Zedruu the Greathearted was born into a warrior family, lithe and combative like her father, but her path led her away from war. When she was young, a plague cursed her Erlundi people, leaving a wake of death. She learned painfully that not every fight can be won by the sword. In desperation, she offered her life in exchange for her people's, and thanks to her willing sacrifice, the curse was broken. Now she is revered among her people for her patience, benevolence, and hard-won wisdom.
As a legendary creature from the standalone commander preconstructed decks, it was great of WOTC to provide us with some backstory to our legendary commander!
Also, the great MtG humor site Magic Lampoon did a hilarious peice on Zedruu the Greathearted, giving her a bit more flavor and personality.
It is the will of Zedruu that you should have … the rest of this sandwich.
Do you not want the rest of this sandwich?
I haven’t even eaten half of it.
It is good, it is an asiago turkey club.
From Panera.
Right, the one near the college.
It is the will of Zedruu that you should take the sandwich, and finish most of it.
Take it. I insist.
I will be over here, gaining extra life.
What is Zedruu the Greathearted?
Zedruu the Greathearted is one of fifteen new commanders from the preconstructed MTG Commander decks, and one of three commanders that feature the relatively rare White/Red/Blue color combination. The other two, Ruhan of the Fomori and Numot of the Devastator are decidedly more beatdown oriented. But Zedruu is quite the opposite, with a small stature and a unique ability among legendary creatures that enables it to fill a role as a draw/life gain support general, combo enabler, political chess player, or all three!
Lets break down Zedruu into her (yes, it's a her!) various parts and get a good understanding of her capabilities:
Mana Cost: 1WUR
Definitely cheaper by commander standards, enabling a few recasts without too much difficulty over the course of a game. Not quite Isamaru, Hound of Konda, but certainly not Akroma, Angel of Wrath. The color combination, however, is actually pretty stellar. Access to Blue, one of the more powerful colors in Commander, is a huge asset. The power of countermagic, and blue's deep edh cardpool, can never be underestimated. White is no slouch either, providing board wipe and some excellent creatures. Red is, pardon the pun, the red-headed stepchild of commander. But, there are more than a few extremely powerful mono red cards, and some dynamite RW and UW spells to play around with. All in all, a decidedly strong color combination with some unique abilities, such as access to countermagic via Sunforger.
Creature Type: Minotaur Monk
Not much to get excited about here. Monk doesn't have any tribal support (yet) and Minotaur has minimal and ancient tribal support at best in the form of Didgeridoo and Anaba Spirit Crafter.
Power/Toughness: 2/4
A decent enough sized rear-end for blocking tiny support men and early drops, and lets it dodge some small board wipe effects from the likes of Massacre Wurm or Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite. But without some serious voltron support and evasion, don't expect to get in the red zone for 21 with this commander.
Ability #1: "At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain X life and draw X cards, where X is the number of permanents you own that your opponents control."
Now we're into the meat of Zedruu. Gaining a little life is nice, if a little de-powered in commander due to the ability of beatdown generals to kill you via general damage. But drawing cards wins you games. The catch? You've got to somehow give your permanents to your opponents. While there are a number of cards you can run that donate or exchange control of your permanents (see the next sections!) this brings us to Zedruu's final ability...
Ability #2: WUR: Target opponent gains control of target permanent you control.
Holy cow... goat... minotaur? It's Donate on a stick at instant speed! SO, that's how they expect us to trigger the first ability. The sheer versatility of this ability can't be underestimated. At first glance, the ability to give creatures or other permanents to a flailing opponent under siege seems like a great way to make political alliances. But if you look a little deeper, you'll find lots of depths in the types of permanents you can donate. Which brings us to...
What can I donate?
Because of Zedruu's unique abilities, there are a few key categories of things you can donate:
Auras
Perhaps the most important category of donation targets, most auras, once cast, don't care who owns them once they've come into play. So whether you're arresting someone's commander or pumping your own with steel of the godhead, you can get straight up additional value out of every aura you cast. You'll find in many builds, including my own, that most of my spot removal takes the form of enchantment-based removal like Journey to Nowhere and Faith's Fetters over cards like Path to Exile for this very reason. Paradox Haze is an Aura- Enchant Player, so you can actually enchant yourself, doubling your draw and life gain from Zedruu, and donate it for the same effect. Copy Enchantment should also be noted for it's ability to enchant shroud or hexproof creatures when it enters the battlefield, if it copies a creature enchant like Arrest. Eat it, Uril the Miststalker
Enchantments and Artifacts
There is a large list of enchantments and artifacts like Lightmine Field and Howling Mine that also don't care who owns them. Blue and White are also the colors with the most tutors for these two permanent types, including the ultra-powerful Wild Research. When combined with a full hand, you can pretty much tutor up whatever enchantment you want for 2 mana!
Creatures
Zedruu's ability to blow out an opposing player's combat step by donating a blocker to the defending player can't be understated. The political power of distributing creatures to certain opponents to tip the scales and direct the course of the game is crazy with Zedruu at the helm. The best part? You don't have to feel bad about losing your creature, since at your upkeep you'll be drawing cards to replace its lost value. Token creatures from cards like Kher Keep and other small support men also work, although beware that most of the time your opponents will simply use them as blockers, undoing your hard work.
Permanents with Drawbacks/Combo Peices
This category is pretty broad, but there are a large number of permanents that have significantly negative drawbacks that, when donated to the right opponent, can completely shut them out of the game. Control player got you down? Donate Pyromancer's Swath and they'll have a real tough time getting any card advantage over you. Aggro player causing trouble? Shut off their stream of threats with Steel Golem. There is also the classic Illusions of Grandeur donation strategy. Celestial Dawn has a bizarre interaction with the commander rules, so that if you donate it to a player who has a non-white commander, they can only make colorless mana. And, yes, Zedruu has a single-card player killer in the form of Though Lash, which can be donated in response to its upkeep trigger and, when the upkeep cost is not paid, its controller exiles his or her library. Pretty brutal. BIG EDIT: This combo no longer works thanks to an errata from Wizards. THANX, WOTC.
I'm pretty judicious in my build about what I run. I'm using what I've determined are the strongest six permanents for killer donation purposes. Guys like Rust Elemental, Delusions of Mediocrity and Bronze Bombshell proved too weak in testing. But don't let me dissuade you if you want to use them! Every build will be different, and if you want to combo Bronze Bombshell and Nim Deathmantle for hilarious, explosive carnage, you should do so. Sicko.
Exchange Control
While they don't necessarily harness the power of Zedruu's second ability, cards like Gilded Drake, Cultural Exchange, Thieves Auction and Political Trickery provide an efficient way to get your permanents on the other side of the fence for an upside besides the Zedruu bonus. The land switch cards are especially valuable, as it's real tough to lose control of a land outside of bouncing it via something like Karoo, which actually puts them down a land, since you've already obtained theirs. Also, late game, there is no shame in donating a land or two that you don't need to an opponent to draw into some answers!
How many of these should I run?
Really? As many as you feel are effective. I'm only running four combotastic bombs in mine, and most of my Zedruu use comes from ripping extra cards from donated lands and enchantments. But lots and lots of decks, especially more political builds, run upwards of twenty, including cards like Taniwha or the Molten Firebird/Ivory Gargoyle twins, which are cards that may not have enough of an impact in a more cutthroat spike deck. So, pick the ones you like and stuff them in.
Supermod CorpT put together a more comprehensive list of donation targets here for the community's perusal.
What else should I run?
"But fivecolorjunk, I picked my donate targets and I've still got 45 slots left to fill in my Zedruu deck? What do I do now?!"
Calm down, little Johnny. We'll get you some more cards to run. But, first, ask yourself this: What kind of deck am I building? The answer may be anywhere on the spectrum of control decks to political decks that Zedruu helms best. Zedruu is pretty diverse, and you should really consider how you want to play her before you take her out for a nice seafood dinner at your local game store's EDH night.
Control
This style of deck tries to gain control of the board state, lay its finisher and win. Seems simple, but control decks can be difficult to pilot, with hundreds of little decisions to make over the course of a game! Zedruu makes a great commander for a control deck, giving you the ability to out-draw your opponents with little effort. This is a key element to any good control deck. I should say that Zedruu could also work in an aggro-control capacity with more creatures, but White, Red and Blue's midrange threats are not the strongest in EDH. You really need green to pull it off effectively, in my humble opinion. *The list above, which is my list, is an example of a more control oriented build with a little combo thrown in.
The color combination of WUR gives the control player access to some key card types for winning with Zedruu, the control deck. Even non-control dedicated Zedruu decks will probably want to run some of the following:
Counterspells
Always a perennial favorite, the ability to say "no" to an opponent's spells is a great option for a control deck. Good options for these slots are really up to the deckbuilder's personal preference, and most of the general purpose ones such as Counterspell, Hinder, Dissipate and Cryptic Command all work fine. There are a few that warrant a special mention, though. Spell Crumple has a combo with Wild Research. With a large-sized hand as an insurance policy, you can repeatedly tutor it up from its resting place at the bottom of your library. Forbid is also nasty as all get out, since you can effectively lock out an opponent.
Mass Removal
Another staple in the UW control archetype, white and red give us access to a plethora of effective mass removal options. How much you run is again entirely up to your preference as a deckbuilder. I prefer the cheaper offerings like Day of Judgment, Wrath of God, Hallowed Burial and the flexible Rout. But if you find yourself low on threats, Phyrexian Rebirth and Martial Coup also do double duty as answers with a threat stapled to it. I would be slightly wary of total board sweepers like Akroma's Vengeance, Austere CommandPlanar Cleansing. For the extra mana you get a lot more destruction, but due to the high number of enchantments and artifacts you might be donating/possessing, this may not be the best course of action.
