Deep Forest: Azusa, Lost but Seeking EDH [PRIMER]

Commander / EDH Eldrazi Forest Land Destruction Landfall Mono-Green Ramp

Spells

Land (44)

• 1x Ancient Tomb
• 1x Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1x Boseiju, Who Shelters All
• 1x Castle Garenbrig
• 1x Cavern of Souls
• 1x Crystal Vein
• 1x Deserted Temple
• 1x Dryad Arbor
• 1x Eldrazi Temple
• 1x Evolving Wilds
• 1x Eye of Ugin
• 1x Fabled Passage
• 1x Field of the Dead
• 8x Forest
• 1x Gaea's Cradle
• 1x Homeward Path
• 1x Khalni Garden
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• 1x Prismatic Vista
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 8x Snow-Covered Forest
• 1x Strip Mine
• 1x Temple of the False God
• 1x Thespian's Stage
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Wasteland
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Wooded Foothills
• 1x Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth

Planeswalker (1)

• 1x Nissa, Vital Force

Battle (1)

• 1x Invasion of Ikoria  ^Flip

Creature (25)

• 1x Allosaurus Shepherd
• 1x Ancient Greenwarden
• 1x Augur of Autumn
• 1x Avenger of Zendikar
• 1x Bane of Progress
• 1x Collector Ouphe
• 1x Courser of Kruphix
• 1x Craterhoof Behemoth
• 1x Eternal Witness
• 1x Fauna Shaman
• 1x Fierce Empath
• 1x Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
• 1x Lotus Cobra
• 1x Magus of the Candelabra
• 1x Manglehorn
• 1x Oracle of Mul Daya
• 1x Rampaging Baloths
• 1x Ramunap Excavator
• 1x Regal Force
• 1x Scute Swarm
• 1x Tireless Provisioner
• 1x Tireless Tracker
• 1x Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
• 1x Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger
• 1x Woodland Bellower

Instant (7)

• 1x Beast Within
• 1x Chord of Calling
• 1x Crop Rotation
• 1x Force of Vigor
• 1x Realms Uncharted
• 1x Summoner's Pact
• 1x Worldly Tutor

Commander (1)

Sorcery (10)

• 1x Ecological Appreciation
• 1x Finale of Devastation
• 1x Genesis Wave
• 1x Green Sun's Zenith
• 1x Harmonize
• 1x Natural Order
• 1x Nylea's Intervention
• 1x Rishkar's Expertise
• 1x Scapeshift
• 1x Tooth and Nail

Artifact (7)

• 1x Conduit of Worlds
• 1x Crucible of Worlds
• 1x Horn of Greed
• 1x Jeweled Lotus
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Memory Jar
• 1x Sol Ring

Enchantment (4)

• 1x Concordant Crossroads
• 1x Exploration
• 1x Survival of the Fittest
• 1x Sylvan Library

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Maybeboard

Land (7)

• 1x Blast Zone
• 1x Blighted Woodland
• 1x Cryptic Caves
• 1x Dark Depths
• 1x Petrified Field
• 1x Terramorphic Expanse
• 1x War Room

Creature (3)

• 1x Cultivator Colossus
• 1x Greensleeves, Maro-Sorcerer
• 1x Kozilek, the Great Distortion

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Sylvan Scrying

Enchantment (1)

• 1x Greater Good

Artifact (1)

• 1x Lightning Greaves

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The Theory:

Thanks for checking out my optimized Azusa, Lost but Seeking deck. There are no infinite combos in this build! We're here to either lock our opponents out with Strip Mine or win with good old-fashioned combat damage.

Why Azusa?

For the low cost of three mana, Azusa allows us to play three lands per turn. This sets up several explosive avenues to victory and enables us to abuse our land drops in ways that few generals can.

The most infamous “combo” with Azusa is her synergy with Crucible of Worlds and Strip Mine, which allows us to repeatedly destroy our opponents’ lands faster than they can naturally play them. This strategy packs an extra punch thanks to Ramunap Excavator, which is essentially a better Crucible of Worlds in this deck. Given the strength of green's creature tutors, we can easily pull Excavator out of our deck and establish some pretty killer synergy in the early game (Strip Mine or not).

Whether we go for Strip Mine or simply play fetches out of our graveyard on repeat, within a few turns, we can set up a rather nice Avenger of Zendikar and ideally draw or tutor into a Craterhoof Behemoth!

You'll like this deck if...

You'll like this deck if:

• You like being proactive
• Landfall strategies interest you
• You enjoy going wide
• You are both a Timmy and a Johnny
• You have no problem with insta-win cards like Craterhoof Behemoth

Why don't you run X?

