Don & Leo Blink-Value Azorius Deck Turns Cryogen Relic Into Ancestral Recall

Don & Leo, Problem Solvers have pushed a familiar flicker idea into a new, low-effort lane: blink artifacts and creatures for relentless value. In this Azorius build the commander’s automatic blink pattern turns cheap, efficient artifacts into a steady stream of card advantage and interaction that doesn’t require casting blink spells each turn.

Cryogen Relic sits at the top of that list. “Cryogen Relic is far and away the best artifact in this deck,” and the deck tech walks through why: “It comes down, draws a card, gets blinked and draws one more on the way out, and then it draws one more when it comes back.” The author goes on to call it bluntly: “Casting this artifact with Don & Leo, Problem Solvers in play is essentially an Ancestral Recall.” That sequence, enter, leave, re-enter, is the clean, repeatable loop this deck leans on to out-resource opponents.

Don & Leo’s blink is described in simple, mechanical terms that change deck construction. They “act like two Conjurer’s Closets (blinking one artifact + one creature at the beginning of your end” which yields predictable, turn-to-turn triggers without the upkeep of a Yorion-style approach. “This commander very closely resembles one of my all-time favorites, Yorion, Sky Nomad. Blinking two permanents instead of potentially my entire board is a little weaker, but Don & Leo make up for it by not requiring any maintenance to keep the engine running turn to turn. Where a Yorion deck is compelled to play blink spells, like Ephemerate, Cloudshift, or Felidar Guardian, to keep the blink train moving, Don & Leo simply work every turn without having to provide any additional input.”

Value engines beyond Cryogen Relic follow the same philosophy: artifacts that are cheap and repeatable, and creatures or constructs whose enter/leave-play effects scale when flickered. “Riptide Gearhulk is the most potent piece of removal in the deck,” the tech notes, explaining that “It comes down, tucks three nonland permanents into their owners' decks.” The write-up emphasizes that “When being blinked repeatedly, this Construct can generate insurmountable card advantage very quickly,” and that “stacking all of the opponents' best cards onto the top of their library will very quickly render their decks inert as it gets more and more difficult for them to draw answers to the game state through being forced to redraw cards they've already played.”

The list of artifacts and synergies called out includes Cryogen Relic, Circuit Mender, and Clay-Fired Bricks among artifacts, and Agent of Treachery, Anticausal Vestige, and Riptide Gearhulk among creatures. Amplification pieces named include Y'shtola Rhul and Preston, the Vanisher. Sample decklist fragments show supporting creatures like Angel of the Ruins, Arcanist's Owl, Blade Splicer, Canoptek Scarab Swarm, and Cataclysmic Gearhulk. A tag search pulled 37 cards labeled “flicker-artifact,” including Don & Leo, Problem Solvers and names such as Felidar Guardian, Flickerwisp, Venser, the Sojourner, and Yorion, Sky Nomad. An Archidekt fragment captures related card text: “When this artifact enters, draw three cards. : Add three mana of any one color. Whenever one or more creatures an opponent controls attack you”.

Practical takeaway: if you pilot Don & Leo, emphasize low-cost artifacts with repeatable enters-the-battlefield triggers and include at least one disruptive Construct like Riptide Gearhulk. Cryogen Relic is a priority cut for any list that wants raw library advantage. Verify exact timings and Oracle text before sleeving cards, but expect this blink-value approach to reward patience and long games by converting simple artifact plays into game-winning tempo and card advantage.