Single Target Removal
I talked a little bit about this in the previous section, but I firmly believe that the best course of action for creature removal in Zedruu decks is to utilize enchantment-based removal. Although technically more vulnerable than their commonly-played instant and sorcery spell counterparts Swords to Plowshares or Aftershock, the ability to net multiple cards off of removal spells is absolutely huge. Not to mention that, in edh, throwing an enchantment on a commander puts its controller in an awkward spot with a disabled commander unable to return to the command zone. Without enchantment removal of their own, which is the LEAST common type of removal, they may be up the mana creek without a paddle.
The best of these include Arrest and Faith's Fetters for shutting off activated abilities. If you don;t have access to these, plain old Pacifism or any old effect works. journey to nowhere and Oblivion Ring are great for taking out commanders, since their controller will often opt to send their commander to the command zone rather than exile. Now you've got a free enchantment to donate! The flash ability on Temporal Isolation and Mystic Restraints is also very valuable against hasty threats. Sorcery speed is a definite downside to the enchantment based removal strategy.
Be careful in choosing enchantments, though! Certain auras are not friendly with Zedruu, although they seem at first to be perfect fits. The Vow cycle, such as Vow of Lightning, from the commander precons are awful, since donating them changes the "you" in "can't attack you" to the recipient. No bueno! The same applies to spells like Prison Term, which was inexplicably IN the Political Puppets precon, and creature theft effects like Treachery.
Noncreature Removal
Red has access to excellent artifact and nonbasic land removal, and white was the original color of disenchant (now naturalize) so lots of older cards will allow for flexible spells that destroy artifacts and echantments. Some cool ones for Zedruu are Return to Dust, Dismantling Blow, Orim's Thunder, Aura of Silence, Revoke Existence, Into the Core, Shattering Spree, Hoard Smelter Dragon and Viashino Heretic. Capsize gets a special mention for the ability to do lots for the Zedruu deck, including neutralizing attackers, dealing with problematic lands or other permanents, and returning donated goods. Don't skimp on noncreature removal! It always comes back to bite you. Any experienced edh player would advise you to make some room and put a few in. You won't regret it.
Draw
"But fivecolorjunk, don't we already have enough draw power with Zedruu?"
No, little Johnny, you don't. What will you do when your precious Zedruu gets tucked or eaten by rabid wolverines? You'll cry is what you'll do. You'll cry like a little schoolgirl. The solution? Run draw spells! Blue has a host of excellent options, including Consecrated Sphinx, Fact or Fiction, Jaces of all types, Mystic Remora, Rhystic Study and Aeon Chronicler.
The single most powerful tutor effect in Zedruu's color combination, though, is the mighty Wild Research. Printed 10 years ago in Apocalypse, it has waited nearly a decade for the right deck to come along to abuse it. With Zedruu's focus on enchantments, access to powerful instants and constant draw power, Wild Research can often turn its random discard into a small liability. When you have eight cards in hand, a one in nine chance is only an 11% chance of pitching what you tutored for. Them's good odds. Gamble, red's awesome urza's saga tutor, also works well in Zedruu decks.
Finishers
Now that you've wiped the board, countered all your opponent's spells, donated Grid Monitor, Pyromancer's Swath and Celestial Dawn to him or her, and draw fourteen cards a turn, what do you do? Well, first, you apologize for being a griefing bastard. Then, you very kindly kill your opponent to death. One of the pitfalls of this deck is to leave opponents who are locked out of the game hanging for multiple turns, which in edh land can be several hours. This is boring for them and rude of you. Run spells and creatures which can kill them quickly and efficiently.
Honestly, with the vast, vast pool of large creatures in WUR, you can just get away with running your favorites.
Infinite Combos
Some mages speak of deep, forbidden magic that will outright kill the other players in a game in one fell swoop. The WUR color combination has a pretty wide variety of game-ending combos. With Zedruu's draw power and a slew of decent tutors, these game-enders are a fine way to end a game that has gone on a little too long. Personally, I prefer to win the hard way to protect my reputation as a player who won't ruin the fun for everybody. That guy usually gets targeted first. But, if you have no soul and/or morals, you could run the Kiki Jiki, Mirror Breaker/Splinter Twin and Pestermite/Deceiver Exarch combo, or the Niv Mizzet, the Firemind and Mind over Matter/Curiosity/Ophidian Eye, and I'm pretty sure there is a convoluted combo with Reveillark and Yosei, the Morning Star and Mirror Entity that works somehow. Venser, the Sojourner, in addition to being a powerful tool in combination with many of the deck's cards, can loop a illusions of Grandeur over two turns for 40 damage. Not bad.
There are probably a few more. But again, caution! You might get knocked out before you can pull them off if you get a reputation as the "combo player!"
Ramp and Fixing
A three color deck without green faces an interesting conundrum. How do I fix my colors efficiently? If you don't have the cash to blow on a fat stack of enemy colored mana producers, which tend to be more expensive than their allied counterparts, fear not. EDH offers a wide variety of mana fixers in colorless variants for your wedge colored needs. Journeyer's Kite, Manalith, Solemn Simulacrum, Coaltion Relic, Izzet Signet, Boros Signet, Azorius Signet- all of these types of cards work. You don't need to kill yourself ramping with a deck like this, in my humble opinion. But a little fixing can turn around a hopeless game in the first few turns! I personally like running sphere of the suns in Zedruu, since I can donate the useless artifact once the charge counters have been depleted.
Lands
Maybe this is obvious, but run lands in your Commander deck. Which lands? Well, obviously duals, shocks, fetches, painlands, filter lands, taplands, manlands, vivid lands, and any other mana fixers in WUR are welcome. But there are some tech lands that are absolutely amazing in here. Reliquary Tower is nuts for obvious reasons. Homeward Path is excellent for stealing back donated creatures. Kher Keep can make dorks to donate. Maze of Ith/Kor Haven can stop voltron cold. Academy Ruins is solid for recursion. Mistveil Plains combos with Wild Research for the recursion of just about any enchantment or instant. And Tolaria West/Expedition Map can tutor up any of these lands.
Political
Political decks take a different angle at winning the game than the traditional control deck. They seek to take advantage of the unique opportunities of the free-for-all format by playing table politics, forming alliances, identifying common enemies, steering the course of the game, and keeping themselves safe from harm until the correct moment to strike presents itself. These can be among the most difficult decks to pilot, if only because people are fickle and can often prove difficult to bamboozle when necessary. Zedruu has an absolutely crazy ability to sway the balance of power in a multiplayer format by distributing permanents to the right player at the right time, and the draw power to stay relevant as the game progresses. Even straight out of the box, the Political Puppets deck has some group hug flavor. It's like WOTC was trying to tell us something!
There are a few differences in structure, and some different card categories, that particularly behove the political Zedruu player to run. I've got some experience running a political/group hug deck with the mighty Phelddagrif, so even though my decklist is more griefery and geared towards control, I can still hustle with the best of them. For examples of political Zedruu decks, check out Tompkinsd6's build or Biomechanika's.
Fences
With all of your bamboozlement, you're going to make a lot of allies, but also some clear enemies over the course of the game. WUR has access to the prime way to keep enemies off your back. Ghostly Prison, Propaganda, Collective Restraint, Windborn Muse, Norn's Annex and Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs make for an effective first line of defense. Most players won't go through the trouble of attacking you, as they'd rather spend their mana on, you know, stuff. The fence cards, as I call them, technically can't stop an opponent from attacking you if they really want to, but they'll insure the assault is small and manageable.
Group Hug
While a political deck is not necessarily a group hug deck, most political decks are going to run a few ways to mollify an angry table or get a certain miffed player off your back. While your political Zedruu deck needs draw power, you'd be loath to run hate magnets like Consecrated Sphinx or Jace the Mind Sculptor, right? Political versions of the deck can run stuff like Minds Aglow, Words of Wisdom, Jace Beleren, and Vision Skeins if you are into making friends and stuff. Your counterspells can be equally as friendly, swapping out the dastardly Desertion for guys like Remand, Memory Lapse, Venser, Shaper Savant, and even Dream Fracture. Anything to take the sting out of your countermagic but still keep you ahead of your enemies. The vow cycle from the commander precons, such as Vow of Flight, are also excellent at helping others while keeping them off your back. Other notable cards in this category are Nin, the Pain Artist, Swans of Byrn Argoll, and Howling Mine, which makes a great donation target!
Rattlesnakes
Playing politics isn't all rainbows and sunshine. Sometimes, you need to proactively defend yourself. Enter the rattlesnake. What are rattlesnake cards, you ask? It's any effect that sits on the battlefield, rattles its tail menacingly and says to potential attackers "why don't you go pick on someone else?" These deterrents are some of the most valuable effects in EDH, taking the heat off of you when an aggressive opponent is out for blood. It's also an integral strategy of a political deck- making your opponents look like the correct target. WUR has a plethora of cards that do this. Cards in this category include such favorites as Yosei, the Morning Star, Keiga, the Tide Star, Archon of Justice, Reveillark, Soul Snare, Vicious Shadows, Mangara of Corondor, Magus of the Disk/Nevinyrral's Disk, False Prophet, Mindslaver... the list goes on!
Protection
So you want to keep your Zedruu alive, but don't want to run any countermagic, eh? Some folks just don't like running the blue "no" spells. In a political deck, it's understandable! Who wants to have a reputation as the "counterspell guy" when you're trying to win friends and influence people? Equiptastic ways to protect your minotaur monk include Lightning Greaves, Swiftfoot Boots, Darksteel Plate and Whispersilk Cloak. But if you want some nonartifact ways to accomplish this, try Mistmeadow Witch, Stonecloaker, Eight and a Half Tails, Spellskite and Glory.