Infinite combos: In my opinion, Azusa makes for a poor combo general. My first draft of this deck included the Earthcraft / Squirrel Nest combo, but I ultimately decided against it and thought it would be fun to roll with a finite strategy. I wouldn't recommend bringing this deck to a dedicated cEDH table, but it’s very resilient against Stax and is capable of winning against competitive decks.

Mana Dorks / Rocks: I'd rather focus on drawing fuel as opposed to early ramp. We usually dump our hand once Azusa hits the field, and we’ll need cards to sustain her ability. Lands are the only ramp we'll need once we play our general, and dorks / rocks usually become dead draws. Also, running more than a handful of rocks makes Collector Ouphe a little awkward.

More Lands: Personal preference, but I've found that 44 is a nice medium. Obviously, we want to include a higher number of lands than the average deck, but anything above 44-45 feels excessive to me.

Stax Pieces: Stax was an initial consideration for me, but I felt that including a stax package distracted from the creature-based build I was trying to establish, and decided it was unsustainable given green's complete lack of artifact and enchantment tutors.

Anything in the Maybeboard: Because I've either tested them and thought they were close inclusions, or I haven't tested them and hope to find a spot.

What about 69x Forests and Lost in the Woods?

Strategies:

There are two end goals for this deck - get an early Strip Mine lock on the table and prevent our opponents from having fun (err... I mean, keeping their lands) while slowly accruing incremental value, or quickly ramp and finish the game with Scute Swarm, Avenger of Zendikar, Craterhoof Behemoth or our Eldrazi titans.

When to mulligan

Keeping a hand of less than three lands is usually very awkward, even if we have something fast like Mana Crypt (remember, lands are the heart of the deck). Aside from not having three lands, you should try to mulligan when there isn't anything in-hand that'll allow you to draw more cards, tutor, or play off the top of the library. It's also nice when one of the three lands in your hand is a fetch (or something similar), as this will guarantee all three of your land drops every turn once you find a graveyard enabler.

Early-game plays T1-T5

If you have Strip Mine in-hand:
Fantastic! We're now looking for something that enables us to play lands from the yard, as the early game is the best time to establish a Strip Mine lock. When executing a Strip Mine lock, try locking opponents out of a color they may be low on. If there's one opponent you’re worried about more than others, don't be afraid to single them out and destroy three of their lands before moving on to the rest of the table. High-threat lands like Gaea's Cradle and Ancient Tomb should likely be targeted first.

If you don't have Strip Mine in-hand, but do have fetchlands:
Not bad at all — we still want to try and find something that will let us play lands out of the graveyard. In doing so, we're guaranteed to hit all three of our land drops per turn and generate six landfall triggers along the way.

If you don't have Strip Mine in-hand or fetches:
It's best to try and avoid these hands, but sometimes, you have no choice. Since there's no benefit to playing lands out of the graveyard (yet), you'll want to look for something that will allow you draw a lot of cards or play off the top of your library. Sylvan Library, Horn of Greed, Tireless Tracker, Oracle of Mul Daya, and Augur of Autumn are all amazing here.

Mid-game plays T6-T10

If we've made it this far and haven't established a Strip Mine lock, it's time we abandon that plan and instead look to close the game out with our finishers. Land tutors should be spent on Field of the Dead, Gaea's Cradle, or Eye of Ugin, and creature tutors should be spent looking for Scute Swarm, Avenger of Zendikar, Rampaging Baloths and Craterhoof Behemoth. Answer your opponents' threats at your discretion here—search for Collector Ouphe, Bane of Progress or Manglehorn if artifacts are giving you trouble. Search for Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre if there's one permanent you must destroy.

Edit Log:

As of 4/7/2020, I'm going to begin posting any edits made to the deck with a brief explanation of rationale.

4/27/2023

-Nature's Claim
+Invasion of Ikoria  

I'm making the decision to cut Nature's Claim. I have nothing against this card, but Invasion of Ikoria is a rock-solid creature tutor that can grab our wincons OR staxy creatures like Collector Ouphe and Manglehorn in a pinch. We're losing the instant speed of Claim, but gaining a much more versatile option.

3/4/2023

-Greater Good
+Conduit of Worlds

It's been 10 months since my last edit, but Conduit of Worlds seems worthy of an inclusion. We love playing lands from the graveyard, and the ability to play other things from the graveyard adds to our sustainability. Greater Good is a strong card and has been in the deck for a long time, but is at its best when we're already winning the game. It's also incredibly resilient to board wipes and refills your hand at instant speed if you're about to lose some of your fatties, so it's a worthy inclusion if your meta is heavy on removal.

