mana if I can't use it all each turn?
Azusa does have her downfalls
Since Azusa is capable or crazy turn wins against the table before most opponents even get started, just pulling her out as your commander will draw sighs from your opponents. If your opponent's are smart, Azusa will die as soon as they have a card to do so; she is a 'kill on sight' commander. Killing Azusa is not all too difficult with her fragile 1/2 body. Unfortunately, this deck is tuned to work around Azusa, so if shes not on the field it will not function as well as it could otherwise. It will be very difficult to play all the land you draw while only playing 1 at a time.
Additionally, if you plan on winning through commander damage, it will take a whole twenty-one turns to seal the deal i.e. it probably won't ever happen. I have only once ever got a commander kill and that after overrunning Azusa to 10/10 and then giving her infect for an infect kill. Generally Azusa is best left not attacking and out of sight as to not draw hate if possible.
What Other options are there for mono green ramp commanders
Early Game
This is the most important stage of the game for Azusa. With a good start, Azusa can press the table early and often and have potential for an early turn blowout kill if not interrupted. A great game with Azusa starts with a great hand. Generally in commander games the mulligan isn't too important, but with Azusa, the mulligan is critical to an explosive start. A hand with 5-6 lands and 2 expensive Eldrazi or a hand of 2 land and moderately sized creatures but no draw will lead to start where you will fizzle out and not be able to play anything unless you get perfect draws. The best starting hand will have at least 3 land if not 4, some usable 'business' that gives a use for the mana, and most importantly a means for drawing more cards when you empty your hand such as Horn of Greed or Crucible of Worlds and a fetch land. The starting hand gets bonus points if there is a method for pulling Azusa out on turn 2 such as using Green Sun's Zenith for 0 to fetch Dryad Arbor while still retaining the important elements. Dropping Azusa on turn 2 starts your ramp madness a turn sooner, giving you a chance to gain even more advantage on your opponents Equally as important, getting Azusa out turn 2 gets her online before the blue opponent's get a chance to get counterspells online, especially those pesky 3 cost tuck spells.
The goal is that by turn 4 you can start dropping big threats and putting pressure on the table while they are still getting set up. Depending on the start, turn 4 should give anywhere between about 6-10 mana to start the assault. This is where you have to have to look at the threats you have available and work on a plan based on what the opponents' you are running. If I have 7 or more land out, I like to make the aggressive play of Boundless Realms or dropping a mana doubler such as Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger if I have one in hand. This could be considered 'wasting' a turn, especially if the mana doubler is destroyed, but if we connected Boundless realms or the doubler survives, we will have such a mana advantage on turn 5 that we should be able to set up a game winning line of play for turn 6 at the latest.
If doublers are not available or destroyed, my next line of play in the early turns is to lay down a force of tokens if possible and drop a big beater otherwise. The most explosive play the deck has to take out the table at once is to play an overrun effect on a horde of tokens using an effect such as Kamahl, Fist of Krosa's. Wolfbriar Elemental is the best early game token producer with a decent mana base, and Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre is my favorite early beater to drop with its indestructible body. The ideal play is to drop tokens turn 5 and then overrun them turn 6 and clear the table. This does happen, but unfortunately, such plays are disruptable and a crazy win like this won't occur every game. The good news is Azusa proves to lead a very resilient deck and the game isn't over if we can't make a turn 6-7 alpha strike. There is still lots of play in the deck.
Win Conditions
Azusa has the ability to win out of nowhere with its ability to generate huge amounts of mana.
Kamahl, Fist of Krosa - With 16 mana and Kamahl in hand you can play and pump twice giving all the other dudes +6/+6 and trample. Mana intensive, but he has won numerous games. Kamahl also gives you the ability to turn lands into creatures. This gives you two additional options. First, you can threaten to turn your opponent's lands into creatures in response to a wrath as a method to protect your board state. Secondly, if you need an army, he can turn a few of your land into creatures and then buff them for a huge strike.
Craterhoof Behemoth - Trading for a Craterhoof Behemoth is the main reason I decided to add tokens to the deck originally. By himself or with a few beaters he's pretty strong. However, the more guys you have on the field, the more obscene craterhoof gets. Drop craterhoof with 15 2/2 tokens from Wolfbriar Elemental out and you swing for a total of 328 damage with trample; enought to essentially take out 8 players at once.
Genesis Wave - While it may not directly win the game, you can drop enough dudes you can give yourself immense board advantage and you can really put your opponents in a bad place. If you have or drop Akroma's Memorial for haste you should win the game outright with the pure firepower that can be unleashed. Genesis Wave does warp our deck in a way to more permanents over more instants and sorceries, but the warping is well worth it.
Overwhelming Stampede - Arguably the strongest pump in the deck and definitely my favorite. For 5 mana, you can easily attack well over 100 in 1 shot. Its the best way to buff an army of tokens cheaply if you also have a nice fattie out on the field. The most fun way to abuse Overwhelming Stampede is if you pump Chameleon Colossus several times before playing. I once buffed Colossus up to 64/64 with tokens on the field the dropped stampede for absolute insane overkill damage.
Triumph of the Hordes - I was hesitant to add this at first as I'm leary of poison, but as long as you do your math right, playing this should win you the game. Since you only get one shot, make sure you can certainly get ten damage through as nine poison damage in this deck is useless. Best when played along with Overwhelming Stampede or if a huge beater such as Kozilek, Butcher of Truthis out.
Big Beaters
The main theme of the deck is playing big guys and smashing face. I've tried to compile some of the nastiest beaters in green's arsenal for Azusa to play with. Lots of overcosted guys, all featuring some very strong effects.
Worldspine Wurm - Worldspine Wurm is the absolute largest green creature this deck has access to at 15/15 with trample. It would be an addition solely for its size and searchibility with Green Sun's Zenith, but its has a second ability as well. The Wurm's second ability makes removing it a difficult proposition and makes someone think twice before wrathing the field.
