I brought an updated Atsadi list to the AQZ championship on 2025-04-17 where the deck went 4-2 (with a bye) for 29th of 95.
Changes
The last time I played Atsadi & Surge.
Expensive characters
I swapped in expensive characters that play better with Eat Me Energy Bars (C). I’m no longer interested in characters that naturally have gigantic like Valemon (R) and Atlas (R) since they turn off Energy Bars. Demeter (F) was nice with Energy Bars but somewhat underwhelming without, and it’s fighting with Sakarabru (F) as the character that really wants to go into the Energy Bars expedition.
Shenlong (R) is an impressive amount of stats without Energy Bars, terrifyingly large with Energy Bars, and benefits from built-in tough since the Energy Bars character is a removal magnet.
Card draw
Even with Atsadi’s card draw and expensive characters, my ramp uniques often meant that I had plenty of mana but not a lot of choices with my hand.
I like Benzaiten (F) quite a bit for her built-in card draw. It’s the nature of the deck that you’ll usually have an expedition that’s behind, at least before you start Sakarabru-ing. There’s some anti-synergy with an already set up Energy Bars, since a gigantic Benzaiten needs both of her expeditions to be behind to draw a single card.
The second Kaibara, Asgarthan Leviathan (R) makes it more likely you get the fourth and fifth card draw even if one goes into mana, either due to random ramp or because you saw one too early.
Protection
Eat Me Energy Bars (C) can be countered if the character in its expedition is removed. It’s especially vulnerable to sleep, since you can’t put another character in the expedition that day and won’t have the Energy Bars available for Sakarabru (F) on the following day.
While your mana advantage can often help you dodge removal, The Spindle, Muna Bastion (F) is extra insurance against sleep-heavy decks like Afanas and Fen.
Uniques
This build is heavily dependent on these multi-ramp uniques, but you may be able to approximate them by swapping two (give or take) copies of Mana Channeling (C) for the rare.
Kappa (U-1013): 7/7
Aja: 6/7
Kappa (U-2351): 6/7
Double-ramp on 5 mana is extremely powerful: if you manage to ramp on D1 and play this on D2, you can skyrocket to 8 mana on D3.
It’s not ideal that a removal spell can deny the ramp entirely, but it’s not trivial to remove a 5-mana character if played on curve. I prefer the at-dusk trigger to a when-leaves trigger so that it’s not vulnerable to being slept.
Future changes
I’m very interested in slotting in one or two copies of Physical Training (R). The card draw seems very valuable, and 3 mana is less of a commitment for Atsadi. It plays well with Eat Me Energy Bars (C) in that you make your gigantic character even bigger and leave the door open to boosting a side further once you’ve committed your one character there. The only thing I’m worried about is becoming even more vulnerable to removal.
I’m no longer convinced that both copies of Mana Eruption need to be rare. There were an instance or two where the mana discount really mattered today, but I think more often than not Atsadi will be able to afford the additional cost.
I’ll continue to consider cheap characters with impressive stats such as The Snowman (F) that can keep up early-game and productively pass priority in the late-game. My only hesitation is that a 3-drop like Haven Warrior (R) is a stronger, self-contained D1 play.
The games
R1 (B)
R2 (L): Afanas & Senka
- My D2 Haven Warrior (R) into an Eat Me Energy Bars (C) got punished by a Beauty Sleep (F).
- I didn’t ramp on D1-4. Keeping a D2 Mana Channeling (C) would have enabled a D3 6-mana Kappa (U-1013), but I didn’t know I was going to top-deck it.
Even if I deal with the Spindle Harvesters (U) now, it's already drawn them two cards.
- On M6, I felt pressured to Mana Eruption (R) to prevent a Helping Hand (F) loop on a Spindle Harvesters (U). I could have allowed them one more card, but ramping with the 6-mana Kappa (U-1013) now would also have overflowed my reserve and left it open to sabotage with my opponent as tomorrow’s first player.
My opponent correctly identified Eat Me Energy Bars (C) as Atsadi's biggest mid-game threat.
- Their Red (U) discarded my first Eat Me Energy Bars (C). A Banishing Gate (C) eliminated the second, but let me 2-0.
My expensive characters couldn't outsize my opponent's scaling threats from this point on.
- At 1/3, my opponent was able to exactly block one side. After that, their Mage-Dancers and hand of spells would prevent me from taking another expedition, regardless of how many Sakarabrus I played.
Reflections
- Two Mana Eruption (R)s were key to eliminate a pair of powerful uniques. In one instance, the common would have been just as good. In the other, the rare gave me just enough mana for a Fire Rabbit (C) to win an extra expedition.
R3 (L): Sigismar & Wingspan
My double after-you into Kaibara, Asgarthan Leviathan (R) fell short of blocking one side of a Charge! unique.
- Sticky Note Seals (C) denied my 5-mana Kappa (U-2351) ramp and cleared the Energy Bars expedition.
- Had I seen a Sakarabru (F), there were several days when the Energy Bars combo was available.
R4 (W): Kojo & Booda
My massive mana advantage let me after-you into a safe Kaibara (R).
- Haven Warrior (R) into a second-player Geyser (C) into the 6-mana Kappa (U-1013) made up a perfect opening hand.
- My opponent set up two early Haven (R)s which let them contest my large characters.
- Failing to play around sabotage by leading with a reserve Chiron (C) nearly cost me the game.
- In the screenshot above, the Mana Eruption (R) after-you was critical; my opponent had a Mana Eruption (C) for my Shenlong (R) that would have been game-winning on the Kaibara (R).
R5 (W): Sigismar & Wingspan
Sakarabru (F) with a mana advantage means that going 1-1 favors Atsadi.
- A D3 6-mana Kappa (U-1013) played twice put me at a 13-7 mana advantage.
- Sakarabru (F) without Energy Bars was enough to stabilize.
R6 (W): Sierra & Oddball
Sierra's late-game rivaled my own. Sakarabru + Energy Bars was the only thing keeping me in the game.
- A D3 Aja (U) followed up by the 6-mana Kappa (U-1013) on D4 got me way ahead on mana.
- Meanwhile, my opponent set up two Brassbug Hive (R)s by M7 and threatened a win at 4/1 on expeditions.
- I set my opponent back with a Geyser (C) on one Hive and a Mana Eruption (R) on the other.
- Two consecutive days of Sakarabru (F) + Eat Me Energy Bars (C) stabilized me at 1/2. My opponent was able to get back to where they started but only by spending a ton of resources.
- I drew dead on the final day; if my opponent had exhausted my Shenlong (R) to prevent it from being played with Energy Bars, they would have won.