5/25/2022

-Lightning Greaves
+Jeweled Lotus

I'm finally getting over myself and testing with Jeweled Lotus. The reason being that a turn one Azusa is nothing to scoff at, but can lead to dead hands without proper card draw to back it up. Lightning Greaves has been in the deck for years, but I'm noticing that it really only shines in the mid to late game. It's main use is giving an Eldrazi titan haste or Vorinclex, Voice of Hunger shroud, but neither of those use-cases are important to our main wincon. Concordant Crossroads is the go-to haste enabler in the late game and the deck usually doesn't get the grindy point of needing Lightning Greaves, so it's time to test potentially more impactful cards.

1/29/2022

-Treasure Vault
+Boseiju, Who Endures

First edit of the new year! Treasure Vault hasn’t made any significant impact on the deck, whereas Boseiju, Who Endures probably belongs in any deck running green.

9/19/2021

-Scavenging Ooze
+Augur of Autumn

It’s entirely possible that cutting Scooze is a mistake, as it’s the only real form of graveyard hate in this build. I debated on replacing Courser of Kruphix, as Augur is practically a strictly better upgrade, but playing lands from the top of our deck is something we want to do at every opportunity.

This cut steers the deck in a greedier direction, so if you see a lot of graveyard play in your meta, consider cutting something else.

8/30/2021

-Petrified Field
+Treasure Vault

Petrified Field is a perfectly fine land, but Treasure Vault seems like it could be highly explosive. Good for when you need just a little more mana on the upcoming turn, especially if we can play it out of the yard immediately after sacrificing it.

7/23/2021

-Forest
+Evolving Wilds

I'm including Evolving Wilds strictly for testing purposes. Though rare, there are scenarios in which I'm able to play lands out of the graveyard, but simply haven't hit a fetch or a Strip Mine yet. Evolving Wilds is probably one of my least favorite cards in Magic, but it's time to recognize that it can potentially get us three lands and six landfall triggers per turn with Azusa and a graveyard enabler.

4/27/2021

-Sylvan Scrying
+Ecological Appreciation

Truthfully, I have my doubts about cutting Sylvan Scrying. It's been in the deck for years and gets us our best land in a pinch, but it just doesn't quite have the excitement factor of Ecological Appreciation. Crop Rotation, Scapeshift, Realms Uncharted, and Nylea's Intervention all vastly outshine Sylvan Scrying, though it's possible I'll end up missing it and slot it back in. For now, out with the old, in with the new!

(I envision myself casting Ecological Appreciation for either three or six, depending on the stage of the game. Three getting Ramunap Excavator, Tireless Tracker, Courser of Kruphix, and Manglehorn / Fierce Empath. Six getting Ramunap Excavator, Ancient Greenwarden, Woodland Bellower, and Rampaging Baloths)

3/13/2021

-Blast Zone
-Birds of Paradise
+Homeward Path
+Scavenging Ooze

Blast Zone is a good card, but I just didn't use the effect often enough to justify keeping it. Birds of Paradise has avoided the cut for probably a little too long, and though it's the best dork in Magic, we simply don't have a need for it. A Marchesa, the Black Rose deck has been introduced to my meta, as well as a Chainer, Dementia Master deck, thereby enforcing the need for Homeward Path and Scavenging Ooze in our arsenal. Welcome back, old friends!

11/6/2020

-Reclamation Sage
-Krosan Grip
+Ancient Greenwarden
+Force of Vigor

A changing of the guard with these cuts, as Reclamation Sage and Krosan Grip have both been in this list since the beginning. However, Ancient Greenwarden is simply too good to pass on, and since we're losing two "destroy artifact / enchantment" effects, I thought Force of Vigor would fill in nicely.

10/11/2020

-Cryptic Caves
-Kozilek, the Great Distortion
-Scavenging Ooze
+Petrified Field
+Rampaging Baloths
+Scute Swarm

Cryptic Caves just wasn't a card I found myself using often, whereas Petrified Field synergizes well with Realms Uncharted and is a decent effect to have lying in wait on the board.

Kozilek, the Great Distortion is a great card, but I don't often use the counterspell effect, and have noticed it generally underperforming as compared to the other titans in this deck. Rampaging Baloths is cheaper, and synergizes better with our landfall strategy.

Scavenging Ooze is a great card, but simply isn't effective in my meta.

