Combustion ManCombustion Man | Art by Pisukev

...Probably Better Known as Sparky Sparky Boom Man

Combustion ManCombustion Man is one of the most powerful characters in the Avatar: the Last Airbender show. The heroes barely even spend time fighting back against him; their only strategy against his mental firebending is to run and hide, until their final showdown with him.

And the scariest part about Combustion Man is that we never know exactly how his powers work. He doesn't speak a word in the whole series, his bending abilities are unlike anyone else's, and the tattooed eye on his forehead hints at a backstory, maybe even an organization of more people like him.

What Does Combustion ManCombustion Man Do?

On the battlefield, however, Combustion Man's anonymity leads him to be a fairly simple uncommon. He will dominate games of Limited, where his ability forces a choice between two very scary options. He was not designed for Commander. His attack trigger creates a lopsided choice: destroying a permanent is powerful, whereas taking four extra damage is just not too bad in a forty-life format. But just like in the show, Combustion Man and his minigame ability hint at a collection of other threats, which will create more sinister choices.

Combustion Man calls back to an archetype of cards colloquially known as "punishers." The classic example of this type of card is BrowbeatBrowbeat, which makes our opponents choose between giving us cards or taking damage.

The lesson to be learned from punishers is that giving the opponent that choice usually makes the card bad. Three mana for three cards is a great deal in red, and three mana for six damage would be a busted burn spell even today, but letting the opponent choose makes BrowbeatBrowbeat much worse.

...At least, that's the thought in 1v1 Magic. Giving opponents a choice in Commander is slightly different. It's never a zero-sum game of advantage. Opponent A might be incentivized to give us resources if that helps us deal with opponent B, and everyone will be reluctant to be the one to take BrowbeatBrowbeat's five damage, as that's a cost none of our other opponents would have to pay.

These cards are never going to make it onto the Game Changers list, but they have a place in our format. And that place is in this Combustion ManCombustion Man punishers deck, a deck that will create dilemmas every turn and focus more on playing "punisher" minigames than consistently winning the game.

This deck will likely be closer to the Bracket 1 category than any other, as its primary goal is to add a thematic, interactive element to the game at the expense of individual card power.

Key Cards for Combustion ManCombustion Man

A good deal of the classic punisher cards come from back in the day, when there were more unexplored ideas for choices an opponent could face. Alongside BrowbeatBrowbeat acting as card draw, Breaking PointBreaking Point opposes damage to a Wrath of GodWrath of God effect, and SkullscorchSkullscorch opposes damage to Hymn to TourachHymn to Tourach.

If an opponent has to deal with one or two of these cards, they might shrug off the damage, but every subsequent decision becomes more costly.

Slightly newer cards have powered up the punisher mechanic. Longhorn FirebeastLonghorn Firebeast is a joke, but Vexing DevilVexing Devil is more of a pushed rate. BrowbeatBrowbeat gains jump-start in Risk FactorRisk Factor, helping it force a trickier choice the second time around. Enchanter's BaneEnchanter's Bane repeats its effect every turn, and every iteration pushes players into a tighter spot.

We also now have some creatures that can apply pressure while creating these little mini-games for our opponents. Star AthleteStar Athlete bears remarkable resemblance to Combustion ManCombustion Man, dealing five damage or removing a permanent whenever it attacks. Terrapact IntimidatorTerrapact Intimidator comes down early and either lowers life totals quickly or lets us ramp to our high end with two LanderLanders.

Sin ProdderSin Prodder's menace enables it to sneak in some damage as well, and its upkeep trigger can put our fate into the hands of either the player with the lowest life, or one who wants us to succeed at their other opponents' expense.

Building a punisher deck allows us to include some cards that really amp up the multiplayer aspect of the game. Wheel of MisfortuneWheel of Misfortune is nearly as powerful as the legendary Wheel of FortuneWheel of Fortune, but also makes everyone come together and talk tactics before their secret number choices.

Similarly, Prisoner's DilemmaPrisoner's Dilemma forces players to take a break from whatever they're doing to chat about game theory. Custody BattleCustody Battle will often send a creature around the table, creating alliances and betrayals. If our opponents are stuck thinking the only worthwhile forms of "interaction" are counterspells and removal, we can force them to have a good time, with a mono-red twist.

Most of these red political tools give our opponents a choice between taking damage and giving advantage, and damage is almost always the safer choice for our opponents to take. We need ways to make them feel less safe in their life totals, which will give our minigames higher stakes. Damage multipliers like Furnace of RathFurnace of Rath, Fiery EmancipationFiery Emancipation, and City on FireCity on Fire will force our opponents to stop and think before taking a few points of burn.