Threaten Effects
If you're feeling particularly vindictive, you can steal an opponents creature with Threaten or Dominus of Fealty and donate it permanently to another player. This is a real political power play, earning a real ally and a pissed off enemy in one fell swoop. Act of Treason, Word of Seizing, Act of Agression, and my personal favorite "you just lost to your own general" Unwilling Recruit all work in this capacity. And plenty more! You can also use these effects in combination with Bazaar Trader to give yourself the creature, which is cool if you're the kind of person that also likes to torture small animals.
Creatures?
Didn't I already list creatures? Well, it's worth noting that the biggest asset to a political Zedruu build is the ability to donate creatures to players in need. To do this... you need to run enough creatures! Don't skimp on them! Guys that get their value up-front like Flametongue Kavu and Sphinx of Uthuun work well. Or, try guys that persist or unearth like Twilight Shepherd and Kederekt Leviathan since their decent sized bodies will still help a friend in need, but they always have a return ticket back to your side of the board. Some of the creature exchange cards like Cultural Exchange, Puca's Mischief and Chromeshell Crabalso work really well in political decks, since you won't mind losing a dude as much as you would in a control build. And you still draw cards! Just make sure to pack some Homeward Path in case things go awry.
Steel Golem: As detailed previously, there are a few combo pieces that are worth including in a Zedruu deck, and Steel Golem lockdown is one of them. I chose to cut Grid Monitor for space reasons, and because a 4/6 is actually pretty sucky to have to stare down as compared to a 3/4, which Zedruu can block all day. Watch out for opposing sword of fire and ice!
Illusions of Grandeur: The classic combo: gain 20, they lose 20. Not as potent as it was back in the says of standard, since we're starting with a big life cushion, but it's still well worth it, especially with venser, the sojourner.
Pyromancer's Swath: Everyone has to read this card twice when I donate it, and nobody smiles when they understand exactly what it does. I reserve this for my enemies.
Celestial Dawn: Part mana fixer for me, and disastrously ironic for my non-white opponents who are effectively shut down due to a strange rules loophole only possible in commander. All of their lands become plains, which tap for colorless mana due to the rules, and they are locked down of anything not colorless. Combo with Iona, Shield of Emeria for opponents playing white.
Swap Meet
Gilded Drake: Probably good enough to run on his own in Commander, Gilded Drake lets me steal an opposing creature and give a creature to my opponents for Zedruu. All for 2 mana. He's expensive, $ wise, but worth it.
Vedalken Plotter, Political Trickery, Shifting Borders: These three unassuming cards are among the most critical to the deck's success. Aside from their initial value of color screwing or pseudo wastelanding an opponent, they plant an innocuous land of my ownership on my opponents turf, giving me a leech seed (to borrow a pokemon reference) of cards and life that can last the entire game, save for if they return to my side via ravnica karoo lands.
Heavy Hitters
Phyrexian Metamorph: In previous decklists, I had as few as 8 win conditions mopping up when the game was locked down. This was a mistake. This deck has a much more robust plan of action and a stronger creature base with more immediate effect. Phyrexian Metamorph is among the most flexible men in the game, copying the meanest guy on the board, becoming a Steel Golem to lock out a second opponent, or even becoming a mana rock or nev disk in a pinch. Try him, you'll like him.
Psychosis Crawler: As I fill my hand with Zedruu's magic jellybeans, Psychosis Crawler grows in size and slowly saps my opponent of their life. He's just a fine man, and the reach of his life-loss ability makes up for his lack of evasion/trample.
Mirror-Sigil Sergeant: Here's a new addition that I've always wanted to use. I'm running the versatile Paradox Haze, which combos nicely with the Conflux mythic for doubling my doubles for double the rhino fun. I like his inevitability, so he's on the roster, for now. Testing will prove if he has the right stuff.
Yosei, the Morning Star: A tried and true commander staple. He wards off attackers, spot removal, mass removal, and swings for 5 in the air. Nobody wants to get time walked. Easy inclusion.
Keiga, the Tide Star: The perfect creature. Not as resilient to mass removal as his white cousin, but he makes combat an absolute nightmare. He's even shaped like a rattlesnake. All for just a single U in the casting cost? I never build a blue deck without him.
Sun Titan: There are a lot of targets for the fat man's reanimation abilities, so good old Sun Titan easily earns a spot on the roster. His vigilance is not quite a good enough substitute for good old fashioned evasion, but it's nice to have him back on defense when you're up against a few players.
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind: Just like Psychosis Crawler, this dude turns my card draws into pings, but he trades universal damage for the ability to fry out creatures. Thankfully, he also flies and is a draw engine himself. I'll try to get my hands on the new Niz Mizzet, Dracogenius as well, so get the two of them working in tandem for a draw and damage frenzy!
Numot, the Devastator: I dislike that he doesn't have an immediate effect on the board, but Numot is one of the only existing WUR cards, so I wanted to include him in the decklist. The ability is absolutely bananas if connects, but he's on the watch list.
Eternal Dragon: Fixing and recursion in one package of sexy inevitability. You can always rely on Eternal Dragon to get there, even if the old girl isn't as flashy as some of these newfangled critters. She gets the job done at any stage of the game.
Quicksilver Gargantuan: Lets be honest, this is going to be a 7/7 Primeval Titan 90% of the time. That seems good enough. EDIT: NOT ANYMORE THAT SUCKA PRIME TIME GOT BANNED! Now I may have to reconsider the value of clones in all of my decks!
Chancellor of the Spires: Another new and welcome addition, Chancellor of the Spires is part of my concerted effort to fill my commander decks with creatures that have an immediate effect on the board. Men that have to untap are at a serious loss when compared to the immediate effect of something like the Chancellor. At the worst, she'll copy a ramp spell. At her best, you're getting free time stretches and laughing like a pirate. Just an amazing creature.
Bogardan Hellkite: One of my favorite fatties in any color, he turns full-on assaults into disastrous defeats when he flashes in and burninates the village. I don't know why I ever took him out.
Iona, Shield of Emeria: I had one lying around from a disassembled Captain Sisay deck, and realized that she combos with a donated Celestial Dawn to lock out white opponents. She functions pretty well on her own, as well. Large and in charge, she's the go-to girl for locking out games.
Consecrated Sphinx: So Primeval Titan gets the axe, but this thing stays legal? Not that I mind, I love drawing five cards per cycle and bashing for 4.
No Means No
Hinder: The previous iteration of this deck had a whopping nine counterspells. I decided that I had to break my addiction to permission, and forced myself down to just four for safe keeping. Hinder is at the top of any commander counterspell list for its flexibility and ability to tuck troublesome commanders.
Spell Crumple: Not only does spell crumple serve as a second hinder for tucking commanders, I can also soft lock with it by repeatedly tutoring it up via Wild Research. 10/10 would cast again.
Forbid: While it may not be as fancy as some other counterspells out there, the utilitarian forbid can create a soft lock with enough cards in hand and enough mana for recasts. All I would need is a commander capable of drawing multiple cards per turn…
Decree of Silence: For six mana, you get an uncountable cantrip counterspell. Not bad, you might say. But for the full price, you get a 3 spell lockdown of your opponents that can be donated to them when depleted. A really unique spell that works excellently with the commander.
Here, I'm done with this, you can have it
Journey to Nowhere: In the previous decklist, I ran up to 8 or 9 of these enchantment-based removal spells. My commander tastes have changed, and I try my best to avoid too much single target removal. It clogged up my hand terribly, and some of them were just too expensive and poor answers to static abilities. The "black hole" spells like journey to nowhere are excellent because they fully exile their target AND are excellent against commanders (nearly nobody allows their commander to be exiled rather than sending it to the command zone). Once you play them, simply ship them to your opponent and reap the benefits at your upkeep.
Oblivion Ring, Detention Sphere: Similar to Journey to Nowhere, except more flexible for dealing with other nonland permanents. Detention Sphere from RTR even has the added bonus of wiping out token armies. Normally I don't like these effects in commander, since they're too easily undone by a Planar Cleansing or somesuch, but in Zedruu they're worth it.
Nevermore: It doesn't matter who controls Nevermore, since it simply says that the named card can't be played. For added insult to injury, I usually donate it to the player whose commander I have locked out.
Orim's Thunder: Since I'm not running green, I can't run my beloved K Grip. But white/red has this lost favorite from Apocalypse that routinely gets me some 2-for-1 action while dispatching with problematic artifacts and enchantments. Cards like this are the reason I love multicolored commanders- this guy is an absolute lost gem!
Dismantling Blow: Just like Orim's Thunder, the flexible Dismantling Blow is reasonable noncreature removal with a strong upside at 6 mana. I find myself casting this unkicked more often than I'd like, but for 3 mana destroying a Mirari's Wake or Phyrexian Arena is just fine.
A Clean Slate
Hallowed Burial: Another experiment with this decklist is running just a few mass removal spells, vs the full suite of 5 or 6 I usually run. Zedruu usually doesn't want to be wrathed away, but I do want to wrath if Zedruu isn't around, tucking the board is a great option.
Terminus: Same as above, except with the upside of casting this for W at my draw step. Paying full price for this isn't unreasonable, either. If I was to include another wrath here, I would probably go for the new Overload bounce spell in RTR, Cyclonic Rift.
Austere Command: This is a wrath and so much more. The ultimate in flexibility, this can wipe tokens and artifacts, fatties and enchantments, all creatures, and many more combinations depending on your circumstance. If I had to include just one wrath in the deck, it would be this.
