Legendary Creature — Avatar Wizard

Saruman the White

Mana value5EDHREC#7,993

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The Commander

Ward {2}

Whenever you cast your second spell each turn, amass Orcs 2. (Put two +1/+1 counters on an Army you control. It's also an Orc. If you don't control an Army, create a 0/0 black Orc Army creature token first.)

Guide

Gameplan

Cast cheap spells in pairs to grow a single Orc Army into a massive threat while drawing into more spells. You play a tempo-control game—countering and bouncing—then close with a giant Army or by going wide/tall through spell velocity.

Strengths

Ward makes Saruman resilient to spot removal
Rewards a low-curve, spell-dense build you'd run anyway in blue
Builds a scaling threat from a single creature, hard to fully answer
Excellent with cost reducers and free/cheap spells to chain triggers

Weaknesses

Amass funnels into one creature—vulnerable to board wipes and edicts
Mono-blue lacks efficient creature removal and lifegain
Needs to cast two spells per turn consistently, demanding card flow
No evasion baked in; the Army can be chump-blocked or chumped

Key Cards

Ophidian Eye — Turns the growing Orc Army into a card-draw engine on combat damage.
Curiosity — Cheap aura that refills your hand off Army damage to keep casting two spells.
Rhystic Study — Engine that powers a low-curve spellslinger shell with reliable card flow.
Mystic Remora — Early card advantage to ensure you hit two spells every turn.
Brainstorm — Cheap cantrip that easily fires the second-spell trigger while smoothing draws.
Cyclonic Rift — Premier mono-blue finisher that clears blockers for a lethal Army swing.
Mind Stone — Ramp that helps you double-spell and cantrips when you no longer need mana.

Upgrade Path

Lower the curve with more 0–2 mana cantrips and rituals so two spells per turn is automatic, and add cost reducers like Baral, Chief of Compliance to chain triggers. Lean into protection (Heroic Intervention effects, counterspells) and evasion auras like Aqueous Form to make the Army unblockable; finish with Cyclonic Rift or a spell-velocity combo. Add fast mana (Sol Ring, Mana Crypt) and top-tier card draw to outpace the table.

Core Cards

The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.

Win Conditions

▸Beating down with one or more giant Orc Armies, often with evasion
▸Connecting with draw auras (Curiosity/Ophidian Eye) to bury opponents in cards then close out
▸Cyclonic Rift overload to clear the way for a lethal swing
▸Infinite or near-infinite spell loops fueling amass and card advantage

Archetypes

Spellslinger — The second-spell trigger pays you off for the cheap-cantrip, instant/sorcery-heavy plan blue loves.
Tempo Control — Ward and counterspells let you protect the board while chipping in with a scaling Army.
Voltron — Stack draw auras and pump on a single growing Army to win through combat.
Combo — Free/cheap spell loops can trigger amass repeatedly and fuel storm-style finishes.