Thematically, I love how the demon behind this magic keeps offering you more, and demanding more
I'd also suggest starting before everyone else catches on to the play as well
Cunning Maneuver: I like this combat trick because its an instant (which is perfect for Firebending), and because it has the potential to 2-for-1 your opponent (and a 1-for-1 is still pretty good if youre trading with something much bigger in combat)
And remember, there exists an actual Bear commander in Duskana, the Rage MotherDuskana, the Rage Mother, which draws a card off Lasher and makes it more effective in combat and thus more likely to connect and turn life gain off
Able to swiftly build up a board of beefy creatures, ping opponents with burn damage, or take to the skies and kill with a few good hits with a commander, this deck has all sorts of roads to victory