(A) DJLI; (F)

Don't Just Launch It

(A) (F) (A) (F) (A) (F) (A) (F) (A) (F) (A) (F) (A) (F) (A) (F) (A) (F) (A) (F)

-Early Draft, updating as needed

been running some variation of this list for the past few months.

The main issue with Avatar of Air right now, in my opinion, is the overall weakness of the Air card pool. It's difficult to compete on value when similarly costed Water spells often provide multiple effects while also accomplishing one of Air's primary strengths: forced movement.

In many games, I'll have an explosive start and easily outpace my opponent in the early turns. Air arguably has some of the strongest low-cost minions in the format. By turn four, however, the deck often runs out of gas. Usually this happens after an opponent answers your early pressure with an Infiltrate on a Dapryll Vampire or another efficient removal spell, leaving you behind as they smoothly curve into the mid and late game.

This led me to a question:

What if we're playing Avatar of Air entirely wrong?

I don't believe AoA is an aggro avatar. I think it's fundamentally a control archetype.

AoA's greatest strength is its ability to manipulate positioning and create favorable trades. Yet the archetype is often played as a "get to four mana, drop a bomb, and launch it as deep into the opponent's territory as possible" strategy, relying on cards like Desecrate, Devil's Egg, Skirmisher, and similar effects to push damage.

Hence the name: DJLI — Don't Just Launch It.

What if, instead, you widened the curve?

What if you leveraged Air's movement and positioning tools to support more powerful, higher-upside minions? Rather than racing, you could establish control of the realm around your avatar, pick off weaker opposing minions, and gradually dismantle your opponent's magic package while building toward a stronger late game.

The goal isn't to win before your opponent stabilizes. The goal is to make sure they never stabilize on favorable terms in the first place.

This list is my attempt to explore that idea.

Using Fire as a supplemental element helps round out the deck's overall power level. It grants access to stronger early-game minions such as Mazuj Efreet, along with excellent control tools like Maze Minotaur. The spell package also improves significantly with high-damage options such as Major Explosion and Corpse Explosion.

You also gain access to Boil, one of the better water-hosers available, and a fairly substantial board wipe in the form of Death Dealer, which pairs particularly well with Corpse Explosion.

Monstrous Lion pulls a surprising amount of weight in this shell. In the early game, it can repeatedly chip away at smaller minions and clear paths for favorable trades. Later, it serves as a respectable mid-game threat, either trading up or simply taking a turn off your opponent's clock by flying in for damage.

The Air package contains the usual suspects. Skirmishers of Mu, Dapryll Vampire, and its counterpart Renatus Trueblood provide efficient pressure and board control. Legion of Gall is arguably one of the best value minions currently printed, offering an impressive body for its cost while simultaneously attacking your opponent's collection.

There are also several targeted meta choices. Jack the Ripper provides an answer to Sir Galahad and other troublesome mortals. Bane of Aventis serves as a useful tool against Savior and Ward strategies, while Grim Reaper helps answer a variety of common threats found throughout the current metagame.

The site package is relatively standard, with the notable inclusion of Active Volcanoes to help smooth out Fire threshold requirements.

Recommended Draw Strategy

Because this deck is built around establishing a more traditional site progression than most AoA lists, your draw decisions should prioritize consistent mana development while reaching your Fire threshold requirements.

On the Play:

I typically recommend drawing in the following order:

Spell → Site → Spell → Site → Site → Spell

Continue prioritizing sites and spells as needed until you reach 6 mana and 2 Fire threshold.

On the Draw:

I typically recommend:

Site → Spell → Site → Site → Spell

Your sixth draw is dependent on your current threshold situation. If you still need to reach 2 Fire threshold, prioritize accordingly. Because the deck establishes a more standard site layout than most Avatar of Air builds, reaching the required Fire threshold is usually not difficult.

Threshold Management Note

This deck requires two Fire threshold, so if you reveal an Active Volcano early or can safely mulligan away excess Fire threshold sources, do so. Your primary objective is reaching six mana as quickly as possible, followed by seven mana in the late game. Missing site drops hurts this deck far more than being short on Fire threshold.

Remember: DJLI;. Don't Just Launch It.

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Results

June 23rd: Went 2-1 at local meetup.

Djli;

@Tattoocharlie