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre - My favorite critter in this deck to attack with. He hits hard, is hard to kill, they lose lots of permanents when he comes online, and he has just the right attack to 1 shot with poison. Ulamog is the answer to some of the deck's biggest problems such as Iona, Sheild of Imeria
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth - Not as resiliant as Ulamog, but he's the better card in general. Kozilek is has a bigger body, is cheaper to cast, still has annihilator 4, and the card draw can refuel the hand and can lead to a game winning card. If you have both of the eldrazi, play this guy first for the card draw.
Chameleon Colossus - He may not look like much, but he grows exponentially: 4, 8, 16, 32, 64. Several of my most bonkers plays with this deck have revolved around Colossus's ability to grow ginormous. It doesn't take much mana to make him huge; give him trample and he takes out players.
Elderscale Wurm - This Wurm is all upside. He's a 7/7 trampler for 7 that basically says you can't lose while he's on the field. If he stays on the field, well you can't lose. If your opponent does waste removal on Elderscale Wurm it saves something 'more important' from getting the axe such as Azusa or Kozilek.
Molimo, Maro-Sorcerer - In a long game, this guy can easily get over 20 attack just from the sheer quantity of lands the deck can put down. The longer the game goes, the better he gets, and yeah, he tramples. As a mid-game beater, its not too difficult for him to two shot an opponent.
Cloudthresher - One of the decks largest weaknesses is opposing fliers as we mostly compose a ground game. Reach creatures are very nice, especially when they can go offensive. Cloudthresher is 7/7, has flash and reach all for 6 mana? This card is a very strong response to fliers.
Khalni Hydra - I like my guys big and I like them to have trample. At first he's just an 8/8 beater for 8, but when you cast him for free, the look on your opponent's face in priceless.
Moldgraf Monstrosity - He's another big 8/8 trampler. This guy has the added bonus that your opponent is generally scared to kill him since he'll bring back 2 guys potentially just as evil as himself when he dies. I'm not a fan of self exiling, but he's worth it.
Silvos, Rogue Elemental - One of my favorite big beaters. Silvos is an 8/5 for 6 with regenerate. Hits hard and is harder to kill with regeneration mana up.
Token Generators
Tokens started out as a sub-theme but became a win condition in short order. With overrun effects they are insanely powerful and allow you to win games you wouldn't otherwise, usually while dealing hundreds of damage.
Wolfbriar Elemental - Costing 4 and having a multikicker of G for tokens, this card can dump a huge number of tokens, once a sizable amount of mana gets out. Most games I win turn 6 involve Wolfbriar's token generation somehow.
Avenger of Zendikar - This card is pure win in this deck. He makes tokens based on your lands (and we generally have lots of land out), and he buffs the tokens when you play more lands, which this deck will definitely do when its in its groove. {c]Avenger of Zendikar[/c] is an army in a can and can get stupid when the deck does what the deck wants to do. Drop Boundless Realms the turn after you play Avenger of Zendikar and you are swinging for 56 damage minimum and quite possibly well over 100.
Ant Queen - Ant Queen is great at using excess mana to make a few extra tokens here and there until you can win the game. With Seedborn Muse out, Ant Queen can dump tokens on each players turn to use up whatever mana you just untapped. With 20 mana out, Ant Queen with help from Seedborm Muse can put out 40 1/1 tokens if unhindered around a revolution of the table. Any overrun effect with turn that crew lethal.
Rampaging Baloths - This guy makes big tokens when you play land. Consequently, this deck plays a lot of land and you will make lots of tokens if he remains out long. With Azusa, Crucible of Worlds and fetchland Baloths can drop 6 tokens or 24 power in one turn. Add in the Oracle of Mul Daya and you can drop 8 tokens for 32 damage.
Verdeloth the Ancient - Verdeloth is another multi-kicker guy that can dump a ton of tokens on the field at once like Wolfbriar Elemental. Since he costs 2 more mana than Wolfbriar Elemental he's generally a bit worse of a creature, especially for early game shenanigans, but he does give a bit of redundancy in that slot and can still fuel some crazy plays.
Verdant Force - He's the slowest token producer in the deck, but since he makes them slowly, he generally doesn't generate much attention and can build up an army over several turns. I've inconspicuously got double digit tokens out before. Enough that Kamahl, Fist of Krosa can come down and buff a few times and win the game.
Utility
There is lots of utility built into the deck to make it faster, stronger, and more resilient.
Crucible of Worlds - One of the most broken cards in the deck It gives us several strong lines of play. It allows us to replay fetch lands from the graveyard when we are out of lands in out hand. If Azusa is out, we can get a fetch three times from the graveyard and find ourselves 3 forests from the deck. This exchange nicely gives 6 landfall activations. You can be evil with Crucible of Worlds and use Strip Mine or similar to destroy all of your opponent's lands.
Boundless Realms - The strongest ramp spell ever printed. This card turns 7 lands into 14...possibly on turn 4. Its great as a mana doubler since it isn't easily destructible.
Eternal Witness - This beautiful creature comes down for cheap and can return anything from the graveyard. One of the best graveyard matters cards that exists and its nicely in Azusa's colors.
Fierce Empath - He can search for any relevant threat in the deck and at 3 CMC he can bring it to our hand early early. Eldrazi, Terastadon, Avenger of Zendikar. He is a great toolbox for the big nasty threats the deck can pull out.
Acidic Slime - Artifact, enchantment or land holding you down? He's your guy. Since we play Genesis Wave he's the best type of removal: removal on a permanent. Once he drops in and blows up a permanent, his deathtouch body makes for a great blocker if need be.
