An Offer They Can’t Refuse *PRIMER*

Commander / EDH Casual Control WU (Azorius)

NV_1980

Creature (24)

• 1x Aegis of the Gods
• 1x Angelic Arbiter
• 1x Archivist of Oghma
• 1x Archon of Emeria
• 1x Clever Impersonator
• 1x Drannith Magistrate
• 1x Empress Galina
• 1x Esper Sentinel
• 1x Faerie Mastermind
• 1x Fatespinner
• 1x Gilded Drake
• 1x Grand Abolisher
• 1x Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
• 1x Guard Gomazoa
• 1x Isperia, Supreme Judge
• 1x Lavinia, Azorius Renegade
• 1x Linvala, Keeper of Silence
• 1x Mangara, the Diplomat
• 1x Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker
• 1x Mother of Runes
• 1x Nils, Discipline Enforcer
• 1x Purity
• 1x Sun Titan
• 1x Weathered Wayfarer

Instant (11)

• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Dovin's Veto
• 1x Enlightened Tutor
• 1x Fierce Guardianship
• 1x Heliod's Intervention
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Path to Exile
• 1x Reality Shift
• 1x Render Silent
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Teferi's Protection

Land (36)

• 1x Ancient Tomb
• 1x Arcane Lighthouse
• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Glacial Fortress
• 1x Hallowed Fountain
• 7x Island
• 1x Mana Confluence
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Maze of Ith
• 1x Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Mystic Gate
• 1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• 7x Plains
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Sea of Clouds
• 1x Temple of Enlightenment
• 1x Windswept Heath

Artifact (8)

• 1x Azorius Signet
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Pearl Medallion
• 1x Sapphire Medallion
• 1x Sensei's Divining Top
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Talisman of Progress
• 1x Torpor Orb

Commander (1)

Enchantment (13)

• 1x Authority of the Consuls
• 1x Control Magic
• 1x Darksteel Mutation
• 1x Dissipation Field
• 1x Ghostly Prison
• 1x Grasp of Fate
• 1x Land Tax
• 1x Luminarch Ascension
• 1x Propaganda
• 1x Rhystic Study
• 1x Smothering Tithe
• 1x Smuggler's Share
• 1x Treachery

Sorcery (5)

• 1x Curse of the Swine
• 1x Ponder
• 1x Preordain
• 1x Supreme Verdict
• 1x Wrath of God

Planeswalker (2)

• 1x Jace, Unraveler of Secrets
• 1x Narset Transcendent

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Welcome to An Offer They Can’t Refuse {W}{U}!

Hi there! Welcome to the primer of my Azorius, control and disruption deck; commanded by Gwafa Hazid, Profiteer. When coercion, incursion and subversion are not enough, persuasion sometimes works. A dash of coin, some clever whispers and other nudges that will encourage all to do the right thing; that’s what my esteemed commander is good at. The fact that his bribes do not vanish when he leaves the battlefield, makes him even more useful. My foes will have to come up with some clever ways to get rid of them, while somehow retaining their most useful creatures. This deck is meant to be played casually. It’s not meant to be used in a competitive fashion, but of course I welcome anyone to try! Feel free to comment on anything you (dis)like throughout this primer; I hope you will enjoy it!

Why Gwafa?

Because he’s a very capable anti-battlecruiser/voltron commander. Anything the opposition can throw at me that looks even remotely adept at combat, is bribery-food. At the small expense of some card-draw and mana, I can turn almost any creature into a blubbering buffoon; especially creatures that have no activated or triggered abilities. Fortunately, he’s also not expensive to cast and he provides access to the colors most adept at inhibition.

Strengths and Weaknesses

I use the following ten parameters to determine the strength of the deck. For each, I allocate a score of 5 (very good), 4 (good), 3 (mediocre), 2 (bad) or 1 (very bad); when totalized this score represents the power rating of the deck (maximum score is 50 points).

• Mana: indicates the availability of mana sources within the deck.
• Ramp: indicates the speed at which mana sources within the deck can be made available.
• Card Advantage: indicates availability of filter- and draw resources represented within the deck.
• Overall speed: indicates the deck’s potential for pace, based on resource availability and mana curve.
• Combo: indicates the measure of combo-orientation of the deck.
• Army: indicates the deck’s creature-army strength.
• Commander: indicates how much the deck is commander-oriented/dependent (less dependency is better).
• Interaction: indicates how much this deck can mess with opponents’ board states and turn-phases.
• Resilience: indicates whether the deck can prevent and take punches.
• Spellpower: indicates the availability and strength of high-impact spells.

