This is my Azami, Lady of Scrolls list, I have been playing Azami for almost 2 years now. I first chose to build her as my commander because a
Narset, Enlightened Master
deck was dominating my meta. At first the deck consisted of tons of janky wizards and combos that did well, but I felt like she wasn't at her best so I kept refining. The decks overall goal is to try and combo quickly, and if it can't it buries my opponents in card advantage and control the game till I can combo. I finally whittled the list down to a few key combos and the best wizards out there (in my opinion), I will explain my reasoning on each wizard and combo individually. After that I will discuss what we're looking for in openers and notable synergies.
Combo pieces/enablers:The deck aims to combo using Mind Over Matter, Paradox Engine, and High Tide
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Intruder Alarm
Mind Over Matter: This is a pretty simple combo tap Azami, Lady of Scrolls draw a card, and then discard a card to Mind Over Matter to untap Azami, repeat till you've decked yourself with Laboratory Maniac.
Intruder Alarm: This card is a whole other beast, this is not the easiest combo to execute. The card itself is a great value card, not a lot of cEDH decks are playing creature that will out-value you. Aside from the immense value, the deck contains enough cheap wizards to be able to chain them together to draw your entire deck, coupled with high tide and cards like Turnabout and Frantic Search to be able to net tons of mana to chain wizards. This seems like a lot of moving pieces but with the way blue tutors are, usually you have a piece in hand and the tutors find the rest needed to combo out. Overall the combo can come together surprisingly easy.
Paradox Engine: When this card was first spoiled I knew that the card would be an immense value card, what I didn't anticipate was the fact that is is an easier to cast Mind Over Matter. Every card in the entire deck was so low costed that it was not hard to get enough mana rocks out that ever spell cast also net mana and cards. The very first time I cast the card and played one spell I immediately realized the the deck had gotten a new combo piece that was another instant win condition in the deck.
Creature breakdown:Baral, Chief of Compliance: When I saw Baral for the AER spoilers I knew I had to test him, he allowed me to loot off of my counterspells, made a huge part of the deck cheaper, and was a low costing wizard. As soon as the set dropped I got a copy and slotted him right in, he was incredible, he made every counterspell even better, and he even discounted my high tide combos which added additional unforeseen value to him.
Glen Elendra Archmage: Glen Elendra was a wizard that was in the original deck and has made it this far, not much to be said about her, other than she Negate for one blue and enters untapped to let me draw another card.
jace,vryn's prodigy
: Baby jace a card that I never really saw a huge use for before I got him, he seemed good, but he didn't seem all that great for my stategy. Even after I got lucky and pulled him from an origins pack and slotted him in, he seemed underwhelming, but after actually playing with him for a bit he proved his worth. pre-Azami he digs for land drops and mana rocks to get her out quicker or counterspells to protect her being cast. rarely do I need to flip him but on the occasstions that I have needed to flip him he has been incredible, whether it's to double high tide or bring Pact of Negation up to protect Mind Over Matter. Overall he has been a great addition to the deck.
Laboratory Maniac: Almost nothing to say about him, he is the decks only win condition and he is a wizard.
Lighthouse Chronologist: This is a guy that seemed not great to me originally, but really he is a super cheap wizard that you can dump extra mana into if you have it, if not he's a great cheap wizard that draws more removal than Azami will.
Martyr of Frost
: The martyr makes an excellent deterrent early and late game, it's hard for opponents to play around a counterspell without knowing how much mana they will have to pay to resolver their spell. A great bonus to him is that he is a great early game wizard, that is also a colorless counterspell, which makes it easier to cast Azami with protection.
Rayne, Academy Chancellor
: The need for he arose when my local meta tried to pack a few cards with split second to try and make me kill myself by killing Laboratory Maniac or making him a vanilla 0/2 in response to my last draw trigger causing me to lose. After getting to play her more and more she has made an excellent piece of the deck, allowing removal to let me draw into potential answers.
Realmwright: This is a card that is a weird inclusion to a lot of people, but the card makes all my nonbasics into islands, strengthening High Tide and making my nonasics that tap for colorless like Cavern of SoulsReliquary Tower, and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx be able to tap for colored mana without using their abilities.