Genesis - Genesis lets me use my guys twice. He can be a nobo with the Eldrazi and Worldspine Wurm but event with those effects, he still proves to be quite valuable for recurring the other creatures in the deck.
Seedborn Muse - Likely the most useful utility card in the deck. You can swing with the book and still get blockers if she's on the field, but wait, there's more. All of your lands untap as well so she gives you the ability to make some bonkers plays if you have an outlet for your mana on your opponent's turn.
Silklash Spider - Flyers holding you down? Silklash Spider is the best anti flyer tech the deck has access to. I hate to run such a nonagressive card, but in my meta, the anti flier hate was a necessity.
Vigor - Vigor can be just plain mean. He makes blocking your army unprofitable, especially with so many instances of trample. With Seedborn Muse out he makes attacking you also very unprofitable.
Terastodon - Terastodon will kill any artifacts and enchantments of your opponents that are holding you down. In a pinch he can turn your lands into nice 3/3 attackers if you have an over abundance and/or Azusa/Crucible out. All that destruction, and he's also a big 9/9 body.
Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger - Vorinclex is SO mean. He's a card that loses friends and alienates people. He is a mana doublers on a 7/6 trampling body for 8 mana. His awesomeness doesn't end there though. He keeps your opponents lands taped down a turn as well, slowing down you opponent's assault.
Artisan of Kozilek - Artisan is the 3rd of the Eldrazi pack. Like the other Eldrazi, he has a big body with annihilator. He has the added benifit of returning a creature from the graveyard to the field.
Akroma's Memorial - Haste makes every beater and token better and lets us get wins that we could't otherwise pull off. Flying, first strike and vigilance just make this card's potential amazing. Flying Hasty Eldraz just never get old. This is the card you want to drop with Genesis Wave for a win going away.
Garruk Wildspeak - Such a great planeswalker for this deck. Garruk 1ramps us, he can make tokens, and his ultimate is an overrun has the potential to help win games with a good board state. Does everything this deck wants but also draws a low target and rarely gets targeted.
Beast Within - An simple answer to anything, at the cost of of a 3/3 beast. Beast within serves as the decks's instant speed Vindicate
Green Sun's Zenith - Turn 1 fetching Dryad Arbor is good ramp play that can power out turn 2 Azusa and set us far ahead of the table. GSZ's for 4 for Oracle of Mul Daya is a great play get get more ramp online. With more mana, you can get almost anything in the deck other than the Eldrazi. Depending on the board State, Worldspine Wurm, Terastadon, and Avenger of Zendikar
Arena - Reusable removal on a land. Since we have the biggest critters this almost always works in our favor.
Buried Ruin - Buried Ruin lets me bring back, Crucible of Worlds, draw engines, or Caged Sun. It's crucible's best friend since everyone loves blowing up our crucible.
Dust Bowl - Gives us an engine to blow up lands that does not sac itself so it can be used repetitively without crucible and loam out.
Ancient Tomb - Enables shenanigans like turn 2 Azusa. The acceleration can put you 1 turn ahead. Who cares about 2 life?
Eye of Ugin - Part of the Eldrazi Package. With Eye of Ugin and a ton of mana, Eldrazi WILL hit the field. With Seedborn muse out, we can leave the fetching to other's turns
Hall of the Bandit Lord - Hall gives one creature haste at the cost of 3 life. This may seem terrible, but dropping hasted Eldrazi will catch people off guard and can lead to winning games.
High Market - The best way to protect from exile and theft effects is to send it to the yard for free (well 1 mana, but yeah). Gaining life is sometimes relevant too.
Homeward Path - Homeward Path Helps protect me from reanimators, Treachery, and Bribery. Since people like steal our toys the most, we have to make sure we have ways to negate this advantage.
Glacial Chasm - Against some decks, stopping attacks is absolutely a life saver. With Crucible out, we can recast this card every second main phase and make ourselves impenetrable while still being able to attack.
Card Draw
Azusa generates mana quickly but also runs out of gas in a hurry. Card draw is essential to making the deck run the table over.
Horn of Greed - Simply and amazing card that will power out wins if it sticks. Your opponents will think its' a group hug card when you first play it, and then you just blow them away. With an early horn of greed, you will gain debilitating card advantage over your opponents. You draw cards playing land which in turn gives you more lands to continue the process. If you somehow drop this on turn three and it sticks, you have most likely won the game with the card advantage.
Seer's Sundial - Not as good as Horn of Greed since it costs mana, but it also does not help your opponents. Its card draw and two mana is nothing for what this deck produces. The nice thing is you can use the land you played to pay the activation cost.
Well of Knowledge - We generally always have the most mana at the table, that means we will generally also get the most benefit out of this supposed group hug card. As a side benefit, if our opponents indulge themselves, that's less counters we have to worry about.
Mind's Eye - Mind's Eye adds draw power for mana, which we have. The more opponents, the more chances we have to draw.
Yavimaya Elder - Old grandpa can draw a card, give two lands and can be a nice blocker all for five mana. Old school card advantage.
Oracle of Mul Daya - Amazing card advantage engine. It acts as a second Azusa giving you an extra land drop, while also drawing you an extra card about half of the time when a land is on top of the library. On several occasions, I've drawn three to four lands in 1 shot off of the oracle with Azusa out. With Sylvan Library you can set up your draws and get even more mileage out of Oracle of Mul Daya
Krosan Tusker - Amazing utility card here. If you need land early, he can be cycled for a land and you draw card; 2 for 1. Otherwise he's not half bad as a beater.
Garruk, Primal Hunter - He can make nice 3/3 blockers and his ultimate has game-winning potential. He's not exactly here for that though. His ability to draw cards for days with the large beaters in the deck makes him a great option.
Harmonize - One time pump for 3 cards. Not as strong as some of the other card draw, but when in a bad situation or in top deck mode, it can help find you an answer.