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Mana: 3

This deck features three rocks, three cheapeners and one enchantment that provides me with the occasional treasure token. So, not that much to work with, but considering the deck’s mana curve that’s not necessarily an issue.

Ramp: 2

White actually has a number of ramping options available within its inventory, but in this deck I’ve decided to just include two (albeit relatively powerful ones).

Card Advantage: 5

An area of spells that blue especially excels at; but with white added to the mix gets even better. There are eleven direct draw options (many of which are cheap to cast or use), to which I have also added a filtering option, a tutor and no less than four spells to steal my opponents’ stuff.

Overall speed: 4

A decent amount of mana resources, a high number of card-advantage resources and an altogether low average CMC makes this deck feature a very decent speed. This is important as it needs to keep up with creature-heavy decks that often ramp/obtain mana resources fast.

Combo: 1

Some synergies in here, but no (infinite) combos.

Army: 2

In terms of pure combat strength, this deck is not exactly spectacular. Some combat power is featured, and it can be strengthened by creatures I steal as well as some tokens I can generate. Overall, this deck’s army strength is below average.

Commander: 5

Gwafa inhibits my opponents in a great way. However, this deck provides him with lots and lots of help on this front. So by no means can I claim that Gwafa is absolutely vital to my strategy and/or necessary when it comes to obtaining victories.

Interaction: 5

Where to begin; bothering other people’s board-state and messing up opposing turns is what this deck is for. No less than thirty options in total make up its interaction arsenal, the most prominent of which are casting inhibitors (six options), destruction/exile (seven options), counterspells (four options), phase inhibition/taxation (four options) and wipes (three options).The remaining cards belong to categories like stealing, bouncing and disabling.

Resilience: 3

Aside from keeping itself safe through interacting with the opposition, this deck can put measures in place to reduce the potential of true harm being inflicted upon it. Gwafa can be protected with hexproof and color-protection. His player can be made invulnerable to targeted spells, non-combat damage and can win lost life back with four lifegain abilities.

Spellpower: 3

I’ve included a few powerful wipes (five of them) and the deck also features some powerful non-creature stuff that can either stop my opponents’ dead in their tracks or slow them down to a great degree.

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Total power score: 33

This deck is a great representation of what makes the Azorius guild a force to be reckoned with, as all its strengths are represented in it. It’s got speed, ample resources, and superb interaction. It is one of those color-combinations that works very well without outside help, but becomes almost impossible to beat if it teams up with a more creature-focused guild (like Boros, Dimir, Gruul or Selesnya).

General strategy

The aim of this deck is to persuade opposing players that targeting me with attacks or spell-casting is at the very least a very resource-consuming venture and at most suicidal. Some efforts I will use to this end are untargeted and will thus affect all opponents, but others are very much targeted and are thus meant to affect the ones that most strongly oppose my efforts. In other words, the players that choose not to be my (temporary) allies while I take down the rest.

Starting hand

At least three cards in the starting hand ought to be lands (or two lands and a cheap-to-cast rock like Azorius Signet, Pearl Medallion, Sapphire Medallion or Sol Ring). This is a must; I’m not going to start a game without this hand (even if I have to mulligan down to three cards). The ideal hand would also contain some additional ramp and/or low-cost draw options.

Early game

During the early game, I want to exploit Azorius’ speed at obtaining resources quickly. Not particularly immediate mana resources (though there are some options for that), but mostly cheap draw- or filtering mechanics that will allow me to quickly obtain necessary stuff. So if possible, cards like Esper Sentinel or Sensei's Divining Top will get top priority. An early use of Preordain or Ponder would also prove useful. If card-advantage options like these allow me to locate Land Tax or Weathered Wayfarer, these will definitely be cast early as well.

Next on the agenda will be the casting of spells that are going to slow down my opponents in general. This can come in the form of general inhibition like Authority of the Consuls, Drannith Magistrate, Fatespinner, Grand Abolisher, Linvala, Keeper of Silence and Torpor Orb. It can also appear in the form of taxation, through cards like Ghostly Prison, Grand Arbiter Augustin IV or Propaganda. At this point in the game I also want to flash around some early firepower, that makes it clear my deck is not to be taken lightly when it comes to defending itself through offense. This means early advantages of my opposition that give them a definite edge (especially high-powered creatures) needs to be taken away (or over) with either my dear Gwafa or cards like Gilded Drake, Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares. For me, the early game ends once I have either obtained enough resources to protect myself from early attacks and/or when I have secured an alliance with a more aggressive deck.

