With just one day to go until the digital release of Avatar: The Last Airbender, MTG players everywhere are waiting with bated breath to see how the new set will affect constructed Magic. For some formats, however, there’s no need to wait. In a Duel Commander event in Caen, France over the weekend, Joseph Doutrelau made the top eight with an Aang, Swift Savior deck.
This was a card that many had pegged for constructed greatness right away, ourselves included. While it’s probably not the best choice for a Commander in its classic four-player variant, Duel Commander’s 1v1 nature really lets this card shine. By putting a powerful tempo play and interaction piece in the command zone, this card opens up new frontiers for Azorius in the format.
Aang, Swift Savior In Duel Commander
Aang, Swift Savior’s biggest edge in Duel Commander is undoubtedly its flexibility. The card is like a Spell Queller for spells of any cost, letting you mess up any key play for just three mana. While your opponent can get their card back later, the tempo loss here is significant. Duel Commander is a pretty speedy format right now. As a result, Aang throws a major spanner in the works for a lot of decks.
You can also use Aang’s ability as on-board interaction. You can use it to save one of your own creatures from removal, or recycle it for value. Alternatively, you can use it to get an opposing blocker out of the way, or snatch a key piece out of a combo. The fact that you can do all of this at instant speed makes it really incredible. Being able to hold up interaction like this from the command zone is something most Duel Commander decks would kill for.
While it’s not as relevant, Aang’s back half is well worth mentioning here too. Doutrelau’s deck is largely composed of cheap, tempo-heavy creatures. In such a list, it’s not unreasonable to tap down a handful of them and flip Aang at instant speed. Once you do, it becomes a very serious threat that also buffs the rest of your board, offering a clear path to victory.
Outside of Aang itself, Doutrelau’s list plays like a pretty straightforward Azorius Tempo deck for the most part. Cheap powerhouses like Ocelot Pride and Faerie Mastermind dominate the early game. Many of these creatures have Flash, too, like Snapcaster Mage and Cathar Commando. By including so many great instant-speed plays, Doutrelau maximizes Aang at the same time. The card is at its best when you can hold it up alongside other interaction, after all.
Blink And You’ll Miss It
This deck isn’t all speedy creatures and interaction, mind you. There are also some powerful sub-themes at work here, giving the list additional angles of attack.
For example, Doutrelau leans into a blink theme here to give the deck a bit more explosive value potential. Aang, Swift Savior already gives you an easy way to blink your own creatures, so this makes a ton of sense. On top of that, it also runs Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd and Appa, Steadfast Guardian, another Avatar newcomer, as additional blink engines.
Most of the deck’s blink value can be found in its creature suite, with Quantum Riddler and Starfield Shepherd offering easy card advantage. This helps you keep a full grip, so you can hold up interaction and keep the high-tempo threats coming. Alternatively, you can blink Skyclave Apparition, Witch Enchanter, or Solitude for bonus removal.
Speaking of removal, Parallax Wave is a brilliant multi-tool in this list. You can use it both as a way to blink your own permanents for value or protection, and as a proactive removal tool. Heck, you can even remove all of its counters at once, removing five enemy creatures, then, with the exile abilities on the stack, Airbend Parallax Wave with Appa to keep them exiled forever. It’s an old trick, but still very much a goodie.
This package helps Aang, Swift Savior deck play a longer game in Duel Commander when necessary. It’s still very much a deck that thrives when being aggressive and getting in early, but these cards help it keep the momentum going against removal-heavy meta decks like Spider-Man 2099.
Staying In Control
On top of the blink element, Doutrelau’s Aang, Swift Savior list is also replete with powerful Control tools. If an opponent tries anything against this deck, chances are it’ll have an answer for it.
For starters, the deck just plays a ton of traditional countermagic. Counterspell, Daze, Mana Leak, Force of Negation: the list goes on. It even plays some of the lesser-seen white counterspells, like Mana Tithe and Reprieve. With aggressive decks like Slimefoot and Squee and Aragorn, King of Gondor topping the Duel Commander charts right now, being able to push back their early plays is a huge advantage. Playing so much cheap interaction also allows for potent early Murktide Regent plays.
Wan Shi Tong, Librarian bears mentioning here too, as a draw spell, finisher, and surprise blocker rolled into one. It’s great as a one-time play, but it’s equally capable of racking up value over time. Duel Commander is nearly as tutor-hungry as cEDH, after all. Most players expected this to be one of the best cards in Avatar, and it seems to be living up to the hype already.
Overall, Aang, Swift Savior seems like a fantastic new option in Duel Commander. In a format defined by quick plays and powerful interaction, this card lets you start the game with both in your hand.
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