Recycle - I added recycle, removed it and then added it again. It is great, but is best if saved for later in the game. Once the deck is rolling in mana, Recycle should let you draw three to four cards per turn minimum. The cards looks not so good, but in Azusa it is amazing.
Sylvan Library - Setting your draws is amazingly powerful in this deck. Setting it so that Oracle of Mul Daya sees land is an invaluable play. Drawing that extra game winning card for 4 life, priceless. 4 life is a hefty price, but worth it if the card can change the board in your favor now.
Mikokoro, Center of the Sea - Some people are scared of a group draw, but with this one, we get the option to use the card first.
I will definitely get Horn of Greed and Hall of Gemstone the next time I stop at the card shop. Crucible of Worlds will go near the top of my wish list (right after Primetime). I will have to borrow Kamahl, Fist of Krosa from my Ghave deck and see if I need to pick up a 2nd copy.
In testing, by the time Ooze got big, it didn't make a difference.
May as well add a bigger beater.
+ Vigor - Predator Ooze
The deck needs card draw and explore just didn't cut it.
+ Horn of Greed - Explore
2 cards in the hand is well worth 1 mana over one tapped with landfall abilities in the deckand azusa.
+ Journey of Discovery - Rampant Growth
Bonehoard was filler and never lived up to expectations and Kamahl has been great in my Ghave deck.
+ Kamahl, Fist of Krosa - Bonehoard
Far wanderings is only good late in the game and the elder is just full of value.
+ Yavimaya Elder - Far wanderings
I'm still debating on Lightning Greaves. The haste will be great, but I'm not sure what to give up for it. Whispersilk Cloak seems like a candidate, but I like having the 2 shroud cards since Azusa's critters have a penchant for being targeted.
I'd love any suggestions for Lightning Greaves or any other changes I can make. I think I have a trade for a Crucible of Worlds set up for next week.
Crucible will not do much for you unless you run fetch lands. I suggest running all of them that go for forests (obviously). Azusa+crucible+fetch land+lanfall triggers are insane plays.
Crucible will not do much for you unless you run fetch lands. I suggest running all of them that go for forests (obviously). Azusa+crucible+fetch land+lanfall triggers are insane plays.
As far as Primeval Titan, obviously he's one of the best creatures, but what is the best thing to remove? I'm thinking Ondu Giant, but I'm not sure I want to remove one of the few cheaper casting cards in my deck.
Any thought on the changes or further suggestions on improvements are greatly appreciated.
So I finally got around to working on this deck. I made a bunch of trades and picked up some nice pieces. It runs much, much better, but probably still needs work. It can get overwhelming, but still starts a it slow. I probably need cards like Sol Ring, Rofellos, Lowar Emissary, and Lotus cobra to give the deck more starting speed.
So for the most part I removed the most vanilla of the big beaters to replace with stronger beaters, land draw for more utility as it was almost never that useful, and several of the small utilirt guys I added as filler that never worked out.
Cloudthresher and Silklash Spider were inserted for thier reach to shore up the deck's inherent weakness to to fliers and they do not disappoint with thier large toughness and abilities.
Mwonvuli Beast Tracker and Fierce Empath help me search for whatever critter i need at thhe moment. Prime time or one of the reach guys are the usual suspects.
Krosan Tusker, Seedborn Muse and Soul's Majesty were added for card draw/utility. Tusker I generally cycle, but he can lay a smack down in a pinch. Soul's Majesty is generally enough to fully refill your hand and then some. The muse lets me use pump effects again, and also is insane as a blocker with Vigor on the field.
Caged Sun gives me ramp, but has been underwhelming in testing so far. I really think it wants to be Boundless Realms.
Also working on a breakdown for each card in the list.
Genesis/Eternal Witness: Genesis on its own can recur any creature, but combined with Eternal Witness you can recur pretty much anything.
Budoka Gardener: One of the cooler win conditions for a deck that spits out tons of lands and a nice backup plan to Azusa.
Primordial Sage: Another source of card advantage similar of Soul of the Harvest.
Mana Reflection: Absolutely sick in a deck like this and much better than Caged Sun (I like both, but I would play Mana Reflection first in a green deck).
Genesis/Eternal Witness: Genesis on its own can recur any creature, but combined with Eternal Witness you can recur pretty much anything.
Budoka Gardener: One of the cooler win conditions for a deck that spits out tons of lands and a nice backup plan to Azusa.
Primordial Sage: Another source of card advantage similar of Soul of the Harvest.
Mana Reflection: Absolutely sick in a deck like this and much better than Caged Sun (I like both, but I would play Mana Reflection first in a green deck).
Green Sun's Zenith is on my list. I'm waiting for the card to drop in price after rotation and I will probably pick it up with dryad arbor for the potential turn 1 ramp at some point in the near future.
I actully got Eternal Witness and Life from the Loam on Sunday and haven't decided what to add them in for I could use assistance figuring out what to switch, especialy for LfTL. How would Genesis work with the two Eldrazi in the deck? By himself he seems like a more or less weak card unless he hits the yard.
Primordial sage has a nice effect, but doesn't seem to do much on its own compared to Soul of the Harvest. Is it really worth dropping a stronger creature for? In the card draw department, the card I have been eyeing is actually Garruk, Primal Hunter.
I need to try a copy of Mana Reflection. How does anyone think Boundles realms would do in this spot. It has the same degree of ramp for 1 more mana, triggers landfall, and can not be blown up. Or consequently, would it be smart to run both?
My big concern is finding plays for turn 1 and 2 to speed the deck up by 1 or 2 turns and make it faster ansd more abusive than it already is.
I actully got Eternal Witness and Life from the Loam on Sunday and haven't decided what to add them in for I could use assistance figuring out what to switch, especialy for LfTL.