Mid-game

If I didn’t manage to obtain an ally during the previous phase, this phase will be used to extend my defenses further; giving priority to the highest impacting defenses first. This means cards like Aegis of the Gods, Dissipation Field, Lavinia, Azorius Renegade, Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker and Purity get priority in casting. Even better, would be an opportunity to summon one of the deck’s planeswalkers, each of them having fantastic abilities; especially ultimates that either inhibit greatly or provide me with lots of advantage. All this helps me to prepare for the end-game.

In the case I was successful at obtaining some (temporary) support, now priority would be given to helping out that player. This can be achieved through means like countering his direct opponents’ spells with options like Dovin's Veto, Fierce Guardianship, Mana Drain and Render Silent. I can also provide aid by disabling/destroying opposing permanents through cards like Darksteel Mutation, Grasp of Fate and Curse of the Swine. Or, I just steal opposing creatures with Control Magic, Empress Galina or Treachery. While helping out, I will be preparing my end-game plan by continuing to build up my pillow-fort and depriving my opponents from as much offensive and defensive resources as I can possibly manage.

End-game

When I have disabled my opponents to the brink of them not being able to do anything much against me, it is time to land some finishing blows. This can be done simply by attacking them with some of my larger monsters (including the captured ones) though I’m particularly fond of Luminarch Ascension that allows me to summon a pack of angels.

Card Choices

Lands

Reliable sources of mana, and some utility:

• Ancient Tomb: major colorless mana for a small price in life-points; excellent land to start games with.
• Arcane Lighthouse: I want to be able to at least temporarily disable an opposing creature’s spell-resistance in order to disable, kill or capture it.
• Arid Mesa/Flooded Strand/Marsh Flats/Misty Rainforest/Polluted Delta/Scalding Tarn/Windswept Heath: the lands I use to filter through my deck, which enables me to find the cards that matter to my strategy quicker.
• Command Tower/Exotic Orchard/Mana Confluence/Reflecting Pool: great all-color mana lands that have very few disadvantages in their use.
• Glacial Fortress/Hallowed Fountain/Mystic Gate/Sea of Clouds/Temple of Enlightenment: lands that provide Azorius mana, that depending in circumstances enter the battlefield tapped or untapped. I’ve tried to incorporate the best MTG has to offer on this front, except for the original dual lands which are outside my (and most players’) price-range.
• Maze of Ith: helps me to detain an attacking monster per turn; very useful if I don’t have other alternatives to deal with said threat.
• Mikokoro, Center of the Sea: provides draw (but not card advantage) at a cheap price.
• Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx: this deck is pretty permanent rich; so this land can yield a pretty nice mana profit.
• Reliquary Tower: I hate to discard; this helps me retain my hand no matter its size.

Mana and ramp

The cards I use to accelerate mana-availability:

• Arcane Signet: a nice, cheap rock that provides me with colored mana.
• Azorius Signet/Talisman of Progress: nice cheap sources for Azorius mana.
• Land Tax: the ultimate permanent for tutoring basic lands, though it does require careful timing of its summoning, in order to make the best use of it.
• Pearl Medallion: cheapens all my white spells; score!
• Sapphire Medallion: cheapens all my blue spells; score!
• Smothering Tithe: pay taxes for drawing! You don’t want to? Thank you for the mana!
• Sol Ring: are there EDH decks without this card?
• Weathered Wayfarer: one of the best land-tutors out there, as I can repeatedly use this to search for any land (basic or otherwise), as long as someone else currently controls more lands than I do.

Card Advantage

The mechanisms that provide me with card advantage:

• Archivist of Oghma: opposing tutors = draw for me.
• Control Magic/Treachery: auras that allow me to steal a nice creature.
• Empress Galina: your legendaries will not be safe from my grasp!
• Enlightened Tutor: success with this deck can depend a great deal on its enchantments and artifacts, so it’s a good thing we have some tutoring options for these.
• Esper Sentinel: I get to draw unless you pay tax; most decide not to pay.
• Faerie Mastermind: works extremely well in my favor, when timed correctly with Gwafa's ability.
• Gilded Drake: one of the greatest theft-cards MTG ever produced; cheap to use and allows me to steal whatever powerful creature you have (provided it doesn’t have hexproof/shroud at the time).
• Mangara, the Diplomat: you're attacking me? Are you sure? Ok, I'll just draw some cards then.
• Ponder/Preordain: cheap-to-cast filter and draw; always useful.
• Rhystic Study: unless you pay an extra mana for EVERY spell, I get to draw.
• Sensei's Divining Top: filtering and draw at extremely low cost; brilliant.
• Smuggler's Share: additional draw and even treasure tokens when anyone attempts to gain a resource advantage over me.
• Sun Titan: an excellent recursion engine for most of my permanents.