Leaning into this damage-multiplying strategy, we can include some classic Group Slug cards that will quickly deplete life totals and bring the end game before some players are ready for it.

Ankh of MishraAnkh of Mishra can come down early and punish players just for developing their resources, working a double shift against green ramp decks. Price of ProgressPrice of Progress catches everyone by surprise, and will probably deal double digits of damage to at least a couple players.

Descent into AvernusDescent into Avernus brings the game to a close in two ways, giving a crazy mana advantage to everyone while also pushing their health to the brink. Heartless HidetsuguHeartless Hidetsugu is one of the scariest creatures to stare down, as he can wipe out all comfort with a single tap by bringing everyone into dying-right-now range.

If we have Furnace of RathFurnace of Rath in play, Hidetsugu becomes even more terrifying. He still rounds his damage down, but it is then doubled, meaning everyone who started at an even life total dies and everyone who started odd goes to one.

We can throw a ton of damage around now, but that knife cuts both ways. We need some tools to keep ourselves afloat even while speeding up the pace of the game. Thankfully, effects that grant lifelink work perfectly with Combustion ManCombustion Man, who deals damage both in combat and with his ability.

Basilisk CollarBasilisk Collar and ShadowspearShadowspear are the most efficient ways to grant lifelink, and I'm throwing in Loxodon WarhammerLoxodon Warhammer as well for a way to increase our commander's power. With the Warhammer, one swing can gain us as much as fourteen life, which will make our Ankh of MishraAnkh of Mishra feel less threatening.

Winning the Game With Combustion ManCombustion Man

The general play pattern of this deck is unlike any I've played before. All of our punisher effects and Group Slug cards will hit the table hard at first, hopefully getting our opponents into vulnerable spots. But at that point, BrowbeatBrowbeat and Breaking PointBreaking Point stop being burn spells and start to become spells that give us an advantage.

Combustion Man will often destroy a permanent on attack, turning him into a powerful control piece. Our burn deck transforms into a control deck as soon as we almost seal the deal.

Some of our punisher cards play into this control plan well. Erratic PortalErratic Portal slows our opponents down by threatening to bounce their stuff unless they always have mana available. Isolation CellIsolation Cell also taxes their mana if we can get them sufficiently fearful of the two damage.

Kazuul, Tyrant of the CliffsKazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs can hold back a ton of attackers, either by making blockers for them or by simply making us less desirable a target than another player. We can play the quick game and then the long game if need be.

While some of our burn spells let our opponents opt out, some of our spells do guarantee damage, and these cards are how we'll most likely close out a game. Prisoner's DilemmaPrisoner's Dilemma is fully capable of taking a player out if they read their interlocuters wrong and take eight or even twelve damage.

Price of ProgressPrice of Progress, Fiery ConfluenceFiery Confluence, and Descent into AvernusDescent into Avernus can and will deal the last points of damage to opponents who might think they've stabilized.

We're also including a package of cards that work well on their own but combine to take out a player or two. Brash TaunterBrash Taunter is a good way to stop opponents from attacking us, and can deal damage by itself with its fight ability. Chain ReactionChain Reaction and Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act are the cream of the crop for red board wipes, and subsidize some of the sillier cards we're playing by trading for a ton of resources and extending the game.

Together, these cards can direct damage. Throw in a damage multiplier, and they can take out almost anyone. If Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act deals 26 rather than 13, Brash TaunterBrash Taunter will double that again to deal 52 damage to an unlucky opponent.

Combustion Man Commander Deck List

This deck is a great icebreaker. So many of our cards ask our opponents for input, whether through simple options or more involved mini-games, that no one will be able to turtle up and just cast their spells. Also, many of our punisher cards are just goofy! Who can get salty at a Molten InfluenceMolten Influence or a Shivan WumpusShivan Wumpus?

One of my favorite things about Commander is seeing players, both me and my opponents, cast cool and weird cards, and this deck should scratch that itch for the whole table. We can open up opportunities for players to work together, and our opponents will give us the choice we want more than they probably should.

The pattern of dealing a lot of damage early and then settling into the control role late is one that can create interesting, tense games. Commander games can feel like letdowns if they end too early or drag on too long, so why not push the game to that precarious stage and then balance it for a few turns?

When everyone has a low life total but hasn't developed massive engines and pools of resources, every play matters more. Our punisher spells create more decisions both for us and for our opponents, giving more chances for a game to be remembered. Combustion ManCombustion Man forces opponents onto the back foot, and makes them think fast, but it also dials up the social element of the game.