The deck is a little top-heavy, so I would start with some of the less exciting 7+ drops. Plated Slagwurm and Thorn Elemental would be my suggestion.
How would Genesis work with the two Eldrazi in the deck? By himself he seems like a more or less weak card unless he hits the yard.
I would play him over Vorapede at the same CMC. Vorapede can recur himself (which is nice), but Genesis can recur all of your creatures over time. It is a bit of a non-bo with the Eldrazi, but I've never found that to be that big of a deal.
Primordial sage has a nice effect, but doesn't seem to do much on its own compared to Soul of the Harvest. Is it really worth dropping a stronger creature for? In the card draw department, the card I have been eyeing is actually Garruk, Primal Hunter.
Soul of the Harvest is definitely the better card compared to Primordial Sage, but card draw is hard to come by in green and every bit helps. Garruk is also a stellar card to include.
I need to try a copy of Mana Reflection. How does anyone think Boundles realms would do in this spot. It has the same degree of ramp for 1 more mana, triggers landfall, and can not be blown up. Or consequently, would it be smart to run both?
I'm not a big fan of Boundless Realms, but I can definitely see the allure. If you can, run both. I don't think you'll have enough space, in which case Mana Reflection is the better card.
My big concern is finding plays for turn 1 and 2 to speed the deck up by 1 or 2 turns and make it faster ansd more abusive than it already is.
You should probably be running all of the above. I would also consider Mana Crypt for turn 1 Azusa action, but I would understand if budgets or metagame considerations prohobit it.
Picked up Sol Ring (artist signed revised :D), Green Sun's Zenith, Dryad Arbor, and Genesis today for Azusa. These guys should help add to the speed/resiliancy of the deck. I need to add these guys in along with the Eternal Witness and Life From the Loam I added last week. I need to work on cuts for these guys.
Here I trade some of the more vanilla creatures for more speed and utility. Haunted Fengraf has never worked like I like and is completely outclassed by Genesis/Witness so that slot goes to dryad arbor as a potential 1st turn target for GSZ.
good post and decklist, i made an asuza deck for my girlfriend she played her first games yesterday i rather play Slice in twain instead of Naturalize because most of the time you have mana enough and slice in twain also draws you a card for only 2 mana more and you know how important card draw gas is in this deck. she also play Mikokoro, Center of the Sea it gives everyone a card but you have more advantage of it then your opponents. also staff of nin would fit in perfectly here since it is a little howling mine for you alone and it pings */1 creatures and generals like Merieke Ri Berit
I much prefer Krosan Grip. The ability to destroy someone's Oblivion Stone when they've got the mana up to activate it and think they're in control of the board is clutch.
You should give a try to Cloudstone Curio. It's really good with Azusa to abuse land drop with only one in hand, even better if Horn of Greed is out, and since you play a lot of EtB creatures, it's worth it ^^
I've made one some months ago, you can find the list in my sig if you want to check some ideas maybe.
btw my girlfriend did amazing crazy plays with boundless realms it such a good card in this deck wait for the right moment its a mid game boost. she was casting a genesis wave of 20 mana layed down avenger of zendikar, rampaging baloths, and like all her other beaters and akroma's memorial then played boundless realms pumped up her cauliflowers of zendikar then they were 20/21 each. then poohed like 20 baloth beast tokens used garruks overun ability and kicked the whole tabel in the nuts.. and everyone was like uhhh okeyyy ???!!! wth..
remember expensive spells is most of the time good stuff in edh i find it a very good card mid game and maybe its a dead card in the start but most of the time asuza is a dead deck in mid game and thats the time boundless realms kicks in to play these crazy plays. we keep it in the deck you guys should try the card too
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When I find Boundless Realms, I'll definitely try it. I also plan to get a Kroson Grip when I can find one.
Really liking where this deck is going. Much to my surprise, I find myself wanting less and less beaters and more and more ramp and utility as I play this more. I'm starting to thing the more vanilla guys like Terra Stomper, Garruk's Horde, and maybe Khalni Hydra could potentially go for guys with more value. Cards I'm eyeing are Rofellos, Lanowar Emmisary, Garruk, Primal Hunter, and Wordly Tutor. How would Dungrove elder work as a cheaper beater over somethin glike say terra stomper? He's basically vanilla, but he grows big and has hexproof. Same reason Molimo is amazing in this deck; lands happen.
How much do I want a card like Oblivion Stone in the deck? I generally don't want to see it, but there are times when a board whipe could be nice (especially when Erayo is flipped). I don't want the deck to deviate too much from Aggro, but at the same time want a degree of resiliancy.
Really liking where this deck is going. Much to my surprise, I find myself wanting less and less beaters and more and more ramp and utility as I play this more. I'm starting to thing the more vanilla guys like Terra Stomper, Garruk's Horde, and maybe Khalni Hydra could potentially go for guys with more value. Cards I'm eyeing are Rofellos, Lanowar Emmisary, Garruk, Primal Hunter, and Wordly Tutor. How would Dungrove elder work as a cheaper beater over somethin glike say terra stomper? He's basically vanilla, but he grows big and has hexproof. Same reason Molimo is amazing in this deck; lands happen.
How much do I want a card like Oblivion Stone in the deck? I generally don't want to see it, but there are times when a board whipe could be nice (especially when Erayo is flipped). I don't want the deck to deviate too much from Aggro, but at the same time want a degree of resiliancy.
All in all I think your changes are solid, and agree that this deck seems like it's headed in a good direction :). I personally run O-Stone, and it has come in handy a time or two. One of the nice things is that whereas for most decks it's usually impossible to drop it and have the mana up to crack it in the same turn, that's never a problem for us. It's saved me from a few board states that would've been otherwise problematic, and I think it's at least worth testing.
i am completely against the decision to take recycle out of the deck. its the best draw engine azusa has.
