Double-exhaust with Akhlut (Basira & Kaizaimon) [Standard]

I brought this Basira list to the Wednesday A.W.O.L. weekly on 2025-03-05. It ended up going 3-3 for 21st of 71.

The last time I played Basira & Kaizaimon.

Card changes

• Akhlut (R): By leading with this and applying the Basira boost, you can shut down your opponent’s reserve for two turns in a row. As back-breaking as that can be, I hesitated to go higher than two since it’s still a slightly situational 4-drop. Ideally, you’ll play this from hand when you’re the second player so that you can replay it immediately on the following day before the opponent can react.
• Fire Rabbit (C): This along with the Basira boost often leads to blowouts, especially when kept on D1.
• Haven Seiringar (C): Card draw while putting a 2-cost body on board is exactly what Bravos needed.
• Axiom Salvager (F): I like that this is strong on D1 alongside Chiron (C), while also providing a continuous flow of cards into reserve once your Havens are out in the late-game. The issue is that it feels underwhelming when you draw it mid-game and need a character that’s more immediately impactful.
• Bravos Bladedancer: I’m coming around to the rare for the card advantage it provides. I’ve removed all copies of the common, however; I’m unhappy when it’s resupplied, and the payoff for the effort to boost it is a 3-drop from reserve, which often feels a bit pricey.
• Mana Eruption (R): I’m not certain this is the optimal use of rare slots, but the cost reduction from 3 to 2 has felt very meaningful.
• Mighty Jinn (R): Still an incredible draw option, but Akhlut (R) is fighting for 4-drop slots, and Haven Seiringar (C) shores up Bravos’s draw.
• Chiron (C): I’m confident this is still one of Basira’s best commons. It’s very powerful to be able to place two boosts flexibly, especially in the early-game. My strongest Basira unique is a Chiron, but I think I’m not supposed to run it so that I can include three copies of the common.

Bravos has a problem of many of its commons being expensive from reserve. My instinct was to run Skadi (C), Bravos Trailblazer, and Bravos Vanguard (C), but I tested out Bravos Pathfinder (C) and Issun-bōshi (C) because they’re cards I’m happy to resupply into in the mid-game.

Uniques

With the Fire Rabbit (C) from Trial by Frost to supplement Chiron (C), I tried including a trio of uniques that are all strong when boosted onto.

My rating system

Red: 6/7

Card draw is critical for Basira, and this Red gives you cards for cheap while building a seasoned threat. The when-leaves trigger ensures you get the card draw even if this is removed.

The arrow cost-reduction effectively makes this 1 mana from hand and 2 from reserve. The discount on the next card is especially convenient on a Red, since you’ll virtually always be playing something after her in order to boost her and/or remove fleeting.

It’s significant that this costs 1 from hand: she can snowball on D1 if you play her with a Chiron (C) - or Fire Rabbit (C) or Helping Hand (C) - and give her another boost with Basira.

Bravos Pathfinder: 5/7

This Pathfinder plays great with Haven, Bravos Bastion (R): Haven fulfills the landmark condition, and the resupply puts more characters in reserve to be Haven-boosted. Seasoned makes it a nice target for the Basira boost and especially Helping Hand.

Dracaena: 5/7

This Dracaena has suffered a bit with the release of Trial by Frost due to being vulnerable to Tiny Jail.

Takeaways

Axiom Salvager (F) didn’t quite carry its weight. It’s disappointing to draw a 1-mana 1/1/1 when you need stats/resources immediately and can’t wait a day to play it from reserve. It’s also only at its best once you already have one or ideally two Havens out.

I put my uniques into mana more often than I would hope: Red (U) when I didn’t have a way to apply a boost, Bravos Pathfinder (U) when I didn’t have a Haven out, and Dracaena (U) when I needed something immediately impactful. There’s value in uniques that you’re happy to slam down regardless of the situation.

The games

Featured game: Round 4.

Round 1 (W): Teija & Nauraa

• I got an early 2-0 because my opponent set up The Spindle, Muna Bastion (R).
• A D2 Haven, Bastion Bastion (R) and Haven Seiringar (C) set me up for the rest of the game with boost value and card advantage.
• The Bravos Bladedancer (R) won four expeditions starting on D1.
• My opponent didn’t draw into any of their anchored resuppliers and had no way of getting their anchor train going.