Scute Swarm — Oh. My. God. This card is absolutely, positively, pants-on-head insane. This is easily one of the best creatures (if not the best) in our deck. We have no trouble whatsoever getting to six lands, and thereafter, Scute Swarm is a one-way ticket to Value Town. If we have a fetch in our yard and the ability to play lands out of the graveyard with Scute Swarm on the field, our opponents can kiss the game goodbye.

6/26/2020

-Realm Seekers
-Defense of the Heart
-Runic Armasaur
-Buried Ruin
-Homeward Path
-Rogue's Passage
+Realms Uncharted
+Kozilek, the Great Distortion
+Nissa, Vital Force
+Fabled Passage
+Cryptic Caves
+Cavern of Souls

At long last, I'm closing the chapter on Realm Seekers, Defense of the Heart, Runic Armasaur, Rogue's Passage, Buried Ruin, and Homeward Path. Though Realm Seekers is great fun to resolve, it lacks Trample and usually meets a swift end to removal. I rarely found myself using it as a land tutor, and though it was incredible when paired with Greater Good, it was a very mediocre play without it.

Defense of the Heart is, in my opinion, one of the most underplayed cards in the format. Good at policing creature-heavy decks and threatening certain death when it goes off, it's great for teaching players why they should run more interaction in their decks. However, I can count on one hand the number of times I've actually got it to go off, and even when it does go off, this deck don't instantly win from it. We can set up a couple of Eldrazi Titans, or a nice Avenger of Zendikar into Regal Force, but all Defense of the Heart presents this build is non-guaranteed value. We'd rather play a little more proactively than that.

In the right meta, Runic Armasaur can be an absolute value-machine. However, that meta is not my meta, and while I do want to keep this deck's creature count high, Armasaur (like Defense of the Heart) represents non-guaranteed value for me.

Regarding Rogue's Passage, Homeward Path, and Buried Ruin, I simply didn't find myself using their abilities enough to merit slots in the deck. Cavern of Souls, Cryptic Caves, and Fabled Passage are all highly useful lands and will benefit our build.

Kozilek, the Great Distortion is yet another Eldrazi Titan in our arsenal and comes with the much-desired upside of refilling our hand. Surprise discarding to occasionally counter a threat is icing on the cake.

Realms Uncharted is a powerful land tutor with the potential to get us four cards for three mana if we have Crucible of Worlds or Ramunap Excavator in play. Even if we don't, it represents solid value.

The upside of potentially activating Nissa, Vital Force's ultimate ability is too good to ignore. Running out of gas is a problem for this deck, and Nissa's ult gives you an unlimited fuel supply.

6/18/2020

-Elvish Reclaimer
+Allosaurus Shepherd

I was initially very excited for Elvish Reclaimer with the release of M20 - having a land tutor on a cheap creature body is something I’ve always desired for this deck; however, Reclaimer was much better in theory than in practice. Casting it, then waiting a turn until it’s ability could be used, then paying {2} to eventually use it, then waiting another turn for the tutored land to untap was brutally slow, especially when searching for a high-threat land like Gaea's Cradle or Strip Mine that's likely to draw the table's aggression.

On the other hand, Allosaurus Shepherd is an incredible one-drop that's effect is impactful at nearly any stage of the game. It allows us to unabashedly sink a ton of mana into our X spells, and lets us cast late-game finishers like Tooth and Nail and Craterhoof Behemoth without fear. In short, it enables us to play greedily, and I enjoy that.

4/7/2020

-Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
-Mosswort Bridge
-9x Forest
+Thespian's Stage
+Field of the Dead
+9x Snow-Covered Forest

I've decided to cut Mikokoro and Mosswort in favor of Thespian's Stage and Field of the Dead. Mikokoro's draw was too open-ended, and Mosswort's hideaway trigger wasn't consistently generating enough of an advantage to merit a slot.

On the other hand, Thespian's Stage is a wonderful utility piece that allows us to repeatedly copy some of our best lands. Sadly, it can't copy Gaea's Cradle, but it can copy Deserted Temple.

Anyone who played Arena during the Throne of Eldraine meta knows what a powerhouse Field of the Dead is, and combined with a deadly card like Scapeshift, we can easily generate a horde of Zombies and set up a nice Craterhoof Behemoth. And by replacing 9 Forests with 9 Snow-Covered Forests, Field of the Dead gets even better!

Date added	7 years
Last updated	9 months
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	22 - 0 Mythic Rares 51 - 0 Rares 8 - 0 Uncommons 3 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.52
Tokens	Beast 3/3 G, Beast 4/4 G, Clue, Copy Clone, Emblem Nissa, Vital Force, Food, Insect 1/1 G, Plant 0/1 G, Treasure, Zombie 2/2 B
Folders	Featured Decks, COMMANDER