Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Legendary Creature — Human Assassin
Menace Assassin spells you cast have freerunning {B}{B}. (You may cast a spell for its freerunning cost if you dealt combat damage to a player this turn with an Assassin or commander.) Whenever Ezio deals combat damage to a player, you may pay {W}{U}{B}{R}{G} if that player has 10 or less life. When you do, that player loses the game.
Strategy & Gameplay
Ezio Auditore da Firenze represents a compelling strategic option for players looking to build aggressive Assassin-focused decks or incorporate a efficient evasive threat into their black-based strategies. This legendary creature comes down early for just one black and one generic mana, immediately providing a 3/2 body with menace, making it difficult for opponents to block profitably while establishing board presence quickly. The real power lies in its two unique abilities that synergize beautifully with Assassin-themed strategies. The freerunning mechanic on Assassin spells effectively reduces their casting costs by two black mana once you've dealt combat damage with any Assassin or your commander, enabling explosive turns where you can chain multiple threats together while maintaining tempo advantage. This creates a snowball effect where early damage translates directly into mana savings on subsequent threats, rewarding aggressive play patterns. The second ability offers a potential alternate win condition, allowing you to close out games against weakened opponents by paying five mana of different colors once your opponent drops to ten life or below, providing a unique path to victory that incentivizes chip damage strategies. In deck construction, Ezio performs exceptionally well in dedicated Assassin decks, particularly in Commander where it can serve as a powerful commander itself or as a key supporting piece. The card is legal across modern, legacy, vintage, commander, and oathbreaker formats, making it accessible to diverse player bases. Players should consider this card if they're building around Assassin payoffs, enjoy aggressive tempo strategies with evasive creatures, or want a legendary creature that rewards dealing combat damage while providing immediate board impact and long-term value generation through cost reduction mechanics.
Illustrated by Fajareka Setiawan