The team-up legends from March of the Machine are really cool and many of them make awesome commanders to build around. I have already done deep dives on some of them, including Ghalta and Mavren, Slimefoot and Squee, and Thalia and The Gitrog Monster. This week, I want to jump in and explore another pair — Zurgo and Ojutai!
I have to admit, there aren’t too many Jeskai commanders that I connect with, but the more I’ve been thinking about Zurgo and Ojutai (dare we call it… “Zojutai?”), the more I really like it. We’ve gotten lots of incredible Dragon tribal support over the years, and it’s actually quite amazing that you can make solid Dragon decks across a variety of color combinations. Here are the ones I have in paper:
- Five-Color Dragons with The Ur-Dragon
- Monogreen Dragons with Erinis, Gloom Stalker/Acolyte of Bahamut
- Rakdos Kobolds and Dragons with Rohgahh, Kher Keep Overlord
- Monored Dragons with Themberchaud
- Jund Dragon Treasures with Ziatora, the Incinerator
I did have a deck built around Miirym, Sentinel Wyrm, but it was way more powerful than I wanted it to and the parts got distributed among my other Dragon decks, but I think this illustrates just how many different ways you can build decks featuring Dragons. I’m very tempted now to build a Jeskai Dragon deck with Zurgo and Ojutai leading the charge.
Let’s take a look at the release notes on this fine draconic specimen:
The triggered ability will trigger once for each player or battle dealt combat damage by Dragons you control, no matter how many Dragons were involved. For example, if you attack a player with three Dragons and a battle that player protects with two Dragons, and they all connect, the ability will trigger twice.
Because creatures with first strike deal combat damage before creatures without first strike, it’s also possible to have the ability trigger twice in the same combat by your Dragons dealing combat damage to one player at different times. This can also happen if an attacking Dragon you control has double strike.
You choose whether to return one of the Dragons that dealt combat damage to the player or battle as the triggered ability is resolving. This doesn’t target any of those Dragons.
Zojutai’s ability is very carefully worded to encourage you to diversify your attacks. Rather than just swooping all your Dragons to attack the one player who might be open, in which case you’ll just get one trigger, you’ll want to send Dragons at different players so you’ll get a trigger for each opponent that is dealt combat damage.
It also counts the new card type battle as another potential target, so playing some number of battles is probably a good idea. Giving Dragons double strike is another way to leverage the ability even more, as is the ability to get more attack steps.
Let’s dive in!
Battles
There are 18 battle cards available to Jeskai but many of the battles are rather niche or a bit underpowered to just slam into any deck that can run them. I picked these battles as ones I felt worth playing in this deck, particularly Invasion of Tarkir which cares about Dragons on its front side and turns into a Dragon on its back side. The only downside is that five defense given that our commander only has a four power. Invasion of Vryn is decent card draw tied onto the battle and has just four defense, perfect for defeating with Zojutai. Its back side is a nifty, one-shot artifact that lets you copy one spell you control, including creature spells.
I really like Invasion of Gobakhan too, however it’s a little awkward for webcam games, but its back side Lightshield Array is perfect for our game plan, which wants to attack with Dragons and get those +1/+1 counters. Plus, it can be sacrificed to protect the team from spot removal and sweepers that destroy all creatures. Invasion of Kamigawa is a nice way to tap down a flier for two turns that might otherwise stymie our Dragon assault, and the back side Ninja can potentially draw some extra cards.
Invasion of Segovia is a bit off theme, as it makes Kraken tokens, and the back side is a 3/3 Serpent, but giving your non-creature spells convoke is pretty sweet. I also really like that it will untap up to four creatures during your end step, so your Dragons can play offense and defense.
Dragon Synergies
There are all sorts of Dragon support spells available these days, but the ones I selected here are those that I think best suit the strategy. Dragon Tempest’s haste ability is redundant with our commander, but plenty of other Dragons could use that sweet, sweet haste. Dragonspeaker Shaman’s Dragon discount of two is perfect for Zojutai, shaving its mana cost to just one blue, a red, and a white, which will be helpful if I want to return it, or maybe another Dragon, back to my hand.
