With the Modern RC in the books and my requalification for the next two regionals, Standard has been my current format of focus. With RC Portland only a few months away, I'm committed to keeping the ball rolling with my Standard success, as I continue to tinker with Control lists in this hectic Badgermole Cub meta.

In my last article I wrote about my success at the Standard ReCQ at RC Vegas, where I managed to 5-0 with a new take on Azorius Control. I ended up running Azorius as opposed to Jeskai or Four-Color Control due to how fast the format has gotten, with the release of Avatar: The Last Airbender. With new aggressive Allies strategies, Badgermole Cub, and various Izzet decks, it's harder to play expensive spells like Inevitable Defeat or play too many taplands. Azorius has always been my go-to in this case since you can rely on cards like Day of Judgment and Seam Rip to undo fast starts from your opponent.

While I only added two new cards from Avatar to my Azorius list, there are quite a few new cards from the set that are Control-viable. I haven't tested every card on this list, but I do have some thoughts, especially with how Standard is shaking out with the various new Avatar decks.

This is the most important card that I added to my Azorius Control deck - and it won me multiple games throughout my tournament. Aang's Iceberg solves a lot of problems for just regular Azorius Control. The main reason to play Four-Color Control was due to how flexible of a removal spell Inevitable Defeat was. Defeat helped you take out pesky cards like Agatha's Soul Cauldron and Enduring Curiosity - good thing that Aang's Iceberg does the exact same thing, and for one mana less. While the lifegain was relevant off Inevitable Defeat the fact that you also have to play so many shocklands in Four-Color Control sort of undoes that benefit.

Aang's Iceberg also just has additional text aside from it being just an instant-speed O-Ring. One play that I realized in the middle of my ReCQ was during a match where I needed to figure out how to deal lethal to my opponent fast. They were playing Naya Yuna, and with me at under 4 life I had to find a way to end the game before they could cast an uncounterable Overlord of the Boilerbilges. With an Overlord of the Mistmoors on Impending on my side of the battlefield I realized that I had just enough mana at the end of my turn to cast an Aang's Iceberg, exile my own Overlord, and use the moth tokens to Waterbend to unlock it, netting me an active Overlord and two new moths. Drawing into an Elspeth, Storm Slayer I was able to put counters on my creatures and deal my opponent more than lethal to win the match.

Aang's Iceberg is more than just a flexible removal spell - it's a way you can rebuy your powerful creatures with enter the battlefield effects or just save them from removal.

This is a card that I think is vastly overrated, at least in Standard Control decks. If I were to play this card in a Control deck it would probably only be Azorius, as Azorius is the only deck that can realistically play Demolition Field. With Consult the Star Charts and Stock Up I don't think you need another draw spell in this deck, and you already have so many other ways to win the game. I actually played a Wan Shi Tong in a ReCQ earlier that weekend, and I ended up boarding it out in every match.

Overall, I think the format is just too fast for a card like this, and it also just makes your opponent's removal spells live in game one. This is more of a Modern/Legacy card in my opinion, but I think if WotC reprinted fetchlands or some sort of Path to Exile effect in coming sets then I would be more onboard with this card.

This is another card I played in my winning Azorius Control list. However, I regret to say that I didn't activate it once over the course of the event. Overall, while I think the looting ability is nice on this card, and you play enough basics in Azorius Control to want it, you never have the time to use this ability. I feel like if you're activating this land you probably are already ahead, or desperate for a wrath. I think there are times this effect is useful, as it's faster than Fountainport making a token to sacrifice the next turn. However, you're probably already using more efficient ways to dig for cards.

A land that I actually think might be more useful in Azorius Control than Agna Qel'a is Abandoned Air Temple. While this reads as a Mono-White Aggro or Tokens card, I think there are some important uses in Azorius Control. This card mainly acts as a way to double up on your Elspeth, Storm Slayer tokens, or just as a way to buff up your moth tokens from Overlord of the Mistmoors. If you're able to put a Beza, the Bounding Spring and some fish tokens into play Abandoned Air Temple is a nice way to buff up your board, especially if you're at a stalled board state. I think I like Abandoned Air Temple more than Agna Qel'a in straight Azorius as it gives you a unique effect that can actually help you turn the corner fast or stabilize.

While this isn't an Azorius card, it's one worth mentioning for a specific reason. Upon first reading this card I was worried it would be too slow for Standard, but with the rise of Badgermole Cub it actually has some pretty unique utility. At X=0 this card destroys Earthbended lands since it removes all abilities from creatures if affects. At one mana it kills off Earthbended lands and Gene Pollinator and Llanowar Elves. I think if you're a deck with good spot removal you can pick off bigger threats like Ouroboroid, and use this card to pick off the remaining small creatures.

Standard is constantly evolving, and with the release of Avatar: The Last Airbender there are a number of cards making waves in the format. While it's uncertain to tell exactly how the meta is going to shake out, if you want to play a more reactive deck in the format it's important to know what cards are viable, and why. With cards like Badgermole Cub allowing decks to commit to the board faster, you have to be mindful of how your removal spells line up with the threats in the format.

If Azorius Control is your thing I think you have some pretty powerful tools to keep up with how fast the format is, and while we wait for Hallowed Fountain in Lorwyn Eclipsed we have a few nice Avatar cards to try out.

As always, thanks for reading.

-Roman Fusco