Digging for Answers
Wild Research: This card lay in dollar rare bins for years, just waiting for the proper deck to come along and take advantage of its insane potential. Zedruu is that deck. It utilizes all of the right colors, it fills the hand to max capacity for minimization of the random has of the discard, and even gets me two of the relevant card types for the deck- enchantments for combo, and instants for lockdown. Combo this with Mistveil Plains and any enchantment or instant spell in your graveyard is at your request whenever you need it, save for the chance of discarding it again. This is my favorite card in the deck.
Idyllic Tutor: Most of the time, I search for wild research, but sometimes I'm in headshot range for Illusions of Grandeur I'll go for something like that. This is actually a slow card for 3 mana, but it's functional. Enlightened Tutor is also an option if you dig tossing an extra card to tutor.
Tezzeret the Seeker: I added a lot more mana rocks and some really relevant artifacts in the deck. Between his utility in ramping with my signets, and his ability to tutor out Steel Golem, Crystal Shard, and equipment, he's made himself into an auto-include in this deck. I patiently await the day which I can win off of his ultimate.
Mystic Remora, Rhystic Study: Set it, and forget it. These fantastic enchantments shore up Zedruu's inherent weakness to bullets. When the commander is not around drawing me cards (WHICH IS UNFORTUNATELY TOO OFTEN, ERIC, STOP CASTING OBLATION ON HIM) I can rely on these two to help me out.
Fact or Fiction: End of Turn Fact or Fiction I win. That's what they used to say, at least.
Future Sight: The triple blue in the cc gave me pause, but the effect is mind bogglingly good. Don't be fooled- this is a draw spell that expands your hand by one and turns the cards on the top of your deck into cantrips!
Sphinx's Revelation: This RTR spell is a flavorful and functional inclusion to the deck. I'd considered Blue Sun's Zenith for its flexibility, but I like the life gain and the fact that it mirrors so perfectly what the commander does. Call me a Vorthos, but I'm going to give it a shot.
Aeon Chronicler: Part draw engine, part fatty, Aeon Chronicler is a card I constantly waffle on including. Suspending it for 4 or 5 is excellent for the next few turns, but its sad that the creature half of it is a little underwhelming, even with Zedruu's hand-expanding abilities. He's on the watch list.
The Kitchen Sink
Lightning Greaves: Mostly used to protect the commander, granting haste to my fatties is never a bad option, either. A commander staple.
Whispersilk Cloak: A constantly underestimated card, the cloak gives Zedruu protection as well as allowing my ground-based fatties like Psychosis Crawler, Sun Titan and Aeon Chronicler to get in there like champions.
Crystal Shard: Anybody who has played with Crystal Shard understands exactly why I say that it may be one of the most hated artifacts at my commander table. It saves creatures from certain death, allows me to replay my ETB fatties for repeated abuse, and can even catch an opponent with his or her pants down when they tap out for a fatty. This thing has been K Gripped more times than I can count. I'm sure Tezzeret will get used to tutoring for this guy.
Spreading Seas: A simple and effective way to deal with problematic lands, it pays for itself up front with a 2 mana cantrip, and can be donated later for profit. A really elegant inclusion in the deck.
Paradox Haze: Since Paradox Haze enchants a player, it doesn't matter who controls it. So I get double Zedruu upkeeps AND a donation target in one card! It also accelerates my Aeon Chronicler and combos beautifully with Mirror-Sigil Sergeant.
Copy Enchantment: Incredibly versatile, this seemingly narrow clone variant is an all star in this deck. You know what's better than donating illusions of grandeur to an opponent? Donating illusions of grandeur to an opponent twice.
Venser the Sojourner: Blinking donated targets back to my side is obviously great, and the ultimate is super powerful. Resetting O Rings and getting more value out of ETB effects is nice too. But repeatedly blinking and donating illusions of grandeur is just wrong.
Our ramp goes up to 11
Sphere of the Suns: Deplete the counters to fix yourself early game, and then donate a useless artifact to your opponents. I'm not gonna lie, I thought this was pretty clever.
Pilgrim's Eye: Better than it looks, gets the job done, blocks guys with swords.
Expedition Map: Gets me the incredibly important Reliquary Tower. A staple remover couldn't take this out of my deck.
Journeyer's Kite, Solemn Simulacrum: These guys are really good at getting one of the two mountains in the deck, I guess? Yeah, play more ramp in your decks. Just do it.
Acknowledgments
Thanks again to everyone who donated their great ideas, especially Supersonik, tompkinsd6, 3drinks, CorpT, RLewis, and many, many other contributing posters. This is my first thread that has reached 100+ posts, so thanks, mtgsalvation!
Any questions, suggestions, ideas, criticisms, flames or additions to the primer are welcome. Please let me know if I've missed anything obvious!
A bit of testing proved the draw power of the deck to be a little lacking. I had forgotten how unreliable of a draw engine our commander can be in some games! I sliced a ramp spell off the total, Inkwell, and Chronarch (who had too few good targets) and added some draw power and newfangled fixers.
In the span of 24 hours, I was asked by a friend if I still had all of the manabase and cards to rebuild Zedruu, and then this thread was bumped to the front page. Obviously, it was the will of Zedruu that I rebuild this deck, so I did!
I was basically starting from scratch, so before I even looked at my old list, I went through my piles of EDH goodies with fresh eyes and built the deck anew. Then I took a look at the old list and realized how different it became! The deck has a lot less single target removal, and is probably a little goofier and less cutthroat. It has more dudes, which I like. I'll let you guys know how it tests. Again, my list is just a suggestion. Zedruu is really variable. Go your own way!
RTR UPDATE:
The biggest inclusions from RTR were Detention Sphere, which is a straight up slam dunk in the deck, and Sphinx's Revelation, which seems powerful as well. I'll keep my eyes out for more goodies as the spoilers unfold.
Seeing as we also saw some notable additions from AVR and M13, I figured I would highlight the relevant ones here:
From m13, we have Switcheroo, which could see some use. It's a little tricky to make work effectively, as you need something worthwhile (read: small) to give them, unlike Gilded Drake, which comes with his own body.
Any thoughts, ideas, or flames are welcome, and thanks in advance!
You got the right idea but It needs more "donable targets"...
I think the token idea is a little too slow, but It could turn out to be a wincon...so It's worth the try i guess.
I'm building a deck for this guy and Im going to use Wild Research to find more "Do nothing" Enchantments and spread them out my friends. It will help me find Counters and sport removal too.
Again, we need to concentrate in finding COOL donable targets.
I was just wondering your source on Zedruu? As far as I can see, he hasn't been leaked in the spoiler. The compilation of known commander info says he will have a donate effect, but doesn't indicate if it will be a donate on a stick. I'm just curious where else you've checked, since he is the legend I'm looking forward to most.
That being said, I like what you have so far. I agree with the previous comments. You need more things to give away, as well as some more ways to trade things. Gilded Drake and Pucha's Mischief have homes here I think. Telim'tor's edict is a cute trick if you find something.you gave away isn't working out like you wanted (as in your opponent finds a way to use it against you, or you get stuck with something you don't want). I also like brand so you could steal back your stuff later if you feel like you need it all back.
Private Mod Note
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“Here fell Ishi-Ishi, King of the Flaming Pebbles, Scourge of the Mountain Kami, Lover of Goats. May his shell never burn.” - Cave inscription
Might be worth picking up a Sorrow's Path just so I can give it away. Political Trickery is a must for the deck, its on the reserved list or I am sure it would have made the precon.
Private Mod Note
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All the kids who played the blues
Would learn my licks with a bottle neck slide
LOL Sky Swallower, just be careful though because pretty sure one opponent will give all of his or her permanents to another opponent instead of you... (unless it is 1v1)
Keep in mind that a token's owner is the player under whose control it entered the battlefield, so I don't think the Hunted creatures work with this (sadly). That being said, Brand might still be halfway decent in this.
This seems like a lot fun, a bit of controlled chaos. However, you forgot the "Hunted Creatues." You own the tokens ^.^ The blue gives 5 1/1s and the red one gives 3 2/2s. The white one is not wroth playing.
Edit: Nath'd
I also suggest you get on UNIQUE sleeves to tell which cards are yours.
This seems like a lot fun, a bit of controlled chaos. However, you forgot the "Hunted Creatues." You own the tokens ^.^ The blue gives 5 1/1s and the red one gives 3 2/2s. The white one is not wroth playing.
Edit: Nath'd
I also suggest you get on UNIQUE sleeves to tell which cards are yours.
They changed this some time ago. You no longer own the tokens; whoever controls them as they come into play owns them.
It looks like most of the better "donate" friendly cards were named, Haunted Angel could also work as a pseudo political card giving all "opponents" muchly deserved black Angel tokens. It's really a pity about the not-so recent change to token "owners."
Made some major updates, then some tweaks to the deck. The community is really buzzing about this commander!
I decided to dial back on the aura theme and token theme, and move the balance towards a more traditional control deck with proper fatties and some tweaks that made it more Zedruu friendly. For example, I've eschewed swords to plowshares for journey to nowhere. Journey isn't quite Swords, but it serves a similar function and I can donate it for some extra cards and life as the game progresses. Overall, I think I actually maintained the amount of donate-able permanents.
I sculpted the targets for donation a little better, down to 9 real "screw you" cards. The "trade" cards underneath are really great. Trading lands with opponents is really nasty with Zedruu, since it's really hard to ditch a land when it's been given to you, and I can even steal my opponents Homeward Path or somesuch for great justice. Just donating lands with Zedruu works, but this is really efficient and plants a permanent I own really early without screwing up my mana.
Other cards I added were Wild Research (which is insane) and Paradox Haze, which is PERFECT with Zedruu, since you can donate it and it still works. You can also donate a spent Sphere of the Suns. I may try to add Tumble Magnet for the same effect.
Thanks everyone for your feedback, keep it coming.