I've had some good and bad experiences with Recycle, but haven't got it out too many times in all fairness. Getting stuck with 2 useless cards, or wose yet having your hand discarded is downright frusterating. I can give it another try though; when it works, you can drop 4-5 cards per turn easy.
So I was thinking...what is the ideal number of lands for this deck to run?
When I started, I set the lands at a hard 45 and have worked around there. Would the deck improve with more lands, increasing the mana ramp potential, or conversely, would a few less lands help with a higher threat density.
the azusa fatty decks work fine with around 45 land. the land based azusa decks really want around 55 land. im currently at 58 land and may go up to 60 now that primeval is gone. i have a bit of retooling to do to the deck because of the ban... it doesn't really cripple us, but it does change things.
recycle:
the deck shouldn't have useless cards for you to be stuck on 2 dead cards. its why i don't play sol ring and stuff like that.
the azusa fatty decks work fine with around 45 land. the land based azusa decks really want around 55 land. im currently at 58 land and may go up to 60 now that primeval is gone. i have a bit of retooling to do to the deck because of the ban... it doesn't really cripple us, but it does change things.
recycle:
the deck shouldn't have useless cards for you to be stuck on 2 dead cards. its why i don't play sol ring and stuff like that.
When I say dead cards, I mean having say Beast Within in my hand but not wanting to use it on the current field. It limits my options occasionally.
After letting a friend of mine play with the deck, he confirmed I need a bit more card draw. I added recycle back in for Garruk's Horde.
Another card I'm interested in is Worldspine Wurm. It seems like a fun 'third eldrazi' to add to the deck. My girlfriend is interested in the card, so obviously I need to slot it in, lol.
the wurm is so super auto-include it is not even funny. i have still been to lazy to sleeve it up/have not had a chance to play azusa lately, but it is obvious how great it is going to be.
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G Azusa, Lost but Seeking G
WU Grand Arbiter Augustin IV WU
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftan WBG
B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B
RU Tibor and Lumia RU
'He tasks me! He tasks me, and I shall have him!' - Khan Noonien Singh
You really want Hall of Gemstone, Horn of Greed, and Crucible of Worlds. Those are all bonkers in Azusa.
Mono Red's Strengths and Mono White's Strengths
Thanks for your suggestions.
I will definitely get Horn of Greed and Hall of Gemstone the next time I stop at the card shop. Crucible of Worlds will go near the top of my wish list (right after Primetime). I will have to borrow Kamahl, Fist of Krosa from my Ghave deck and see if I need to pick up a 2nd copy.
Now what to remove for these guys?
G Azusa, Lost but Seeking G
WU Grand Arbiter Augustin IV WU
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftan WBG
B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B
RU Tibor and Lumia RU
'He tasks me! He tasks me, and I shall have him!' - Khan Noonien Singh
lol, I guess half of him is black. Back to the trade binder for him.
Picked up a few toys today at the card shop. Lightning Greaves, Kamahl, Fist of Krosa, Horn of Greed, Yavimaya Elder, Vigor, Journey of Discovery, and Plated Slagwurm.
Here's what I'm thinking on swaps:
Elbrus obviously has to go, an 8/8 hexproof for the same cost should fill that slot.
+ Plated Slagwurm - Elbrus, the Binding Blade
In testing, by the time Ooze got big, it didn't make a difference.
May as well add a bigger beater.
+ Vigor - Predator Ooze
The deck needs card draw and explore just didn't cut it.
+ Horn of Greed - Explore
2 cards in the hand is well worth 1 mana over one tapped with landfall abilities in the deckand azusa.
+ Journey of Discovery - Rampant Growth
Bonehoard was filler and never lived up to expectations and Kamahl has been great in my Ghave deck.
+ Kamahl, Fist of Krosa - Bonehoard
Far wanderings is only good late in the game and the elder is just full of value.
+ Yavimaya Elder - Far wanderings
I'm still debating on Lightning Greaves. The haste will be great, but I'm not sure what to give up for it. Whispersilk Cloak seems like a candidate, but I like having the 2 shroud cards since Azusa's critters have a penchant for being targeted.
I'd love any suggestions for Lightning Greaves or any other changes I can make. I think I have a trade for a Crucible of Worlds set up for next week.
G Azusa, Lost but Seeking G
WU Grand Arbiter Augustin IV WU
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftan WBG
B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B
RU Tibor and Lumia RU
'He tasks me! He tasks me, and I shall have him!' - Khan Noonien Singh
After I get crucible, the plan is to run evolving wilds and terramorphic expanse as fetches, the cycling lands for draw, and strip mine, tectonic edge and possibly ghost quarter for land destruction, atleast in the 1st pass.
G Azusa, Lost but Seeking G
WU Grand Arbiter Augustin IV WU
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftan WBG
B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B
RU Tibor and Lumia RU
'He tasks me! He tasks me, and I shall have him!' - Khan Noonien Singh
I got Crucible of Worlds, Primeval Titan, Tectonic Edge and Eye of Ugin at the cardshop yesterday. I already had Evolving Wilds, Terramorphic Expanse, Strip Mine, and Ghost Quarter set aside to play with the crucible. I don't get the full value from Eye of Ugin (yet) but it sill lets me search up a few critters to burn mana.
Obviously, the 6 lands will replace forests, but what to swap for crucible and Primetime?
I think Reap and Sow may be the best cut for Crucible of Worlds. Reap and Sow only draws 1 land and the land destruction is weaker compared to Strip Mine which can be reused.
As far as Primeval Titan, obviously he's one of the best creatures, but what is the best thing to remove? I'm thinking Ondu Giant, but I'm not sure I want to remove one of the few cheaper casting cards in my deck.
Any thought on the changes or further suggestions on improvements are greatly appreciated.
