[EDH] Azami, Lady of Card Advantage

Posting this since my friend Brian requested it. Drawing lots of cards is fun.

General: Azami Lady of Scrolls


Artifacts (15)
Chrome Mox
Coalition Relic
Crystal Shard
Gauntlet of Power
Grim Monolith
Helm of Awakening
Mana Crypt
Mana Vault
Memory Jar
Mindslaver
Mox Diamond
Sapphire Medallion
Sensei's Divining Top
Sol Ring
Worn Powerstone

Creatures (21)
Consecrated Sphinx
Cursecatcher
Etherium Sculptor
Glen Elendra Archmage
Hapless Researcher
Inspired Sprite
Laboratory Maniac
Magus of the Future
Memnarch
Merrow Levitator
Patron Wizard
Sigil Tracer
Snapcaster Mage
Stonybrook Banneret
Tidespout Tyrant
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Trinket Mage
Vedalken Aethermage
Vendilion Clique
Venser, Shaper Savant
Voidmage Prodigy

Enchantments (3)
Future Sight
Mind over Matter
Power Artifact

Instants (16)
Brainstorm
Capsize
Counterspell
Cryptic Command
Cyclonic Rift
Forbid
Force of Will
High Tide
Hinder
Mana Drain
Muddle the Mixture
Mystical Tutor
Pact of Negation
Stroke of Genius
Time Stop
Turnabout

Sorceries (10)
Beacon of Tomorrows
Braingeyser
Bribery
Long-Term Plans
Mind's Desire
Merchant Scroll
Recall
Time Stretch
Time Warp
Walk the Aeons

Planeswalkers (1)
Tezzeret the Seeker

Lands (33)
Academy Ruins
Ancient Tomb
Flooded Strand
Minamo, School at Water's Edge
Misty Rainforest
Mutavault
Polluted Delta
Reliquary Tower
Riptide Laboratory
Scalding Tarn
Scrying Sheets
Temple of the False God
Terrain Generator
Tolaria West
19 Snow-Covered Island


Pretty simple play Wizards + Azami or other things to draw lots of cards. Counter stuff that prevent you from winning or will cause someone else to win. Eventually you draw into something that wins you the game.

Main combo's
Infinite Mana (Power Artifact + right mana rock) + Braingeyser/Stroke + Sigil Tracer
Mind Over Matter + Azami draw deck + play Lab Maniac + have counter for any kill spells.

Backup plans
Mind Slaver the strongest opponent. Even better if you can recur it with Academy Ruins.
Bribery someone for their best creature.
Take stuff with Mennarch

Probably could make it better by getting the other time walk effects like Capture of Jingzhou and Temporal Manipulation but those are somewhat expensive right now. Taking lots of turns with time walk effects and recalling them is pretty fun though.

More answers to Llawan like Duplicant might be in order as a resolved Llawan makes this deck a sad panda. You don't have lots of tutors to find an answer either. What to cut is always hard.

Really do miss Tolarian Academy and Emrakul.

Awhile ago I saw Nick playing Azami and it motivated me to play Azami again. I been playing Oona competitively for awhile because it was just better. lots of tutors with Ad Nasuem and General being part of the comobo was just nuts. I still like this deck though. Nick was running Palinchron might put that back in as it does get you infinite mana with Gauntlet but dunno what to cut and Palinchron is not a Wizard. Nick also was running Coat of Arms which I don't like because you run into token decks that Coat of Arms is just bad against and you don't necessarily have that many wizards out.

Any suggetions on how to make this better other then adding Capture of Jingzhou and Temporal Manipulation?

Some considerations
Blue Sun Zenith suggested by Offler
Misdirection
Dispel

Not sure what to cut. All the cantrips but Brainstorm got cut already.

If you want to link cards put them in [cards].

Llawan is strong against blue decks, but I never seen it in play. People usually try Akroma, Angel of Fury, or they avoid color hate. I like the style how the deck was modernized (Consecrated Sphinx, Laboratory Maniac), but i miss Blue sun's Zenith a lot.

For some time I was considering Lab Maniac into deck when I realized that if someone destroys him when I try to draw library +1 i am dead. This can be partially avoided by casting Blue Sun's zenith while X is 0 - the zenith just get reshuffled, and its immediately drawn again. Braingeyser and Stroke are classics, zenith require 3 blue mana, but is as good as those two cards.

Rest of the deck looks pretty solid to me, and does not need changes.

Thank you Offler.

Most of the competitive blue decks. Arcum Dagsson + Oona + Zur run Llawan. It locks other blue players out of using their general till removed. I been considering running a Llawan of my own in Azami but its really tight and I don't have any tutors to go get it if I want it.

Not sure what I would cut for Blue Sun Zenith the fact that it is 3 blue mana does matter sometimes. Ability to shuffle it back in is great. Any suggestions?

If you have Azami out you can just tap another Wizard and draw a card and win in response to removal spell on your Lab Maniac. I actually haven't had this happen as they usually kill Azami to stop me from drawing cards to not get to the Lab Maniac point. If I'm about to draw my last card and win I have a fistful of cards anyway and should have one of my free counters available.

That is true. Usually people try to break the combo, and if they are skilled enough they have some split second spells available...

I dont see any spell which can be simply cut. I would maybe ask why you play Walk the Aeons, and if it should not be better to have self reshuffling Blue sun's Zenith instead. But as I see Terrain generator i believe that I have my response :)

The deck has also one possibility - Intruder alarm for "Wizardstorm" combo with Azami and Mind over Matter. While Azami is in play you just drop a wizard and draw cards, then drop another wizard and repeat, but in this case its just a "fix" which makes combo more productive.

@offler
Thanks. Time Walk effects are really good if you have Azami + some wizards out as you get to tap them to draw even more cards yet again during your additional turn. Not sure what I would cut for intruder alarm.