Azusa, Always in a Rush

Swift2210
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Post by Swift2210 » 3 years ago

Couldn't find an Azusa list on this site. So here is mine:
Azusa Always in a Rush
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There is something appealing about belching out a board faster than all our opponents combined. Azusa can do that. This is a fast, landfall oriented Azusa build with limited interaction. It's almost pure offense. It can finish the table anywhere from T2 with a perfect hand, infrequently T3, usually T4-5 while goldfishing. I've played the list with a bunch of stax pieces to slow opponents down but the density and consistency was lacking. It's a bad fit for my meta which holds a lot of control combo decks. So it sits now, just a bad matchup. But I did spend many enjoyable hours playing it back in the day. Saw another Azusa list so I decided to dig this one out and upgrade it with cards from newer sets. In my experience this is the best Azusa list I've come across. No other Azusa can threaten to win on or before T5 on a consistent basis.

This list aims to play out quickly. There are 11 ways to get a T1 or T2 Azusa in play. We run out of cards so quickly. The 2 cmc value plays support our hand and build our board. There are a lot of draw and tutor pieces in this list. In a 10 card hand we should see 3 draw and tutor elements. The goal is to get an engine piece like Lotus Cobra /Earthcraft, Ramunap Excavator /Crucible of Worlds + fetch, or Stone-Seeder Hierophant with Cradle or Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx into play asap. We want as much mana on hand as possible the turn we go off. It's possible to finish the table from a near empty board, usually with Rude Awakening so long as there is sufficient mana and tutors. There's never enough mana. May take up to 15 minutes the turn we go off to run mana calculations. Once we get our engine down, setup Temur Sabertooth + Eternal Witness with a recurrable instant or sorcery speed tutor and finish with Finale of Devastation or Craterhoof Behemoth . Alternatively, the usual line I take is Ramunap with fetch and Scute Swarm with Cradle or Nykthos in play, into Regal Force / Shamanic Revelation into Craterhoof or hasty tokens. Scute Swarm is more efficient than Temur (6 landfall triggers with at least 6 lands in play will give you 64 Scutes) but also leaves you dead in the water if opponents stop you. How much mana you have generally determines how many counters or removal spells you can power through the turn you go off. Usually one may be fine, but 2 is tough. The most interaction I've successfully pushed through is 4 spells from my opponents in one turn. I'd consider multiple tutors with Temur a safer line but the mana rquirements and the number of tutors makes it harder to pull off. Always in a Rush!

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pokken
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Post by pokken » 3 years ago

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pokken
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Post by pokken » 3 years ago

If you want to use that list just click the gear and download it as text, and I'll delete that post when ya get it updated -- I just wanted to see it like that so I could think about it.

Man I love Scute Swarm in this deck.

And Jeweled Lotus -- is there a better commander for lotus than Azusa? I don't know who it is if so. Play Azusa and 3 lands on turn 1 is just bananas.

I think this list is probably not that far off what I'd build; I think I'd run an Eldrazi package instead of the combo package, but lots and lots of overlap. I love Gatecreeper Vine lol.

Swift2210
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Post by Swift2210 » 3 years ago

pokken wrote:
3 years ago
If you want to use that list just click the gear and download it as text, and I'll delete that post when ya get it updated -- I just wanted to see it like that so I could think about it.

Man I love Scute Swarm in this deck.

And Jeweled Lotus -- is there a better commander for lotus than Azusa? I don't know who it is if so. Play Azusa and 3 lands on turn 1 is just bananas.

I think this list is probably not that far off what I'd build; I think I'd run an Eldrazi package instead of the combo package, but lots and lots of overlap. I love Gatecreeper Vine lol.
Scute Swarm is indeed nuts in Azusa. I can't believe I took it out once. What was I thinking? Literally allows you to pickup your deck without casting Angel's Grace and Ad Nauseam. I've been watching my Zur buddy do that at least once every session we play and now voila, I can too! In monogreen no less.

My friends have seen T1 Jeweled Lotus into Azusa, land, land, land, into Sylvan Library. And I have heard things like, "Man, I'm so far behind." Jeweled Lotus is so awesome. I'm tempted to just bite the bullet and pickup the Foil Extended art version.

I had an Eldrazi package years ago. Back when this list dominated my meta and it was a 3 on 1 where it was not unusual for Azusa to die 5-6 times a game. And then my friends upgraded in the arms race. And Azusa got left in the dust. My problem was they each packed Toxic Deluge and Cyclonic Rift with enough ramp where I couldn't outrace them. If they got into trouble they could wipe my board. I'd be left dead in the water. And then one of them would invariably combo off. Now with Ramunap, Scute Swarm, Jeweled Lotus, and other toys which have greatly sped up the clock on this list, I can outrace my friends and even if they wipe my board its still possible to win next turn. The Eldrazi unfortunately do not enhance the clock.

Gatecreeper Vine does good work in this list. If I had more Sylvan Ranger equivalents at 2 or less cmc they would be in!

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pokken
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Post by pokken » 3 years ago

Swift2210 wrote:
3 years ago
Gatecreeper Vine does good work in this list. If I had more Sylvan Ranger equivalents at 2 or less cmc they would be in!
It's a really strange effect that's underused and often really overpriced. The fact that there's not a sorcery that's 1G search for two basics is really weird to me for example - kinda green gift of estates.

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