Tetsuo, Imperial Champion

Tetsuo, Imperial Champion is a evasive threat that rewards you for suiting up with Equipment. Every time he attacks while equipped, you get to choose between dealing damage equal to your best Equipment's mana value or casting a free spell of that cost. The core gameplan is to load him up with efficient Equipment like Shadowspear or Embercleave, then turn your combat steps into explosive turns where you're either burning through opponent life totals or chain-casting spells for free.

The beauty of Tetsuo is that he scales naturally—better Equipment means bigger damage triggers and more powerful spells you can cast. You'll want a mix of cheap Equipment to ensure he's always armed, some high-impact ones for the payoff triggers, and plenty of cheap instant and sorcery spells to abuse the casting ability. Think of him as a toolbox: Equipment serves as both the threat and the fuel, while your spell suite lets you pivot between removal, protection, and tempo.

You win by turning Tetsuo into a sustained damage engine, where each attack represents multiple cards' worth of value. In longer games, the free spells add up to overwhelming card advantage. In faster matchups, a single large Equipment (like Embercleave) can turn him into a one-hit kill threat.

Strategy generated by Tapped Decks AI. Not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.