Ozai, the Phoenix King leads a Rakdos Commander deck built around unspent mana

Polygon reports the author built an Ozai, the Phoenix King Commander deck after the Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover set, released in November 2025, provided a legendary creature to build around.

Ozai costs six to cast (two red, two black, two colorless) and is a 7/7 with trample, firebending 4, and haste. While Ozai is in play all unspent mana becomes red and never goes away, and if the player has at least six unspent mana Ozai gains flying and indestructible. The article notes that 21 Commander damage is enough to knock out an opponent, which can be achieved with three unblocked swings from Ozai.

To support Ozai the deck leans on mana rocks such as Sol Ring and Gilded Lotus, a backup commander in Electro, Assaulting Battery, removal and burn spells, and tools for extra combat steps. The stated plan is to build a large pool of unspent mana—ideally 20 or more—and cast high‑cost X spells like Exsanguinate, Goblin Negotiations, or Pedal to the Metal; the author also highlights cards like Morlun, Devourer of Spiders and ways to amplify damage with Lord of Pain or Vial Smasher. The writer says the deck often makes them the target at the table, opponents team up to remove Ozai, and they are still fine‑tuning the list (favoring more instants and fewer creatures) and have shared the decklist for feedback.

Key Topics

Culture, Ozai, Avatar, Rakdos, Sol Ring, Exsanguinate