Ezio Auditore da Firenze
CommanderEzio Auditore da Firenze is a five-color Assassin combat deck that turns early chip damage into discounted threats and can “execute” a player once they’re low enough.
Public decks: 2Bracket: 1
Card text
Legendary Creature — Human Assassin
Menace
Assassin spells you cast have freerunning . (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 
if that player has 10 or less life. When you do, that player loses the game.
Overview
- Deploy Ezio early and start connecting with menace to turn on freerunning for your Assassin spells.
- Leverage the {B}{B} freerunning cost to double-spell and keep pressure up while developing your board.
- Manage life totals: you often want one opponent to dip to 10 or less so Ezio can threaten a WUBRG “lose the game” hit.
- Prioritize evasion and safe attacks; the deck tends to play like tempo-aggro with a built-in assassination finisher.
- Because the kill trigger asks for WUBRG, you generally need solid fixing/ramp to convert a hit into an immediate elimination.
Common lines
- Turn 2 Ezio, attack the following turn to enable freerunning, then use the discount to deploy additional Assassins while keeping mana open for interaction.
- Chip an opponent down, then line up a turn where Ezio can connect while you hold up WUBRG to cash in the execute trigger.
- Use combat-damage-based draw/value engines (as an example, Bident of Thassa or Coastal Piracy) to keep cards flowing while your evasive bodies connect.
- Stabilize the board with flexible removal (as an example, Assassin's Trophy), then pivot back to attacks once shields are down.
Strengths
- Very high ceiling on tempo once freerunning is online; discounted Assassins can let you snowball turns.
- Clear closing pressure: Ezio threatens to delete a player rather than having to grind through the last chunk of life.
- Access to all five colors supports broad answers and flexible deckbuilding.
- Combat-centric card advantage can keep you ahead when your creatures consistently connect.
- Good at punishing opponents who tap out or skimp on blockers.
Weaknesses
- Relies on combat damage; fog effects, pillowforting, and clogged boards can shut off both freerunning and the finisher.
- The execute trigger is mana- and setup-intensive (must connect, must have WUBRG, opponent must be at 10 or less).
- Commander-centric: repeated removal or well-timed blocks can stall your plan and tax your resources.
- Life gain and incidental lifelink can push targets out of the 10-or-less window at awkward times.
- Can be stretched on mana/fixing in five colors if you don’t prioritize it early.
Rule zero notes
- Ezio can eliminate a player outright when he hits them at 10 or less life and you pay WUBRG; call out that early player kills are possible.
- This commander pushes a combat-first, evasive-attacker plan; games can revolve around keeping Ezio connecting.
- Five-color decks can read as “toolbox”; clarify whether your list is mostly Assassin-themed or closer to five-color goodstuff.
- If you’re running lots of combat-damage draw engines (for example, Coastal Piracy / Bident of Thassa), mention that the deck can snowball card advantage quickly once it’s connecting.
- Signal your intended power level: the available snapshot suggests a bracket 1 environment, so set expectations on speed and interaction.
Matchups
Best into
- Slower midrange pods where life totals naturally drop through combat
- Spell-heavy decks that don’t present many early blockers
- Value piles that tap out to develop and give you openings to connect
- Creature-light control decks that rely on a small number of sweepers
Struggles against
- Pillowfort and fog-heavy strategies that invalidate combat steps
- Dedicated lifegain shells that keep everyone comfortably above 10
- Removal-dense tables that can repeatedly answer Ezio before he connects
- Fast combo pods where combat pressure doesn’t meaningfully race the stack
FAQ
What is Ezio actually trying to do each game?
Connect in combat to enable freerunning for Assassins, build a board with the discount, and eventually set up a hit that can execute a low-life opponent.
Do I need to lean fully into Assassins?
To maximize Ezio’s freerunning text, you typically want a meaningful Assassin count, but the shell can still use non-Assassin support pieces for ramp, evasion, and interaction.
How do you usually win besides the execute trigger?
Even without the WUBRG finish, a steady stream of evasive attackers backed by card draw and removal can close through normal combat damage.
How important is mana fixing here?
Very: you’re five colors and your signature kill asks for WUBRG at the moment you connect, so early fixing/ramp (for example, Arcane Signet, Cultivate, Farseek, Chromatic Lantern) matters a lot.
What stops the execute trigger from working?
Anything that prevents Ezio from dealing combat damage (blocks, removal, fogs) or changes the life-total condition (life gain) can disrupt the setup.