Round 2 (W): Sigismar & Wingspan

• My opponent contested my Haven Seiringar (C), which let me Fire Rabbit (C) for a 2-0 on D1.
• Akhlut (R) wasn’t at its best here. I had to play it on D2 just for its stats.
• Red (U) and Bravos Pathfinder (U) went into mana due to not seeing boosters or an early Haven.
• Mana Eruption (R) secured a 2-0 in a spot where the common wouldn’t have.
• My opponent was low on cards, and their unlucky double permanent draw let me easily close out the game.

Round 3 (W): Afanas & Senka Nilam

• Going first without access to a solid character meant my best play was to set up a Haven and go 0-1.
• Akhlut (R) demolished my opponent’s resources when they led with a Kadigiran Mage-Dancer (R) with a full reserve. I would be the starting player on the next day, so I could do it again.
• Now low on cards, my opponent failed to draw into spells on a critical day, which let me get the penultimate progression, then close the game out on the following day.

Round 4 (L): Atsadi & Surge

On D2, my opponent kept me at 1-0 when I contested their Chiron (C) and they followed up with an Eat Me Energy Bars (C). They got to keep the Energy Bars around.

I had the option to Mana Eruption (R) their Eat Me Energy Bars (C) on D3 and should have done so. I regretted attempting to 2-0 when their last card was a Twinkle Twinkle (F) on my character facing the non-Energy Bars expedition. We traded, and they got to keep their Energy Bars for a third turn.

They drew into a Sakarabru (F), which moved both of my expeditions backwards when played into the Energy Bars expedition.

When my opponent played their Fire Rabbit (C) against my much larger Akhlut (R), I thought I was playing around another Twinkle Twinkle (F) by spreading my “to-be-slept” characters between expeditions. Instead, my opponent had the much more obvious Mana Eruption (C), so not reinforcing the Akhlut (R) expedition meant I gave my opponent a progression.

In the above spot, I completely discounted the possibility of Fire Rabbit (C), which my opponent ended up having, making a 2-0 impossible. The real blunder, however, was starting with Red (U) against the Sakarabru (F) when I could have just as easily played it hero-side and waited to see if my opponent had a follow-up. If they didn’t, the Haven Bouncer (C) would 2-0 companion-side just the same. If they did, I could play the Haven Bouncer (C) hero-side to trade and get ride of the Energy Bars. Instead, my opponent got to keep them around.

To my dismay, my opponent drew into exactly a landmark and a Sakarabru (U) that would discard my Dracaena (U), move an expedition backward, and get them an Atsadi draw. I was at least able to discard it with a Mana Eruption (R), but the Energy Bars were still not dealt with.

On the final day of the game, I held back on my Mighty Jinn (R) to dodge the Twinkle Twinkle (F) my opponent ended up having. Unfortunately, I missed that I hadn’t used Basira’s hero ability yet and accidentally passed when I could have gone 1-0 to fight another day. This was a good reminder to make sure to double-check all of my outs and to never assume I’ve lost.

Round 5 (L): Fen & Crowbar Lyra Festival

• I put a Mana Eruption (R) into mana from my starting hand in favor of a 2-character start on D1 and an Akhlut (R).
• A D3 Akhlut (R) exhausted two anchor support abilities. This would have prevented a reanchor of their Aloe Vera (R) were it not for their Silent Night (C). Akhlut is worse again Fen, since I was only able to exhaust two of their four cards in reserve at the beginning of the afternoon.
• I made it to 1/4 on expeditions going into D5 but failed to draw into character removal when they played Lyra Festival (R) to win the game.
• I probably needed to save Akhlut to make it harder for them to Festival on a turn where they had more mana.

Round 6 (L): Akesha & Taru

• I felt pressured to keep Mana Eruption (R) on the off chance I was facing a The Kadigir, Yzmir Bastion build.
• Their Rime Frost (C) delayed my Tiny Jinn (R) ramp and left me unable to play a character without my reserve overflowing. I got down a Haven, which unfortunately didn’t resupply into a 1 or 2-drop.
• On D6, my opponent’s double-discard Baku (U) hit the last two cards in my hand, including a Mighty Jinn (R), and forced me to pass with 4 mana up.
• I drew into a Mighty Jinn (R). Playing it let my opponent sabotage my Haven Seiringar (C), but leading with the Seiringar would have let my opponent discard both cards in hand by replaying their Baku (U).
• Their 5-mana Issitoq (U) won two 1-0s.
• They secured a progression with a Winter Nova (R) for 12/12/12 in stats, then closed out the game with Small Step, Giant Leap (C).