G Azusa, Lost but Seeking G
WU Grand Arbiter Augustin IV WU
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftan WBG
B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B
RU Tibor and Lumia RU
'He tasks me! He tasks me, and I shall have him!' - Khan Noonien Singh
In:
Revive, Mwonvuli Beast Tracker, Elderscale Wurm, Silklash Spider, Beast Within, Khalni Hydra, Caged Sun, Triumph of Hordes, Overwhelming Stampede, Oran-Rief, the Vastwood, Fierce Empath, Silvos, Rogue Elemental, Seedborn Muse, Soul's Majesty, Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, Hall of the Bandit Lord, Cloudthresher, Verdant Catacombs, Mystifying Maze, Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, Eldrazi Temple, Krosan Tusker, and Chameleon Colossus.
Out:
Journey of Discovery, Seek the Horizon, Primal Surge, Journeyer's Kite, Harrow, Ambush Viper, Dawntreader Elk, Frontier Guide, Jade Mage, Sakura Tribe Elder, Steel Hellkite, Engulfing Sagwurm, Pelakka Wurm, Spearbreaker Behemoth, Symbiotic Wurm, and Pathrazer of Ulamog.
So for the most part I removed the most vanilla of the big beaters to replace with stronger beaters, land draw for more utility as it was almost never that useful, and several of the small utilirt guys I added as filler that never worked out.
Cloudthresher and Silklash Spider were inserted for thier reach to shore up the deck's inherent weakness to to fliers and they do not disappoint with thier large toughness and abilities.
Mwonvuli Beast Tracker and Fierce Empath help me search for whatever critter i need at thhe moment. Prime time or one of the reach guys are the usual suspects.
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth, Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre, and Eldrazi Temple finish out the eldrazi package that gives me amazing cards at the trop of my curve.
To upgrade the selection of beatsticks, I added Elderscale Wurm, Khalni Hydra, Silvos, Rogue Elemental, and Chameleon Colossus.
Triumph of Hordes and Overwhelming Stampede are both spells that can instantly win games when they come down.
Krosan Tusker, Seedborn Muse and Soul's Majesty were added for card draw/utility. Tusker I generally cycle, but he can lay a smack down in a pinch. Soul's Majesty is generally enough to fully refill your hand and then some. The muse lets me use pump effects again, and also is insane as a blocker with Vigor on the field.
Caged Sun gives me ramp, but has been underwhelming in testing so far. I really think it wants to be Boundless Realms.
Also working on a breakdown for each card in the list.
G Azusa, Lost but Seeking G
WU Grand Arbiter Augustin IV WU
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftan WBG
B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B
RU Tibor and Lumia RU
'He tasks me! He tasks me, and I shall have him!' - Khan Noonien Singh
Green Sun's Zenith: Allows you access to keys cards like Oracle of Mul Daya and Primeval Titan and also allows you to retrieve you Azusa if/when it gets shuffled into your library (via Spin into Myth, Oblation, Chaos Warp, etc.)
Genesis/Eternal Witness: Genesis on its own can recur any creature, but combined with Eternal Witness you can recur pretty much anything.
Budoka Gardener: One of the cooler win conditions for a deck that spits out tons of lands and a nice backup plan to Azusa.
Primordial Sage: Another source of card advantage similar of Soul of the Harvest.
Mana Reflection: Absolutely sick in a deck like this and much better than Caged Sun (I like both, but I would play Mana Reflection first in a green deck).
Green Sun's Zenith is on my list. I'm waiting for the card to drop in price after rotation and I will probably pick it up with dryad arbor for the potential turn 1 ramp at some point in the near future.
I actully got Eternal Witness and Life from the Loam on Sunday and haven't decided what to add them in for I could use assistance figuring out what to switch, especialy for LfTL. How would Genesis work with the two Eldrazi in the deck? By himself he seems like a more or less weak card unless he hits the yard.
I may have to try the Budoka Gardener and see how it works.
Primordial sage has a nice effect, but doesn't seem to do much on its own compared to Soul of the Harvest. Is it really worth dropping a stronger creature for? In the card draw department, the card I have been eyeing is actually Garruk, Primal Hunter.
I need to try a copy of Mana Reflection. How does anyone think Boundles realms would do in this spot. It has the same degree of ramp for 1 more mana, triggers landfall, and can not be blown up. Or consequently, would it be smart to run both?
My big concern is finding plays for turn 1 and 2 to speed the deck up by 1 or 2 turns and make it faster ansd more abusive than it already is.
What do you guys think about Sol Ring or Lotus Cobra in an Azusa build? Rofellos, Lanowar Emissary and Sensei's Divining Top seem like very good choices.
G Azusa, Lost but Seeking G
WU Grand Arbiter Augustin IV WU
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftan WBG
B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B
RU Tibor and Lumia RU
'He tasks me! He tasks me, and I shall have him!' - Khan Noonien Singh
The deck is a little top-heavy, so I would start with some of the less exciting 7+ drops. Plated Slagwurm and Thorn Elemental would be my suggestion.
I would play him over Vorapede at the same CMC. Vorapede can recur himself (which is nice), but Genesis can recur all of your creatures over time. It is a bit of a non-bo with the Eldrazi, but I've never found that to be that big of a deal.
Soul of the Harvest is definitely the better card compared to Primordial Sage, but card draw is hard to come by in green and every bit helps. Garruk is also a stellar card to include.
I'm not a big fan of Boundless Realms, but I can definitely see the allure. If you can, run both. I don't think you'll have enough space, in which case Mana Reflection is the better card.
You should probably be running all of the above. I would also consider Mana Crypt for turn 1 Azusa action, but I would understand if budgets or metagame considerations prohobit it.
