Commander Deck Tech: Fire Lord Zuko

Now that we've discussed Zuko's uncle Iroh, Zuko's cruel father Ozai, and Zuko's ambitious sister Azula, it's time to explore the man himself, Fire Lord Zuko!

In this article, you'll find two lists: the main one focuses on casting exiled spells, and tokens and effects that get a lot from the mana firebending creates. The second one plays airbending spells (yes, another bending mechanic from this set!) so that you can cast more exiled spells and buff your commander.

As usual, let's start by exploring the commander!

Zuko is the rightful heir of the Fire Nation, the Fire Nation Prince, and an exceptional firebender. At the beginning of the story, his goal is to capture the Avatar, Avatar Aang, so that he can come out of exile.

However, throughout the show, he redeems himself with the help of Uncle Iroh, who shows him a new way to live and connect with people. In Magic: The Gathering, Zuko was in the following cards:

Our list in particular plays the Mardu version:

In this version, Zuko creates mana through firebending according to his power. Whenever you cast exiled spells or a permanent enters your board from exile, you may put one +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.

Straight away, you can tell Fire Lord Zuko interacts really well with airbending.

The idea behind this list is to get as much as you can from firebending with activated abilities and spells, and essentially exile cards so that you can cast them later. This list also plays many effects that grow Zuko and add more creature tokens on the board.

Let's start with the heart of the deck: card draw and exile.

Card Draw

Red is known for its impulse draws (if you'd like to learn more about this type of spell, click here). In this list, you should try to get as much out of them as possible to grow your commander.

Instant spells that cost X, like March of Reckless Joy and Commune with Lava, are perfect for Fire Lord Zuko because they give you something to do with firebending mana and also create card advantage.

The fearsome Etali, Primal Storm will also allow you to cast exiled spells, even if you're behind and don't really have anything to cast. After all, it gives you access to the top card in each opponent's deck and lets you cast them for free.

Zuko, Exiled Prince's activated ability is also a good way to use firebending mana, as you can activate it as many times as you want as long as you have the mana to do it.

The more exiled spells you cast, the more you'll trigger Passionate Archaeologist's background ability. Don't underestimate this burn: there is a reason why this enchantment is so popular (and scary) on casual Commander pods.

Saving Mana

Ideally, you should save your firebending mana even after combat with cards like:

The best of all is that all the creatures above do something else besides saving mana, like deal burn damage, or, like Ozai, the Phoenix King, just scare a lot of opponents.

Creating Tokens

Unlike his father and his sister, Fire Lord Zuko is quite generous and gives +1/+1 counters to all your creatures. So, you should take advantage of Mardu's Boros side to fill your board with creature tokens that will grow with your commander.

This list might not focus on airbending that much, but Appa, Steadfast Guardian was an absolute must!

It comes into play with flash and airbends straightaway, so you can cast this cutie to protect a relevant permanent under your control. Afterward, whenever you cast an exiled spell, you'll get another new 1/1 Ally token.

Another protection that creates tokens is Grand Crescendo, which, like other spells we mentioned before, is a perfect way to use firebending mana because it is an "X-cost" instant.

Ideally, you'll use The Wandering Emperor to remove a tapped creature, but you shouldn't ignore its other abilities. After all, one buffs a creature and the other creates 2/2 Samurai tokens.

Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon is one of the strongest Boros creatures that create tokens. It also interacts really nicely with Zuko because it creates 1/1 Gnomes according to the number of +1/+1 counters on it.

Buffs

As Fire Lord Zuko creates mana equal to his own power, you'll have to buff him to get more resources.

If you put enough counters on Fire Nation Turret, it should remove at least one opponent.

As this deck plays lots of legendary creatures, Excalibur, Sword of Eden is a viable option. Conqueror's Flail needs no introduction. It is a valuable artifact that grows the creature it is equipped to and prevents the opponents from casting answers on your turn.

Both Great Train Heist and Savage Beating can use firebending to create a huge advantage in play with extra combats. They also buff your creatures.

As promised, our alternative list plays many airbending cards that will bring many victories to you and Zuko.

As airbending is closely tied to white and blue , this list will take advantage of many Monowhite airbending cards.

This list also plays lots of token cards that are quite unusual, such as:

Fire Lord Zuko might feature an entirely new MTG mechanic, but he is also very friendly and goes great with many "simpler" effects. This means he is a great option for beginners that want to explore Mardu decks.

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you and see you next time!