Maybe try adding an Undiscovered Paradise: while it won't net you card advantage off of Zedruu, it is pretty sweet with Political Trickery effects (as it works as a pseudo land removal device). I will be building a Zedruu deck soon and I was wondering, how exactly does Celestial Dawn screw non-white decks over?
Maybe try adding an Undiscovered Paradise: while it won't net you card advantage off of Zedruu, it is pretty sweet with Political Trickery effects (as it works as a pseudo land removal device). I will be building a Zedruu deck soon and I was wondering, how exactly does Celestial Dawn screw non-white decks over?
It turns all their lands into Plains, and since their commander's color identity doesn't include white all of those lands can only produce colorless mana.
NICE catch! Kher Keep is perfect in here. I have it in other red edh decks, I can't believe I didn't think of it. In it goes. I had originally wanted springjack pasture but it seems a little slow...
NICE catch! Kher Keep is perfect in here. I have it in other red edh decks, I can't believe I didn't think of it. In it goes. I had originally wanted springjack pasture but it seems a little slow...
A problem with 'weak' token is your opponent can simply use them to attack your another opponent and it will be blocked by bigger creature certainly because none of your opponents want you to draw and gain life. . .
A problem with 'weak' token is your opponent can simply use them to attack your another opponent and it will be blocked by bigger creature certainly because none of your opponents want you to draw and gain life. . .
That's absolutely true. I tried to shy away from too many creature donation strategies in here, as they're not nearly as reliable as a land or other non-creature permanent for Zedruu's purposes. My initial build had a token theme, but I quickly realized how often that would be foiled.
The donate-able creatures I've included get their card advantage upfront, like Chromeshell Crab or Pilgrim's Eye. Donating one of those at EOT and netting an extra life and card is never bad. Kher Keep makes the cut, imho, since it doesn't really take up a spot in the deck, gives me an instant speed dork to donate, and can even block for me or an allied opponent in pinch. Also, when you donate it to a Statecrafted opponent, they're going to have a MUCH tougher time losing it
1 Zedruu the Greathearted
Donate THIS
1 Steel Golem
1 Illusions of Grandeur
1 Pyromancer's Swath
1 Celestial Dawn
Let's Trade
1 Gilded Drake
1 Vedalken Plotter
1 Political Trickery
1 Shifting Borders
Other Win Conditions
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Psychosis Crawler
1 Mirror-Sigil Sergeant
1 Yosei, the Morning Star
1 Keiga, the Tide Star
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Sun Titan
1 Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind
1 Numot, the Devastator
1 Eternal Dragon
1 Quicksilver Gargantuan
1 Chancellor of the Spires
1 Bogardan Hellkite
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
Counterspells
1 Hinder
1 Spell Crumple
1 Forbid
1 Decree of Silence
Enchantment-Based "Removal"
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Detention Sphere (RTR)
1 Nevermore
1 Orim's Thunder
1 Dismantling Blow
Mass Removal
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Terminus
1 Austere Command
Draw and Tutor
1 Wild Research
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Mystic Remora
1 Rhystic Study
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Future Sight
1 Aeon Chronicler
1 Sphinx's Revelation
Miscellany
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Whispersilk Cloak
1 Crystal Shard
1 Spreading Seas
1 Paradox Haze
1 Copy Enchantment
1 Venser the Sojourner
Ramp and Fixing
1 Sphere of the Suns
1 Vessel of Endless Rest
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Coalition Relic
1 Expedition Map
1 Journeyer's Kite
1 Pilgrim's Eye
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Command Tower
1 Homeward Path
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Kher Keep
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Mystic Gate
1 Flooded Strand
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Battlefield Forge
1 Arid Mesa
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Boros Garrison
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Steam Vents
1 Izzet Boilerworks
1 Shivan Reef
1 Vivid Meadow
1 Vivid Crag
1 Vivid Creek
1 Tolaria West
1 Mistveil Plains
6 Island
5 Plains
3 Mountain
Who is Zedruu the Greathearted?
According to Doug Beyer in his Savor the Flavor column:
As a legendary creature from the standalone commander preconstructed decks, it was great of WOTC to provide us with some backstory to our legendary commander!
Also, the great MtG humor site Magic Lampoon did a hilarious peice on Zedruu the Greathearted, giving her a bit more flavor and personality.
What is Zedruu the Greathearted?
Zedruu the Greathearted is one of fifteen new commanders from the preconstructed MTG Commander decks, and one of three commanders that feature the relatively rare White/Red/Blue color combination. The other two, Ruhan of the Fomori and Numot of the Devastator are decidedly more beatdown oriented. But Zedruu is quite the opposite, with a small stature and a unique ability among legendary creatures that enables it to fill a role as a draw/life gain support general, combo enabler, political chess player, or all three!
Lets break down Zedruu into her (yes, it's a her!) various parts and get a good understanding of her capabilities:
Mana Cost: 1WUR
Definitely cheaper by commander standards, enabling a few recasts without too much difficulty over the course of a game. Not quite Isamaru, Hound of Konda, but certainly not Akroma, Angel of Wrath. The color combination, however, is actually pretty stellar. Access to Blue, one of the more powerful colors in Commander, is a huge asset. The power of countermagic, and blue's deep edh cardpool, can never be underestimated. White is no slouch either, providing board wipe and some excellent creatures. Red is, pardon the pun, the red-headed stepchild of commander. But, there are more than a few extremely powerful mono red cards, and some dynamite RW and UW spells to play around with. All in all, a decidedly strong color combination with some unique abilities, such as access to countermagic via Sunforger.
Creature Type: Minotaur Monk
Not much to get excited about here. Monk doesn't have any tribal support (yet) and Minotaur has minimal and ancient tribal support at best in the form of Didgeridoo and Anaba Spirit Crafter.
Power/Toughness: 2/4
A decent enough sized rear-end for blocking tiny support men and early drops, and lets it dodge some small board wipe effects from the likes of Massacre Wurm or Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite. But without some serious voltron support and evasion, don't expect to get in the red zone for 21 with this commander.
Ability #1: "At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain X life and draw X cards, where X is the number of permanents you own that your opponents control."
Now we're into the meat of Zedruu. Gaining a little life is nice, if a little de-powered in commander due to the ability of beatdown generals to kill you via general damage. But drawing cards wins you games. The catch? You've got to somehow give your permanents to your opponents. While there are a number of cards you can run that donate or exchange control of your permanents (see the next sections!) this brings us to Zedruu's final ability...
Ability #2: WUR: Target opponent gains control of target permanent you control.
Holy cow... goat... minotaur? It's Donate on a stick at instant speed! SO, that's how they expect us to trigger the first ability. The sheer versatility of this ability can't be underestimated. At first glance, the ability to give creatures or other permanents to a flailing opponent under siege seems like a great way to make political alliances. But if you look a little deeper, you'll find lots of depths in the types of permanents you can donate. Which brings us to...
What can I donate?
Because of Zedruu's unique abilities, there are a few key categories of things you can donate:
Auras
Perhaps the most important category of donation targets, most auras, once cast, don't care who owns them once they've come into play. So whether you're arresting someone's commander or pumping your own with steel of the godhead, you can get straight up additional value out of every aura you cast. You'll find in many builds, including my own, that most of my spot removal takes the form of enchantment-based removal like Journey to Nowhere and Faith's Fetters over cards like Path to Exile for this very reason. Paradox Haze is an Aura- Enchant Player, so you can actually enchant yourself, doubling your draw and life gain from Zedruu, and donate it for the same effect. Copy Enchantment should also be noted for it's ability to enchant shroud or hexproof creatures when it enters the battlefield, if it copies a creature enchant like Arrest. Eat it, Uril the Miststalker
Enchantments and Artifacts
There is a large list of enchantments and artifacts like Lightmine Field and Howling Mine that also don't care who owns them. Blue and White are also the colors with the most tutors for these two permanent types, including the ultra-powerful Wild Research. When combined with a full hand, you can pretty much tutor up whatever enchantment you want for 2 mana!
Creatures
Zedruu's ability to blow out an opposing player's combat step by donating a blocker to the defending player can't be understated. The political power of distributing creatures to certain opponents to tip the scales and direct the course of the game is crazy with Zedruu at the helm. The best part? You don't have to feel bad about losing your creature, since at your upkeep you'll be drawing cards to replace its lost value. Token creatures from cards like Kher Keep and other small support men also work, although beware that most of the time your opponents will simply use them as blockers, undoing your hard work.
Permanents with Drawbacks/Combo Peices
This category is pretty broad, but there are a large number of permanents that have significantly negative drawbacks that, when donated to the right opponent, can completely shut them out of the game. Control player got you down? Donate Pyromancer's Swath and they'll have a real tough time getting any card advantage over you. Aggro player causing trouble? Shut off their stream of threats with Steel Golem. There is also the classic Illusions of Grandeur donation strategy. Celestial Dawn has a bizarre interaction with the commander rules, so that if you donate it to a player who has a non-white commander, they can only make colorless mana. And, yes, Zedruu has a single-card player killer in the form of Though Lash, which can be donated in response to its upkeep trigger and, when the upkeep cost is not paid, its controller exiles his or her library. Pretty brutal. BIG EDIT: This combo no longer works thanks to an errata from Wizards. THANX, WOTC.
I'm pretty judicious in my build about what I run. I'm using what I've determined are the strongest six permanents for killer donation purposes. Guys like Rust Elemental, Delusions of Mediocrity and Bronze Bombshell proved too weak in testing. But don't let me dissuade you if you want to use them! Every build will be different, and if you want to combo Bronze Bombshell and Nim Deathmantle for hilarious, explosive carnage, you should do so. Sicko.