Counters and Removal

Here are some things I use to get rid of permanents:

• Arcane Denial: counter along with some card-draw.
• Curse of the Swine: you’re all PIGS! Pigs!
• Cyclonic Rift: gets rid of all opposing permanents except lands for a measly 7 mana; which is almost win-enabling by itself under certain circumstances.
• Dovin's Veto: your spell definitely stays countered.
• Fierce Guardianship: potentially a free-to-cast counterspell; has wonderful applications for situations in which I am tapped out.
• Grasp of Fate: banishes quite a number of annoying permanents at once.
• Heliod's Intervention: gives me the choice to kill off a bunch of enchantments and artifacts; or just a whole lot of life.
• Mana Drain: one of the coolest counterspells ever invented; it sucks the energy right out of whatever it counters and allows me to reuse that into some other casting.
• Path to Exile: you! Yes, you! Search a land in your library … now! And then get rid of that thing there … permanently *smiles evilly*).
• Render Silent: reminds me of a certain … Achmed.
• Supreme Verdict: this kind of death is unavoidable.
• Swords to Plowshares: your life gets increased, at least for a fleeting moment, yet your titan over there has been atomized into nothingness forever!
• Wrath of God: not even trolls can withstand this kind of removal.

Protection and Inhibition

This is how I protect myself from harm until I can bring down the hammer.

• Aegis of the Gods: wonderful protection against targeted spells; especially fun when I have ways around to keep him alive easily.
• Angelic Arbiter: in the off-chance you still managed to attack, forget any casting; or the other way around.
• Archon of Emeria: slowing you down is good, reeeal good … for me.
• Authority of the Consuls: your hasty creatures were just slowed down; also grants me some life, so that’s cool.
• Darksteel Mutation: in some ways, this is even worse than removal. Putting this on an opposing commander can mean a serious imposition on someone’s gameplan (this is why every commander deck needs at least some exile- or sacrifice outlet options; purely to counter stuff like this).
• Dissipation Field: discourages any permanents from damaging me.
• Drannith Magistrate: exile-, library- and graveyard-casting are all a thing of the past.
• Fatespinner: limits what my opponents can do each turn, which decelerates the execution of their plans.
• Guard Gomazoa: wall that's immune to combat damage; great for holding up an opponent's creature (well, everything except unblockable/trampling creatures).
• Ghostly Prison/Propaganda: enchantment-type attack-tax enablers.
• Grand Abolisher: you’re responding with a counterspell? In my turn? I think not.
• Jace, Unraveler of Secrets: this guy has one hell of an ultimate; almost completely disables my opponents if it manages to go off.
• Lavinia, Azorius Renegade: no more free-casting for my opponents; and greatly reduces the uses of their mana rocks too. She also eliminates any possibility for the opposition to perform infinite mana combos.
• Linvala, Keeper of Silence: while Gwafa eliminates combat ability, this beauty takes care of any other abilities my opponents’ beasties might possess.
• Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker: damaging me just became a very, very bad idea.
• Mother of Runes: protects my permanents from targeted removal or other nastiness.
• Narset Transcendent: has some great abilities; all of which are very in theme with this deck.
• Nils, Discipline Enforcer: a strong combat inhibitor these days, with +1/+1 counters being so ubiquitous.
• Purity: strong creature that actually provides me with lifegain for all non-combat damage that is done to me.
• Teferi's Protection: wonderful card to protect my board-presence in case someone decides to try and wipe it out.

Utility

And then there are these cards I also enjoy using in this deck.

• Luminarch Ascension: with all the resources at my fingertips to slow down or even stop my opponents, this card comes in really handy as an end-game mechanism.
• Torpor Orb: my deck doesn’t include any ETB effects, so let’s prevent everyone else from potentially profiting from them!

Thank you for reading!

I appreciate the time you took to read my primer. Hopefully it was entertaining and useful to you. If so, feel free to leave a +1 and/or feedback of any kind in the comments below. Thanks again!

Date added	6 years
Last updated	4 months
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	14 - 0 Mythic Rares 51 - 0 Rares 16 - 0 Uncommons 4 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.77
Tokens	Angel 4/4 W, Boar 2/2 G, Emblem Jace, Unraveler of Secrets, Emblem Narset Transcendent, Manifest 2/2 C, Treasure
Folders	EDH Gauntlet, Fun Decks, Lavinia Control Sources, Deck Ideas