Sage of Fables: This is probably the most questioned wizard in the entire list. For starters the card creates a Mikaeus style combo with Glen Elendra Archmage for infinite 1 mana Negate that draws cards as well. As well she allows all future wizards be a mana sink to draw more cards on end steps
Snapcaster Mage: not a lot to say here, he can flashback counterspells, act as an emergency blocker, and sometimes recur other important cards.
Sower of Temptation: In a very 75% meta where people's commanders are very important. This card can be invaluable at ripping away commanders or key creatures, bonus points if the stolen creature is a wizard.
Stonybrook Banneret
: This a great cheap wizard that will discount all my future wizards. Nothing else really to be said about him.
Trinket Mage: A great wizard, it can grab any number of valuable artifacts, all of which end up being fast mana artifacts. whether he grabs mana crypt to accelerate me, or he grabs a mox to find my third blue source to slam Azami, he rarely feels like a bad draw.
Vedalken AEthermage
: This card is great, it allows me to grab any wizard whenever it's needed, usually it just finds either Glen Elendra Archmage or Sage of Fables, but sometimes it fetches out
Rayne, Academy Chancellor
when i know i'm facing down removal soon, or Trinket Mage when I need to find more mana. Of course sometimes it grabs any other wizard for an number of situations.
Voidmage Prodigy: When I first decided to build the deck he looked so bad to me, why would I want to sacrifice card advantage to do something, i'm probably drawing anyways. This guy has been invaluable, sometimes I just don't find a counterspell, and this guy fills that role, it sucks to sac dude that should be drawing cards, but it's sometimes needed.
That summarizes all of my wizard choices. The two remaining creatures are Ethereal Usher which just tutors for Mind Over Matter. Phantasmal Image is still in the deck from the days that palincron was still a combo in the deck, he just felt so good to be able to copy other value creatures or copy some of my good wizards.
Notable synergies: Minamo, School at Water's Edge + Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Glen Elendra Archmage + Sage of Fables
Gush
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Mind Over Matter
The ideal openers:Usually when you draw your initial 7 you really want to find at least 2 blue sources, a cantrip, some form of early interaction and maybe some lower cost wizards to be able to play early. Although if the opener has all these except for a way to dig for another blue source, it's a hard keep because without the extra blue you'll quickly fall behind trying to play control while you stabilize. I test drew some 7 card hands to give examples of hands I would keep and ditch
Hand 1: Island, Turnabout, Sky Diamond, Sol Ring, Thought Vessel, Glen Elendra Archmage, and Jeweled Amulet. This 7 is an easy keep. If you find another blue source in either your turn 1 or turn 2 draw you have turn 2 Azami, you loose out on the bit of interaction, but this give you a very fast start. The quick start allows you to throw down Azami and then the next turn follow with Glen which quickly refills your hand and hopefully drawing 3+ cards a turn you get all the interaction you need.
Hand 2: Island,
Seat of the Synod
, Sol Ring, Sky Diamond, Trinket Mage, Ponder, and Long-Term Plans. Once again this is an easy keep it suffer from the same problem as hand one, incredibly early Azami but no interaction, the idea is the same as hand one, early Azami into trinket mage, then find more interaction
Hand 3: Island, Island, Jeweled Amulet, Ponder, Preordain, Remand, and Trickbind.This hand is a good middle ground hand, it's got a good mana base,but lacks in speed. It has the interaction and cantrips to hopefully pick up the pace and hold off my opponents plans while I stabilize.
Hand 4: Island, Island,
Mind Stone
, Force of Will, Pact of Negation, Glen Elendra Archmage, and Snapcaster Mage. I personally would not keep this hand, at first glance it may seem really good. It has interaction, 2 blue sources, but no way to look for a third blue source, and if we get stuck on these sources then we get seriously hurt for the rest of the game.
Hand 5: Island, Island, Sky Diamond,
Rayne, Academy Chancellor
, Laboratory Maniac, Rapid Hybridization, and Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
. This is a keep able hand to me, it has the 3 blue sources, rayne for protection,interaction in the form of removal, and baby jace to help dig for more mana to be able to get Azami down to be able to get moving towards the combo.
I feel confident writing this primer because I recently took the list all the way to top 16 in the cEDH subbreddit's tournament, that being said I feel like my list is well refined at this point and I know it well enough to be able to help others learn the deck. Of course I am always open to criticism or discussion around my logic so feel free to comment and let me know what you think. Also ask any other question regarding card choices whether it's exclusions or inclusions. Thank you for reading!
