Back in Innistrad, Wizards of the Coast debuted the now evergreen “fight” mechanic. This keyword is perfect for decks with big creatures, and winning fights can open up the door for massive attacks. Unfortunately, though, fight spells aren’t always the most reliable, and can lead to big blowouts if a timely removal spell catches you off guard.
The good news is that many of the modern fight designs help make up for this with their efficiency or high upside. In fact, one of the latest examples in MTG Avatar has an absurdly high ceiling, and with the right support, it can help end games on the spot.
MTG The Last Agni Kai in Commander
Unlike most fight spells, The Last Agni Kai is capable of providing a big burst of mana in addition to taking out a problematic threat on the other side of the board. All you need are some beefy creatures and ways to spend excess mana, and you’ll be able to get a lot of value out of such a cheap removal spell.
Of all the creatures to pair this card with, none make winning the game easier than Jumbo Cactuar. A single attack will help The Last Agni Kai net you nearly 10,000 red mana. From there, your options to win the game are seemingly limitless.
Interestingly, because this card prevents your excess red mana from emptying as steps and phases end, it also makes for a great inclusion alongside Firebending Commanders like Avatar Roku, Firebender. Not only can you use the mana Avatar Roku provides to cast The Last Agni Kai during combat, but you can then use the remaining red mana during your second main phase. This makes setting up infinite combat steps alongside Aggravated Assault trivial.
In addition to Firebending synergies, there are a handful of Commanders, like Neyith of the Dire Hunt, that incentivize the use of fight spells, making The Last Agni Kai a worthy inclusion. Other legends like Wolverine, Best There Is and Maarika, Brutal Gladiator pay you off when your Commander deals damage to an opposing creature. Wolverine is particularly interesting with The Last Agni Kai, both generating tons of mana and growing from fighting opposing creatures. Triggering Enrage in your Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid deck has value as well, and you may be able to get a lot of mana out of the deal if you take full advantage of Indoraptor’s Bloodthirst ability.
The Last Agni Kai even has competitive applications. The potent Ritual recently appeared in a tournament-winning cEDH Storm decklist built around Ashling, Flame Dancer. This deck does a great job using the extra mana, and being able to pick off efficient Commanders like Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy is useful.
MTG The Last Agni Kai in Standard
Beyond its Commander appeal, The Last Agni Kai is starting to show up in some assertive Standard decklists. In Mono-Red Leyline shells, The Last Agni Kai is a solid sideboard option against creature decks. In conjunction with Prowess creatures and pump spells, The Last Agni Kai is capable of removing most threats across the table while simultaneously giving you extra mana. You get to trigger Valiant if you target Emberheart Challenger, which may provide some extra card advantage to spend your mana on. With some more pump spells at the ready, you can use this mana to build up a big Burn Together kill.
Just yesterday, The Last Agni Kai also made a splash in a cool Gruul Landfall deck. Thanks to the power of Mightform Harmonizer, you should have no shortage of beefy threats that can fight down opposing blockers. The extra mana then goes a long way in helping you develop your board further in the event you don’t have a clear lethal attack. It’s unusual for a fight spell to have this level of impact, but The Last Agni Kai delivers.
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