Universes Beyond’s Most Intense Villain Officially Ranks Among Magic: The Gathering’s Top 10 Commanders

Fire Lord Azula has blazed into the top 10 most popular Magic: The Gathering commanders, pushing two established favorites down the list. According to EDHREC, the Avatar: The Last Airbender villain is now the site’s 10th most-built commander, ahead of mono-white Angel leader Giada, Font of Hope and Naya Dinosaur favorite Pantlaza, Sun-Favored.

EDHREC’s rankings offer a snapshot of the legendary creatures inspiring Commander deckbuilders. A change in the top 10 is notable, particularly after Y’shtola, Night’s Blessed surpassed longtime contenders such as Edgar Markov and The Ur-Dragon earlier this year. Azula’s swift takeover feels especially fitting for the ambitious firebender.

Fire Lord Azula Ignites Commander Deckbuilding

As of November 10, Azula had approximately 40,200 decks on EDHREC’s rolling two-year leaderboard. Giada followed in 11th place with around 39,500, while Pantlaza held 12th with roughly 38,100. It is an impressive result for a card introduced in November 2025, especially against commanders with years of established followings.

Her climb has been exceptionally fast. Azula entered EDHREC’s top 100 in December 2025, reached 20th place by April 2026, and broke into the top 10 less than a year after release.

The four-mana Grixis legend—a blue, black, and red 4/4 Human Noble—has firebending 2, generating two red mana whenever she attacks. That mana lasts until the end of combat. Her other ability copies spells her controller casts while she is attacking, with the option to choose new targets. The effect applies to permanent spells as well as instants and sorceries; copies of permanent spells enter as tokens.

Unsurprisingly, spellslinger strategies are a popular choice. EDHREC lists Frantic Search in approximately 71% of Azula decks and Big Score in 65%. Copying Frantic Search lets players draw, discard, and untap lands twice, while a copied Big Score provides additional cards and Treasures without another discard. Big Score is also set to appear in an upcoming pixel-art Secret Lair collection.

Storm-Kiln Artist adds further value by creating Treasures when its controller casts or copies instant and sorcery spells. With the right sequence, a single attack can generate a wealth of resources before blockers are declared.

There is one important limitation: Azula must be attacking when the spells are cast. Since sorceries normally cannot be cast during combat, effects such as High Fae Trickster and Borne Upon a Wind can help players copy their biggest plays. Mana-producing spells such as Seething Song can then fuel a massive Comet Storm or another dramatic finisher.

What Azula’s Rise Says About Commander

Azula’s success highlights the influence of Magic’s crossover releases. Four commanders in EDHREC’s current top 10 come from Universes Beyond properties: Azula, Y’shtola, Vivi Ornitier, and Sauron, the Dark Lord. Four also debuted in 2025, with Teval, the Balanced Scale joining Azula and the two Final Fantasy legends.

Popularity, however, is not the same as competitive strength. EDHREC counts published decklists, not wins or how often a commander is played at the table. As Magic’s Commander bracket system recognizes, decks can also vary considerably in power.

Even with that distinction, more than 40,000 builds represent a substantial following for a commander whose most powerful tricks depend on attacking. Whether Azula can eventually challenge Y’shtola for first place remains to be seen, but she has already secured a place among Commander’s most popular leaders.

Source: Polygon