Exchange Control
While they don't necessarily harness the power of Zedruu's second ability, cards like Gilded Drake, Cultural Exchange, Thieves Auction and Political Trickery provide an efficient way to get your permanents on the other side of the fence for an upside besides the Zedruu bonus. The land switch cards are especially valuable, as it's real tough to lose control of a land outside of bouncing it via something like Karoo, which actually puts them down a land, since you've already obtained theirs. Also, late game, there is no shame in donating a land or two that you don't need to an opponent to draw into some answers!
How many of these should I run?
Really? As many as you feel are effective. I'm only running four combotastic bombs in mine, and most of my Zedruu use comes from ripping extra cards from donated lands and enchantments. But lots and lots of decks, especially more political builds, run upwards of twenty, including cards like Taniwha or the Molten Firebird/Ivory Gargoyle twins, which are cards that may not have enough of an impact in a more cutthroat spike deck. So, pick the ones you like and stuff them in.
Supermod CorpT put together a more comprehensive list of donation targets here for the community's perusal.
What else should I run?
"But fivecolorjunk, I picked my donate targets and I've still got 45 slots left to fill in my Zedruu deck? What do I do now?!"
Calm down, little Johnny. We'll get you some more cards to run. But, first, ask yourself this: What kind of deck am I building? The answer may be anywhere on the spectrum of control decks to political decks that Zedruu helms best. Zedruu is pretty diverse, and you should really consider how you want to play her before you take her out for a nice seafood dinner at your local game store's EDH night.
Control
This style of deck tries to gain control of the board state, lay its finisher and win. Seems simple, but control decks can be difficult to pilot, with hundreds of little decisions to make over the course of a game! Zedruu makes a great commander for a control deck, giving you the ability to out-draw your opponents with little effort. This is a key element to any good control deck. I should say that Zedruu could also work in an aggro-control capacity with more creatures, but White, Red and Blue's midrange threats are not the strongest in EDH. You really need green to pull it off effectively, in my humble opinion. *The list above, which is my list, is an example of a more control oriented build with a little combo thrown in.
The color combination of WUR gives the control player access to some key card types for winning with Zedruu, the control deck. Even non-control dedicated Zedruu decks will probably want to run some of the following:
Counterspells
Always a perennial favorite, the ability to say "no" to an opponent's spells is a great option for a control deck. Good options for these slots are really up to the deckbuilder's personal preference, and most of the general purpose ones such as Counterspell, Hinder, Dissipate and Cryptic Command all work fine. There are a few that warrant a special mention, though. Spell Crumple has a combo with Wild Research. With a large-sized hand as an insurance policy, you can repeatedly tutor it up from its resting place at the bottom of your library. Forbid is also nasty as all get out, since you can effectively lock out an opponent.
Mass Removal
Another staple in the UW control archetype, white and red give us access to a plethora of effective mass removal options. How much you run is again entirely up to your preference as a deckbuilder. I prefer the cheaper offerings like Day of Judgment, Wrath of God, Hallowed Burial and the flexible Rout. But if you find yourself low on threats, Phyrexian Rebirth and Martial Coup also do double duty as answers with a threat stapled to it. I would be slightly wary of total board sweepers like Akroma's Vengeance, Austere Command Planar Cleansing. For the extra mana you get a lot more destruction, but due to the high number of enchantments and artifacts you might be donating/possessing, this may not be the best course of action.
Single Target Removal
I talked a little bit about this in the previous section, but I firmly believe that the best course of action for creature removal in Zedruu decks is to utilize enchantment-based removal. Although technically more vulnerable than their commonly-played instant and sorcery spell counterparts Swords to Plowshares or Aftershock, the ability to net multiple cards off of removal spells is absolutely huge. Not to mention that, in edh, throwing an enchantment on a commander puts its controller in an awkward spot with a disabled commander unable to return to the command zone. Without enchantment removal of their own, which is the LEAST common type of removal, they may be up the mana creek without a paddle.
The best of these include Arrest and Faith's Fetters for shutting off activated abilities. If you don;t have access to these, plain old Pacifism or any old effect works. journey to nowhere and Oblivion Ring are great for taking out commanders, since their controller will often opt to send their commander to the command zone rather than exile. Now you've got a free enchantment to donate! The flash ability on Temporal Isolation and Mystic Restraints is also very valuable against hasty threats. Sorcery speed is a definite downside to the enchantment based removal strategy.
Be careful in choosing enchantments, though! Certain auras are not friendly with Zedruu, although they seem at first to be perfect fits. The Vow cycle, such as Vow of Lightning, from the commander precons are awful, since donating them changes the "you" in "can't attack you" to the recipient. No bueno! The same applies to spells like Prison Term, which was inexplicably IN the Political Puppets precon, and creature theft effects like Treachery.
If you are really adverse to running the enchantments, Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Condemn, Spin into Myth, Oblation, Chaos Warp, Soul Snare and Aftershock all work. But you're boring and should just run a different commander. It should be noted that WUR also has the most diverse array of tuck spells of any color combo!
Noncreature Removal
Red has access to excellent artifact and nonbasic land removal, and white was the original color of disenchant (now naturalize) so lots of older cards will allow for flexible spells that destroy artifacts and echantments. Some cool ones for Zedruu are Return to Dust, Dismantling Blow, Orim's Thunder, Aura of Silence, Revoke Existence, Into the Core, Shattering Spree, Hoard Smelter Dragon and Viashino Heretic. Capsize gets a special mention for the ability to do lots for the Zedruu deck, including neutralizing attackers, dealing with problematic lands or other permanents, and returning donated goods. Don't skimp on noncreature removal! It always comes back to bite you. Any experienced edh player would advise you to make some room and put a few in. You won't regret it.
Draw
"But fivecolorjunk, don't we already have enough draw power with Zedruu?"
No, little Johnny, you don't. What will you do when your precious Zedruu gets tucked or eaten by rabid wolverines? You'll cry is what you'll do. You'll cry like a little schoolgirl. The solution? Run draw spells! Blue has a host of excellent options, including Consecrated Sphinx, Fact or Fiction, Jaces of all types, Mystic Remora, Rhystic Study and Aeon Chronicler.
Tutors
Getting what you want, when you need it is always strong in a 100 card deck of singletons. WUR has access to some excellent tutors that should not be overlooked. Mystical Tutor and Enlightened Tutor are always good at end of turn. Idyllic Tutor is a little slower but gets what you need right into your hand. Tezzeret the Seeker and Fabricate can get artifacts. And if you're running Sunforger, a core of tutors for equipment like Godo, Bandit Warlord, Stoneforge Mystic, Steelshaper's Gift and Stonehewer Giant are critical for getting out your red and white hammer.
The single most powerful tutor effect in Zedruu's color combination, though, is the mighty Wild Research. Printed 10 years ago in Apocalypse, it has waited nearly a decade for the right deck to come along to abuse it. With Zedruu's focus on enchantments, access to powerful instants and constant draw power, Wild Research can often turn its random discard into a small liability. When you have eight cards in hand, a one in nine chance is only an 11% chance of pitching what you tutored for. Them's good odds. Gamble, red's awesome urza's saga tutor, also works well in Zedruu decks.
Finishers
Now that you've wiped the board, countered all your opponent's spells, donated Grid Monitor, Pyromancer's Swath and Celestial Dawn to him or her, and draw fourteen cards a turn, what do you do? Well, first, you apologize for being a griefing bastard. Then, you very kindly kill your opponent to death. One of the pitfalls of this deck is to leave opponents who are locked out of the game hanging for multiple turns, which in edh land can be several hours. This is boring for them and rude of you. Run spells and creatures which can kill them quickly and efficiently.
In my experience, a few finishers stand out in this style of deck. Storm Herd, Insurrection and a kicked Rite of Replication are sorceries that can end the game in a hurry, can recur with Izzet Chronarch, and can be tutored up via Mystical Tutor which can be tutored up via Wild Research. Untouchable fatties like Akroma, Angel of Wrath and Inkwell Leviathan are also nice, especially since you can donate an island to simulate some islandwalking for Inky Blinky. Niv Mizzet, the Firemind and Psychosis Crawler also give you some reach with direct damage, chipping away at opposing life totals. Eternal Dragon and Call the Skybreaker are also incredibly reliable, resilient finishers for the long game.
Honestly, with the vast, vast pool of large creatures in WUR, you can just get away with running your favorites.
Infinite Combos
Some mages speak of deep, forbidden magic that will outright kill the other players in a game in one fell swoop. The WUR color combination has a pretty wide variety of game-ending combos. With Zedruu's draw power and a slew of decent tutors, these game-enders are a fine way to end a game that has gone on a little too long. Personally, I prefer to win the hard way to protect my reputation as a player who won't ruin the fun for everybody. That guy usually gets targeted first. But, if you have no soul and/or morals, you could run the Kiki Jiki, Mirror Breaker/Splinter Twin and Pestermite/Deceiver Exarch combo, or the Niv Mizzet, the Firemind and Mind over Matter/Curiosity/Ophidian Eye, and I'm pretty sure there is a convoluted combo with Reveillark and Yosei, the Morning Star and Mirror Entity that works somehow. Venser, the Sojourner, in addition to being a powerful tool in combination with many of the deck's cards, can loop a illusions of Grandeur over two turns for 40 damage. Not bad.
There are probably a few more. But again, caution! You might get knocked out before you can pull them off if you get a reputation as the "combo player!"
Ramp and Fixing
A three color deck without green faces an interesting conundrum. How do I fix my colors efficiently? If you don't have the cash to blow on a fat stack of enemy colored mana producers, which tend to be more expensive than their allied counterparts, fear not. EDH offers a wide variety of mana fixers in colorless variants for your wedge colored needs. Journeyer's Kite, Manalith, Solemn Simulacrum, Coaltion Relic, Izzet Signet, Boros Signet, Azorius Signet- all of these types of cards work. You don't need to kill yourself ramping with a deck like this, in my humble opinion. But a little fixing can turn around a hopeless game in the first few turns! I personally like running sphere of the suns in Zedruu, since I can donate the useless artifact once the charge counters have been depleted.
