Itazura, Lingering Wick
MBC #41 · Rare
Spirit · 1/5 · {2}{U}{R}
Prints 2026-11-09
Set: Mystery Booster Commander Edition (MBC) #41 — Rare
Type: Legendary Creature — Spirit · 1/5 · {2}{U}{R}
Status: Unreleased (print date 2026-11-09)
Source: Obsidian vault (Hermes)
Effect. At the beginning of your upkeep, exile the top three cards of your library. Each opponent secretly chooses a number 0 or greater. Those numbers are revealed. An opponent with the highest number is chosen; Itazura deals them that much damage, then that opponent may cast one of the exiled spells without paying its mana cost. A card that wasn't cast this way goes to your hand.
Design in a sentence
Every upkeep, three cards leave your library for good: one may be cast free by a life-paying opponent, one lands in your hand, one is burned. So you deliberately pad the top of your deck with spells your opponents will happily cast for the life cost — ideally stuff that still hurt them, so even a high bid is a net wash or a loss.
The engine turns “my opponents can cast my cards free” into “my opponents can cast my cards free on my schedule, only if I want them to show up on top.”
Tier 1 — Board wipes (the core of the deck)
The single most-desired free cast in the format. These hit all players, so an opponent who casts them still loses creatures — pairing them with a human-heavy board means the free cast barely helps the opponent.
| Card | Why it's prime free-cast bait |
|---|
| Turn to Face | The ace. On a human + thick board it's nearly free for the caster's economy, but the 0/0s' end-step damage still claims them. |
| Day of Judgement | Same profile, the classic. |
| Wrath of God | Same profile, cheaper/legacy-flavored. |
| Kaldramon's Torch | Same profile, extra flavor. |
- Run 3–4 copies of this “shape” across these spells — you want a board wipe to reliably be on top when the draw matters.
- Because a free wipe is uncounterable on your upkeep, your own creatures must already be safe (shroud/hexproof) or you're donating them.
Tier 2 — Targeted interaction aimed at you
Spells opponents will slam on your commander and best creature. Highest-desire “free” spells — and their own board gets weaker as a side effect.
| Card | Why they'll bid high |
|---|
| Path to Exile | The archetype's defining free cast — exiles your best thing. |
| Thought Adept | Devastating and they love the “put another back” payoff, even though it hurts you. |
| Duress | Free targeted removal from a big hand. |
| Return to Sender | Bounces a commander for free — they'll gamble life for it. |
| Disenchant | Free permanent removal (artifacts/enchantments). |
| Pithing Needle | Permanent free hate; huge perceived value. |
Tier 3 — Big value they can spend the life on
Free mana, free damage, free card draw. Cheap to cast, huge perceived value — so opponents happily burn high numbers for them.
| Card | Value delivered “free” |
|---|
| Brainstorm | Card draw + a top-deck choice. |
| Chain Lightning / Pyrokinesis | Free 3×3 / up-to-5×3 burn, hits everything. |
| Kodama's Reach | Free ramp off-land — game-breaking value. |
| Sol Ring / Mox Opal / Lion's Den | Free permanents that keep producing for them. |
Double-edged
Tier 3 hands the caster real advantage. Use sparingly and prefer the ones that hit back (wipes, burn, targeted removal at you) so the free cast is a fair trade or a loss for them.
Tier 4 — Itazura support
Top-of-library control
- Izzet Steam Vat — free “scry” + card quality
- Mind Over Matter — re-cast to control the top
- Restoration Angel — shuffle / cycle for setup
Punish the free cast
- Karn Liberated — +1 life per opponent spell
- Mishra's Factory — mana per opponent spell
- Rogue's Gallery — 1/1 token per opponent spell
Defenses
- Wing Shroud — shroud vs Path / targeted free removal
- Hexproof humans + Raging Gorilla / Nihilic Malediction
Win conditions
- Board of hexproof humans + legendary spirits
- Ghostly Flicker — value re-cast / tempo
- Close out with burn; upkeep chips compound
Key mechanics to design around
- The exiled cards are gone. Three leave every upkeep and never come back. Don't rely on deep combo — the deck shrinks, and top-of-library predictability improves.
- Free cast is on your upkeep, uncounterable. Protect with shroud/hexproof rather than trying to counter.
- Life loss is both their attack and your fuel. They pay life to cast → that feeds Karn/Factory/Gallery.
- Win timing. Mid-board of safe humans + compounding life damage; don't out-draw into a smaller deck.
Suggested list skeleton
- Board wipes: 3× (Turn to Face / Judgement / Wrath)
- Targeted removal (at you): Path to Exile, Thought Adept, Return to Sender, Disenchant, Pithing Needle, Duress
- Free value (sparingly): Brainstorm, Chain Lightning, one mana-rock
- Deck control: Izzet Steam Vat, Mind Over Matter, Restoration Angel
- Free-cast counters: Karn Liberated, Mishra's Factory, Rogue's Gallery
- Defenses: Wing Shroud, Raging Gorilla, Nihilic Malediction
- Win: Ghostly Flicker, burn finishers
- Remaining: hexproof humans, cheap mana, ramp to protect the curve
Exported from Obsidian · Hermes vault · shared via canvas.gliffy.tv