Ganax, Astral Hunter provides a Treasure whenever a Dragon enters the battlefield under your control, and Dragon’s Hoard will draw some cards. Lozhan, Dragons’ Legacy dishes out damage whenever an Adventure or Dragon spell is cast, which could be helpful in clearing the skies for our Dragon attacks.
Ojutai, Soul of Winter is expensive but its ability to tap nonland permanents whenever a Dragon you control attacks is perfect for our game plan.
Adventure Dragons
The Adventure Dragons from Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate seem perfect for this deck. You cast the adventure early, then later on you cast the Dragon, and with Zojutai’s ability, you can return the Dragon back to your hand to use the adventure side again if you need to. I’m thinking I casting Sand Augury for Young Blue Dragon to scry 1 and draw a card, and later cast Young Blue Dragon, attack with it while Zojutai is on the battlefield, and return it to my hand to grind a bit more value. I can’t resist the value!
Tribal Support
For tribal support outside of Dragons, I’m thinking that Urza’s Incubator and Herald’s Horn are excellent ways to shave mana off our expensive Dragons, and Kindred Discovery provides even more card draw power. Pyre of Heroes is a great way to trade up our lower curve Dragons for something more formidable. And if we decide to play some other non-Dragon creatures for early game support, we can let them join the Dragon fun with Maskwood Nexus.
Enters the Battlefield
Since Zojutai lets us return Dragons to hand if we wish, I definitely wanted to lean on Dragons that have nifty triggers when they enter the battlefield. The new Guardian Scalelord is awesome since it can provide a Dragon with a power boost and a sweet Sun Titan ability. Glorybringer can use its exert ability to deal four damage, and then you can return it to your hand rather than leave it tapped for your next turn. We can cast Verix Bladewing early, and then later return it to our hand to cast it again with kicker. We can leverage the venture into the dungeon ability of Nadaar, Selfless Paladin by bouncing it after we attack and cast it again.
Thundermaw Hellkite, Icefall Regent, and Juvenile Mist Dragon are excellent ways to tap down flying blockers to let our Dragon beatdown commence.
Sneak Attack might be worth playing since its sacrifice ability triggers on the end step, but if you sneak out a Dragon and it deals damage to a player or battle, you can return it to your hand with Zojutai’s ability.
One thing I wanted to mention, since we have access to blue and red and are playing Dragons, is Cursed Mirror and Astral Dragon! We can play Cursed Mirror early to ramp and might even get a good target to copy, and then when you play Astral Dragon, you can copy the Cursed Mirror with its Project Image ability, and the Cursed Mirror copies can copy Astral Dragon, with each also getting the Project Image ability, and so forth until you’ve got an army of 3/3 Astral Dragons with haste thanks to being Cursed Mirrors. This is a great way to end a game that has gone on long enough.
Can’t Block
Creatures that can block fliers can stymie our game plan, so we might want to have some ways to help with that. Blind Obedience and Authority of the Consuls are nice passive ways to ensure that blockers enter the battlefield tapped, while providing some life to help with counter attacks. Skrelv, Defector Mite and Mother of Runes can help push a Dragon through blockers of a particular color. Cards like Key to the City can also help a singular attacker past formidable defenses.
Double Strike
I’d also want some number of ways to give my Dragons double strike. Sylvia Brightspear is a great way to do that since it partners with Khorvath Brightflame so you’ll get to search up a Dragon to play too. Terror of Mount Velus gives all your creatures double strike when it enters the battlefield, and then it has double strike itself. Blast-Furnace Hellkite gives all creatures attacking your opponents double strike and being a Dragon, is the perfect card for this effect.
Extra Attacks
Extra attacks is another way to leverage Zojutai’s ability and there are plenty of these available in the Boros part of Jeskai. Since they’re also Dragons, Hellkite Charger and Scourge of the Throne are perfect for this.
Myriad
Myriad allows us to spread out our attacks to maximize Zojutai’s trigger. We’ve got a Dragon with myriad in Tiamat’s Fanatics, and I might consider running Blade of Selves and Legion Loyalty as well. If I’ve got a number of non-Dragon supporting creatures in the deck, I might even run Duke Ulder Ravengard.
What are you planning on doing with Zurgo and Ojutai? Are there any awesome cards I overlooked that you think are slam dunk includes? What is your favorite legendary team-up in March of the Machine?
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