Lands
Maybe this is obvious, but run lands in your Commander deck. Which lands? Well, obviously duals, shocks, fetches, painlands, filter lands, taplands, manlands, vivid lands, and any other mana fixers in WUR are welcome. But there are some tech lands that are absolutely amazing in here. Reliquary Tower is nuts for obvious reasons. Homeward Path is excellent for stealing back donated creatures. Kher Keep can make dorks to donate. Maze of Ith/Kor Haven can stop voltron cold. Academy Ruins is solid for recursion. Mistveil Plains combos with Wild Research for the recursion of just about any enchantment or instant. And Tolaria West/Expedition Map can tutor up any of these lands.
Political
Political decks take a different angle at winning the game than the traditional control deck. They seek to take advantage of the unique opportunities of the free-for-all format by playing table politics, forming alliances, identifying common enemies, steering the course of the game, and keeping themselves safe from harm until the correct moment to strike presents itself. These can be among the most difficult decks to pilot, if only because people are fickle and can often prove difficult to bamboozle when necessary. Zedruu has an absolutely crazy ability to sway the balance of power in a multiplayer format by distributing permanents to the right player at the right time, and the draw power to stay relevant as the game progresses. Even straight out of the box, the Political Puppets deck has some group hug flavor. It's like WOTC was trying to tell us something!
There are a few differences in structure, and some different card categories, that particularly behove the political Zedruu player to run. I've got some experience running a political/group hug deck with the mighty Phelddagrif, so even though my decklist is more griefery and geared towards control, I can still hustle with the best of them. For examples of political Zedruu decks, check out Tompkinsd6's build or Biomechanika's.
Fences
With all of your bamboozlement, you're going to make a lot of allies, but also some clear enemies over the course of the game. WUR has access to the prime way to keep enemies off your back. Ghostly Prison, Propaganda, Collective Restraint, Windborn Muse, Norn's Annex and Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs make for an effective first line of defense. Most players won't go through the trouble of attacking you, as they'd rather spend their mana on, you know, stuff. The fence cards, as I call them, technically can't stop an opponent from attacking you if they really want to, but they'll insure the assault is small and manageable.
Group Hug
While a political deck is not necessarily a group hug deck, most political decks are going to run a few ways to mollify an angry table or get a certain miffed player off your back. While your political Zedruu deck needs draw power, you'd be loath to run hate magnets like Consecrated Sphinx or Jace the Mind Sculptor, right? Political versions of the deck can run stuff like Minds Aglow, Words of Wisdom, Jace Beleren, and Vision Skeins if you are into making friends and stuff. Your counterspells can be equally as friendly, swapping out the dastardly Desertion for guys like Remand, Memory Lapse, Venser, Shaper Savant, and even Dream Fracture. Anything to take the sting out of your countermagic but still keep you ahead of your enemies. The vow cycle from the commander precons, such as Vow of Flight, are also excellent at helping others while keeping them off your back. Other notable cards in this category are Nin, the Pain Artist, Swans of Byrn Argoll, and Howling Mine, which makes a great donation target!
Rattlesnakes
Playing politics isn't all rainbows and sunshine. Sometimes, you need to proactively defend yourself. Enter the rattlesnake. What are rattlesnake cards, you ask? It's any effect that sits on the battlefield, rattles its tail menacingly and says to potential attackers "why don't you go pick on someone else?" These deterrents are some of the most valuable effects in EDH, taking the heat off of you when an aggressive opponent is out for blood. It's also an integral strategy of a political deck- making your opponents look like the correct target. WUR has a plethora of cards that do this. Cards in this category include such favorites as Yosei, the Morning Star, Keiga, the Tide Star, Archon of Justice, Reveillark, Soul Snare, Vicious Shadows, Mangara of Corondor, Magus of the Disk/Nevinyrral's Disk, False Prophet, Mindslaver... the list goes on!
Protection
So you want to keep your Zedruu alive, but don't want to run any countermagic, eh? Some folks just don't like running the blue "no" spells. In a political deck, it's understandable! Who wants to have a reputation as the "counterspell guy" when you're trying to win friends and influence people? Equiptastic ways to protect your minotaur monk include Lightning Greaves, Swiftfoot Boots, Darksteel Plate and Whispersilk Cloak. But if you want some nonartifact ways to accomplish this, try Mistmeadow Witch, Stonecloaker, Eight and a Half Tails, Spellskite and Glory.
Threaten Effects
If you're feeling particularly vindictive, you can steal an opponents creature with Threaten or Dominus of Fealty and donate it permanently to another player. This is a real political power play, earning a real ally and a pissed off enemy in one fell swoop. Act of Treason, Word of Seizing, Act of Agression, and my personal favorite "you just lost to your own general" Unwilling Recruit all work in this capacity. And plenty more! You can also use these effects in combination with Bazaar Trader to give yourself the creature, which is cool if you're the kind of person that also likes to torture small animals.
Creatures?
Didn't I already list creatures? Well, it's worth noting that the biggest asset to a political Zedruu build is the ability to donate creatures to players in need. To do this... you need to run enough creatures! Don't skimp on them! Guys that get their value up-front like Flametongue Kavu and Sphinx of Uthuun work well. Or, try guys that persist or unearth like Twilight Shepherd and Kederekt Leviathan since their decent sized bodies will still help a friend in need, but they always have a return ticket back to your side of the board. Some of the creature exchange cards like Cultural Exchange, Puca's Mischief and Chromeshell Crabalso work really well in political decks, since you won't mind losing a dude as much as you would in a control build. And you still draw cards! Just make sure to pack some Homeward Path in case things go awry.
In general, you can get pretty creative with what you donate in a political Zedruu deck. Have a spare Ghostly Prison next to your Propaganda? Donate it! Buddy getting mana screwed? Donate a Journeyer's Kite or Sensei's Divining Top! Here, have my Jace the Mindsculptor. NOW WE'RE BEST FRIENDS. See how it works?
What about your decklist?
Donation Bombs
Illusions of Grandeur: The classic combo: gain 20, they lose 20. Not as potent as it was back in the says of standard, since we're starting with a big life cushion, but it's still well worth it, especially with venser, the sojourner.
Pyromancer's Swath: Everyone has to read this card twice when I donate it, and nobody smiles when they understand exactly what it does. I reserve this for my enemies.
Celestial Dawn: Part mana fixer for me, and disastrously ironic for my non-white opponents who are effectively shut down due to a strange rules loophole only possible in commander. All of their lands become plains, which tap for colorless mana due to the rules, and they are locked down of anything not colorless. Combo with Iona, Shield of Emeria for opponents playing white.
Swap Meet
Vedalken Plotter, Political Trickery, Shifting Borders: These three unassuming cards are among the most critical to the deck's success. Aside from their initial value of color screwing or pseudo wastelanding an opponent, they plant an innocuous land of my ownership on my opponents turf, giving me a leech seed (to borrow a pokemon reference) of cards and life that can last the entire game, save for if they return to my side via ravnica karoo lands.
Heavy Hitters
Psychosis Crawler: As I fill my hand with Zedruu's magic jellybeans, Psychosis Crawler grows in size and slowly saps my opponent of their life. He's just a fine man, and the reach of his life-loss ability makes up for his lack of evasion/trample.
Mirror-Sigil Sergeant: Here's a new addition that I've always wanted to use. I'm running the versatile Paradox Haze, which combos nicely with the Conflux mythic for doubling my doubles for double the rhino fun. I like his inevitability, so he's on the roster, for now. Testing will prove if he has the right stuff.
Yosei, the Morning Star: A tried and true commander staple. He wards off attackers, spot removal, mass removal, and swings for 5 in the air. Nobody wants to get time walked. Easy inclusion.
Keiga, the Tide Star: The perfect creature. Not as resilient to mass removal as his white cousin, but he makes combat an absolute nightmare. He's even shaped like a rattlesnake. All for just a single U in the casting cost? I never build a blue deck without him.
Sun Titan: There are a lot of targets for the fat man's reanimation abilities, so good old Sun Titan easily earns a spot on the roster. His vigilance is not quite a good enough substitute for good old fashioned evasion, but it's nice to have him back on defense when you're up against a few players.
Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind: Just like Psychosis Crawler, this dude turns my card draws into pings, but he trades universal damage for the ability to fry out creatures. Thankfully, he also flies and is a draw engine himself. I'll try to get my hands on the new Niz Mizzet, Dracogenius as well, so get the two of them working in tandem for a draw and damage frenzy!
Numot, the Devastator: I dislike that he doesn't have an immediate effect on the board, but Numot is one of the only existing WUR cards, so I wanted to include him in the decklist. The ability is absolutely bananas if connects, but he's on the watch list.
Eternal Dragon: Fixing and recursion in one package of sexy inevitability. You can always rely on Eternal Dragon to get there, even if the old girl isn't as flashy as some of these newfangled critters. She gets the job done at any stage of the game.
Quicksilver Gargantuan: Lets be honest, this is going to be a 7/7 Primeval Titan 90% of the time. That seems good enough. EDIT: NOT ANYMORE THAT SUCKA PRIME TIME GOT BANNED! Now I may have to reconsider the value of clones in all of my decks!
Chancellor of the Spires: Another new and welcome addition, Chancellor of the Spires is part of my concerted effort to fill my commander decks with creatures that have an immediate effect on the board. Men that have to untap are at a serious loss when compared to the immediate effect of something like the Chancellor. At the worst, she'll copy a ramp spell. At her best, you're getting free time stretches and laughing like a pirate. Just an amazing creature.