R.I.P. Sundering Titan (6/20/12) and Braids, Cabal Minion (9/12/14)
Mnd's Eye is definitely on my short list of cards to pick up for the deck. This deck is always the best when I am drawing cards like a mad man.
Edit: I'm going to try:
OUT:
Vorapede, Plated Slagwurm, Thorn Elemental, Garruk's Packleader, and Haunted Fengraf.
IN:
Sol Ring, Green Sun's Zenith, Dryad Arbor, Genesis, Eternal Witness and Life From the Loam.
Here I trade some of the more vanilla creatures for more speed and utility. Haunted Fengraf has never worked like I like and is completely outclassed by Genesis/Witness so that slot goes to dryad arbor as a potential 1st turn target for GSZ.
What do you guys think of these swaps?
G Azusa, Lost but Seeking G
WU Grand Arbiter Augustin IV WU
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftan WBG
B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B
RU Tibor and Lumia RU
'He tasks me! He tasks me, and I shall have him!' - Khan Noonien Singh
I much prefer Krosan Grip. The ability to destroy someone's Oblivion Stone when they've got the mana up to activate it and think they're in control of the board is clutch.
R.I.P. Sundering Titan (6/20/12) and Braids, Cabal Minion (9/12/14)
I've made one some months ago, you can find the list in my sig if you want to check some ideas maybe.
When I find Boundless Realms, I'll definitely try it. I also plan to get a Kroson Grip when I can find one.
Tonight I got 2 more cards to try Garruk Wildspeaker and Akroma's Memorial. I will try these in place of Skyshroud Claim and Lightning Greaves respectively.
G Azusa, Lost but Seeking G
WU Grand Arbiter Augustin IV WU
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftan WBG
B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B
RU Tibor and Lumia RU
'He tasks me! He tasks me, and I shall have him!' - Khan Noonien Singh
So I played a few more games tonight and added a few more cards.
I added in Mirri's Guile, Boundless Realms, and Deglamer in place of Recycle, Primeval Titan, and Naturalize. Didn't get enough playtime with them, but I like the choices for the most part.
So my decklist after testing and change:
In:
Sol Ring, Life from the Loam, Oran-Rief, the Vastwood, Akroma's Memorial, Deglamer, Boundless Realms, Green Sun's Zenith, Garruk Wildspeaker, Dryad Arbor, Genesis, Eternal Witness, and Mirri's Guile.
Out:
Primeval Titan, Garruk's Packleader, Vorapede, Plated Slagwurm, Thorn Elemental, Lightning Greaves, Recycle, Cultivate, Skyshroud Claim, and 2x forest
Really liking where this deck is going. Much to my surprise, I find myself wanting less and less beaters and more and more ramp and utility as I play this more. I'm starting to thing the more vanilla guys like Terra Stomper, Garruk's Horde, and maybe Khalni Hydra could potentially go for guys with more value. Cards I'm eyeing are Rofellos, Lanowar Emmisary, Garruk, Primal Hunter, and Wordly Tutor. How would Dungrove elder work as a cheaper beater over somethin glike say terra stomper? He's basically vanilla, but he grows big and has hexproof. Same reason Molimo is amazing in this deck; lands happen.
How much do I want a card like Oblivion Stone in the deck? I generally don't want to see it, but there are times when a board whipe could be nice (especially when Erayo is flipped). I don't want the deck to deviate too much from Aggro, but at the same time want a degree of resiliancy.
G Azusa, Lost but Seeking G
WU Grand Arbiter Augustin IV WU
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftan WBG
B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B
RU Tibor and Lumia RU
'He tasks me! He tasks me, and I shall have him!' - Khan Noonien Singh
All in all I think your changes are solid, and agree that this deck seems like it's headed in a good direction :). I personally run O-Stone, and it has come in handy a time or two. One of the nice things is that whereas for most decks it's usually impossible to drop it and have the mana up to crack it in the same turn, that's never a problem for us. It's saved me from a few board states that would've been otherwise problematic, and I think it's at least worth testing.
R.I.P. Sundering Titan (6/20/12) and Braids, Cabal Minion (9/12/14)
I've had some good and bad experiences with Recycle, but haven't got it out too many times in all fairness. Getting stuck with 2 useless cards, or wose yet having your hand discarded is downright frusterating. I can give it another try though; when it works, you can drop 4-5 cards per turn easy.
What do you suggest to remove for Recycle?
G Azusa, Lost but Seeking G
WU Grand Arbiter Augustin IV WU
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftan WBG
B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B
RU Tibor and Lumia RU
'He tasks me! He tasks me, and I shall have him!' - Khan Noonien Singh
When I started, I set the lands at a hard 45 and have worked around there. Would the deck improve with more lands, increasing the mana ramp potential, or conversely, would a few less lands help with a higher threat density.
G Azusa, Lost but Seeking G
WU Grand Arbiter Augustin IV WU
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftan WBG
B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B
RU Tibor and Lumia RU
'He tasks me! He tasks me, and I shall have him!' - Khan Noonien Singh
recycle:
the deck shouldn't have useless cards for you to be stuck on 2 dead cards. its why i don't play sol ring and stuff like that.
When I say dead cards, I mean having say Beast Within in my hand but not wanting to use it on the current field. It limits my options occasionally.
After letting a friend of mine play with the deck, he confirmed I need a bit more card draw. I added recycle back in for Garruk's Horde.
Another card I'm interested in is Worldspine Wurm. It seems like a fun 'third eldrazi' to add to the deck. My girlfriend is interested in the card, so obviously I need to slot it in, lol.
G Azusa, Lost but Seeking G
WU Grand Arbiter Augustin IV WU
WBG Karador, Ghost Chieftan WBG
B Korlash, Heir to Blackblade B
RU Tibor and Lumia RU
'He tasks me! He tasks me, and I shall have him!' - Khan Noonien Singh