IntroductionGreetings, Legacy community! While we wait for all The Hobbit spoilers to come out, let's explore another list! This time, we'll talk about a deck that has performed really well lately: Azorius Pup! Also known as Azorius Blink, Azorius Phelia, or Azorius Tempo. Some platforms also group it with other Azorius Control lists.Azorius Pup (Phelia) - DeckbuildingToday's list, which is quite standard for this archetype, recently showed up in the hands of a player called "minyafriend", who used it to rank 9th at a Magic Online Challenge 32.This deck, which combines both tempo and control elements, highlights the interaction between Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd and Quantum Riddler. With these two cards, you'll not only get lots of cards but also build a mighty board for very little in return. The rest of the cards in this deck mostly do two things at once and aren't limited to specific niches, like they often are in other archetypes.One such card is Stifle, which from time to time used to show up in Delver of Secrets lists mostly to counter fetch lands and, in practice, to destroy lands for 1 mana. It is very useful with Wasteland, but it usually loses value as the game drags on or if you're facing decks that don't play fetch lands. That's not the case for Azorius Pup, as Stifle is a way to cheat Quantum Riddler into play in this list (and like so counter its Warp) and a way to turn Phelia into a permanent removal (by countering the ability that returns the permanent to the board).Consign to Memory also interacts nicely with Phelia/Riddler.As you can see, this list plays the basic blue kit: Force of Will, Brainstorm, Ponder, and Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student. There's not much to say about these cards. They're the most important blue cards in Legacy, and, apart from Tamiyo, will remain so for many, many years.Right afterward, you'll find the elements that make this a tempo strategy: Wasteland, Daze, and Murktide Regent. You'll often be able to strangle the opponent's mana base with this list. This is when Daze will shine and Regent will cut their time short.Finally, the white part includes more control elements, Swords to Plowshares in the main deck, and many other options in the sideboard, as we'll see soon.Other cards that show up in other Azorius Pup versions include Geist of Saint Traft, True-Name Nemesis, Flow State, Force of Negation, Lórien Revealed, Prismatic Ending, and Teferi, Time Raveler.Why Play Azorius Pup in LegacyTo control players, Azorius Pup is a proactive version of this archetype. It can create a great advantage as early as turn 3 if you manage to put Phelia in play on turn 2 and Riddler in play on turn 3.To tempo players, Azorius Pup is a resilient version. One that can give you a lot more cards than regular tempo lists can.This is a competitive deck that can beat practically anything in the format and attracts two big groups of players.MulliganYou can keep a lot of hands with this deck because of Brainstorm//Ponder and because this isn't a combo deck that needs specific cards to work. Obviously, Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd is the most interesting card to get in opening hands, as it makes many cards in this deck work a little better.Let's see a few examples:This hand is pretty straightforward. It has basically everything you want to see at the beginning of the game. Verdict: you should keep it.This hand is also pretty great, though it's a bit light on lands. It does have protection and options, though: you can play Flats into Tundra if you need Swords to Plowshares or into Meticulous Archive if you don't. You can also put Phelia in play on turn 2 and Riddler in play on turn 3 and still keep Force of Will as backup. Verdict: you should keep it.This hand is a bit weirder, but it's playable. On turn 1, Stifle can both protect you from Wasteland and hit an enemy fetch land, Force of Will represents protection, and, on turn 3, you can counter one of your Riddler's Warp. Verdict: you should keep it.This hand doesn't have much protection besides Stifle, but it basically has everything else you want: it can put in play Tamiyo on turn 1, Phelia on turn 2, and Riddler on turn 3. Verdict: you should keep it.Building the SideboardDecks that play cantrips (Brainstorm/Ponder) usually play varied sideboards so that you can hit several opponents with the lowest number of cards possible.Force of Negation is another 0-cost counter to deal with combos like Doomsday. Surgical Extraction and Containment Priest answer Reanimator. Extraction also hits other graveyard decks, and Priest is an answer to Show and Tell as well.To deal with aggressive decks, like Boros Energy, you can play Triumph of Saint Katherine, Prismatic Ending, and Wrath of the Skies. Wrath is also great against artifact decks and Urza's Saga. Finally, you'll find specific cards that deal with certain colors, like Hydroblast and Celestial Purge, which are quite efficient against the right decks.Other common options for this sideboard are Clarion Conqueror, Damping Sphere, Deafening Silence, Erode, Grafdigger’s Cage, Harbinger of the Seas, Lavinia, Azorius Renegade, Null Rod, Rest in Peace, and Stony Silence.Sideboard GuideBefore we head into the sideboard guide, I'd like to thank the two-time champion of the Brasilia Legacy circuit, Thiago Maeda, who helped me write it.Dimir TempoThese two strategies know how to lean into tempo really well, and this matchup can easily become a war for resources. Their most problematic cards that this list has no equivalent to are Orcish Bowmasters and Thoughtseize. On the other side, your removals will kill their biggest creatures, whereas Murktide Regent and Quantum Riddler are impossible to deal with for Fatal Push.Post-side, you'll remove the less useful counters so that you can add more removals and Saint Katherine, a real threat that they can't answer that easily.In:Out:Sneak n' ShowSneak n' Show should become more popular post-bans. Stifle and Consign to Memory can prevent much of the damage that Atraxa, Grand Unifier can deal. Post-side, you'll get more answers so that Show and Tell and Sneak Attack don't ruin your day.In:Out:DoomsdayTheir combo is vulnerable to Stifle and Consign to Memory, so they'll have to get a lot of resources to push their way into a win. This, in turn, will leave you open to put pressure on them.Your basic removals should be enough to deal with them if they decide to lean on their creatures, but you can add a few Celestial Purges and take out a few Dazes if you're sure they'll follow this plan.In:Out:ReanimatorThis is probably the toughest opponent for this deck because they have many ways to break your defenses, Thoughtseize and Unmask to push through some reanimation, and you can only pray they don't have enough resources to do it. Stifle or Consign can stop Atraxa, Grand Unifier from drawing a billion cards, but they'll still leave a 7/7 body full of abilities behind.Post-side, Containment Priest will be your best friend because they don't have many ways to deal with her.In:Out:Mirror MatchIf you thought Dimir Tempo often got into battles of attrition, welcome to this mirror! Basically, whoever keeps their last threat alive wins. So, you cannot lose resources with Force of Will. Post-side, you should get more threats and answers: Prismatic Ending will help you deal with Tamiyo, and Saint Katherine is a great way to change the course of the life points race.In:Out:Final WordsLegacy is still a bit unstable now that The Fantasticar has been banned. This means that a solid structure that can face practically any deck in the format face to face will often be a very interesting option. It's no mystery why this deck performed so well in the pre-ban meta. Now, all there is left for us to do is wait and see how The Hobbit will shake up Legacy!What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.Thank you for reading, and see you next time!
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