Bogardan Hellkite: One of my favorite fatties in any color, he turns full-on assaults into disastrous defeats when he flashes in and burninates the village. I don't know why I ever took him out.
Iona, Shield of Emeria: I had one lying around from a disassembled Captain Sisay deck, and realized that she combos with a donated Celestial Dawn to lock out white opponents. She functions pretty well on her own, as well. Large and in charge, she's the go-to girl for locking out games.
Consecrated Sphinx: So Primeval Titan gets the axe, but this thing stays legal? Not that I mind, I love drawing five cards per cycle and bashing for 4.
No Means No
Spell Crumple: Not only does spell crumple serve as a second hinder for tucking commanders, I can also soft lock with it by repeatedly tutoring it up via Wild Research. 10/10 would cast again.
Forbid: While it may not be as fancy as some other counterspells out there, the utilitarian forbid can create a soft lock with enough cards in hand and enough mana for recasts. All I would need is a commander capable of drawing multiple cards per turn…
Decree of Silence: For six mana, you get an uncountable cantrip counterspell. Not bad, you might say. But for the full price, you get a 3 spell lockdown of your opponents that can be donated to them when depleted. A really unique spell that works excellently with the commander.
Here, I'm done with this, you can have it
Oblivion Ring, Detention Sphere: Similar to Journey to Nowhere, except more flexible for dealing with other nonland permanents. Detention Sphere from RTR even has the added bonus of wiping out token armies. Normally I don't like these effects in commander, since they're too easily undone by a Planar Cleansing or somesuch, but in Zedruu they're worth it.
Nevermore: It doesn't matter who controls Nevermore, since it simply says that the named card can't be played. For added insult to injury, I usually donate it to the player whose commander I have locked out.
Cards that are worse than Krosan Grip
Dismantling Blow: Just like Orim's Thunder, the flexible Dismantling Blow is reasonable noncreature removal with a strong upside at 6 mana. I find myself casting this unkicked more often than I'd like, but for 3 mana destroying a Mirari's Wake or Phyrexian Arena is just fine.
A Clean Slate
Terminus: Same as above, except with the upside of casting this for W at my draw step. Paying full price for this isn't unreasonable, either. If I was to include another wrath here, I would probably go for the new Overload bounce spell in RTR, Cyclonic Rift.
Austere Command: This is a wrath and so much more. The ultimate in flexibility, this can wipe tokens and artifacts, fatties and enchantments, all creatures, and many more combinations depending on your circumstance. If I had to include just one wrath in the deck, it would be this.
Digging for Answers
Idyllic Tutor: Most of the time, I search for wild research, but sometimes I'm in headshot range for Illusions of Grandeur I'll go for something like that. This is actually a slow card for 3 mana, but it's functional. Enlightened Tutor is also an option if you dig tossing an extra card to tutor.
Tezzeret the Seeker: I added a lot more mana rocks and some really relevant artifacts in the deck. Between his utility in ramping with my signets, and his ability to tutor out Steel Golem, Crystal Shard, and equipment, he's made himself into an auto-include in this deck. I patiently await the day which I can win off of his ultimate.
Mystic Remora, Rhystic Study: Set it, and forget it. These fantastic enchantments shore up Zedruu's inherent weakness to bullets. When the commander is not around drawing me cards (WHICH IS UNFORTUNATELY TOO OFTEN, ERIC, STOP CASTING OBLATION ON HIM) I can rely on these two to help me out.
Fact or Fiction: End of Turn Fact or Fiction I win. That's what they used to say, at least.
Future Sight: The triple blue in the cc gave me pause, but the effect is mind bogglingly good. Don't be fooled- this is a draw spell that expands your hand by one and turns the cards on the top of your deck into cantrips!
Sphinx's Revelation: This RTR spell is a flavorful and functional inclusion to the deck. I'd considered Blue Sun's Zenith for its flexibility, but I like the life gain and the fact that it mirrors so perfectly what the commander does. Call me a Vorthos, but I'm going to give it a shot.
Aeon Chronicler: Part draw engine, part fatty, Aeon Chronicler is a card I constantly waffle on including. Suspending it for 4 or 5 is excellent for the next few turns, but its sad that the creature half of it is a little underwhelming, even with Zedruu's hand-expanding abilities. He's on the watch list.
The Kitchen Sink
Whispersilk Cloak: A constantly underestimated card, the cloak gives Zedruu protection as well as allowing my ground-based fatties like Psychosis Crawler, Sun Titan and Aeon Chronicler to get in there like champions.
Crystal Shard: Anybody who has played with Crystal Shard understands exactly why I say that it may be one of the most hated artifacts at my commander table. It saves creatures from certain death, allows me to replay my ETB fatties for repeated abuse, and can even catch an opponent with his or her pants down when they tap out for a fatty. This thing has been K Gripped more times than I can count. I'm sure Tezzeret will get used to tutoring for this guy.
Spreading Seas: A simple and effective way to deal with problematic lands, it pays for itself up front with a 2 mana cantrip, and can be donated later for profit. A really elegant inclusion in the deck.
Paradox Haze: Since Paradox Haze enchants a player, it doesn't matter who controls it. So I get double Zedruu upkeeps AND a donation target in one card! It also accelerates my Aeon Chronicler and combos beautifully with Mirror-Sigil Sergeant.
Copy Enchantment: Incredibly versatile, this seemingly narrow clone variant is an all star in this deck. You know what's better than donating illusions of grandeur to an opponent? Donating illusions of grandeur to an opponent twice.
Venser the Sojourner: Blinking donated targets back to my side is obviously great, and the ultimate is super powerful. Resetting O Rings and getting more value out of ETB effects is nice too. But repeatedly blinking and donating illusions of grandeur is just wrong.
Our ramp goes up to 11
Pilgrim's Eye: Better than it looks, gets the job done, blocks guys with swords.
Darksteel Ingot, Coalition Relic, Vessel of Endless Rest: These three MIGHT become keyrunes one day. For now, I like the flexibility of all 3 colors.
Expedition Map: Gets me the incredibly important Reliquary Tower. A staple remover couldn't take this out of my deck.
Journeyer's Kite, Solemn Simulacrum: These guys are really good at getting one of the two mountains in the deck, I guess? Yeah, play more ramp in your decks. Just do it.
Acknowledgments
Thanks again to everyone who donated their great ideas, especially Supersonik, tompkinsd6, 3drinks, CorpT, RLewis, and many, many other contributing posters. This is my first thread that has reached 100+ posts, so thanks, mtgsalvation!
Any questions, suggestions, ideas, criticisms, flames or additions to the primer are welcome. Please let me know if I've missed anything obvious!
Latest Updates!
9/18/2012 Update
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Izzet Chronarch
1 Azorius Signet
1 Boros Signet
1 Izzet Signet
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Future Sight
1 Pilgrim's Eye
1 Vessel of Endless Rest
A bit of testing proved the draw power of the deck to be a little lacking. I had forgotten how unreliable of a draw engine our commander can be in some games! I sliced a ramp spell off the total, Inkwell, and Chronarch (who had too few good targets) and added some draw power and newfangled fixers.
9/16/2012 Major Update:
1 Grid Monitor
1 Curse of Stalked Prey
1 Insurrection
1 Storm Herd
1 Counterspell
1 Cryptic Command
1 Desertion
1 Draining Whelk
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Temporal Isolation
1 Arrest
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Return to Dust
1 Capsize
1 Day of Judgment
1 Wrath of God
1 Phyrexian Rebirth
1 Rout
1 Gamble
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Mirror Sigil Sergeant
1 Chancellor of the Spires
1 Numot, the Devastator
1 Quicksilver Gargantuan
1 Bogardan Hellkite
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Detention Sphere
1 Decree of Silence
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Terminus
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Mystic Remora
1 Rhystic Study
1 Sphinx's Revelation
1 Whispersilk Cloak
1 Crystal Shard
1 Spreading Seas
1 Izzet Chronarch
1 Azorius Signet
1 Boros Signet
1 Izzet Signet
In the span of 24 hours, I was asked by a friend if I still had all of the manabase and cards to rebuild Zedruu, and then this thread was bumped to the front page. Obviously, it was the will of Zedruu that I rebuild this deck, so I did!
I was basically starting from scratch, so before I even looked at my old list, I went through my piles of EDH goodies with fresh eyes and built the deck anew. Then I took a look at the old list and realized how different it became! The deck has a lot less single target removal, and is probably a little goofier and less cutthroat. It has more dudes, which I like. I'll let you guys know how it tests. Again, my list is just a suggestion. Zedruu is really variable. Go your own way!
RTR UPDATE:
The biggest inclusions from RTR were Detention Sphere, which is a straight up slam dunk in the deck, and Sphinx's Revelation, which seems powerful as well. I'll keep my eyes out for more goodies as the spoilers unfold.
Seeing as we also saw some notable additions from AVR and M13, I figured I would highlight the relevant ones here:
Obviously, EDH staples like Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, Avacyn, Angel of Hope, Terminus are options. Arcane Melee is great for group hug, since it doesn't matter who controls it. You could potentially screw an opponent by donating an Infinite Reflection on, say, a Plant that they control. Desolate Lighthouse is a possibility, too.
From m13, we have Switcheroo, which could see some use. It's a little tricky to make work effectively, as you need something worthwhile (read: small) to give them, unlike Gilded Drake, which comes with his own body.
Any thoughts, ideas, or flames are welcome, and thanks in advance!
I think the token idea is a little too slow, but It could turn out to be a wincon...so It's worth the try i guess.
I'm building a deck for this guy and Im going to use Wild Research to find more "Do nothing" Enchantments and spread them out my friends. It will help me find Counters and sport removal too.
Again, we need to concentrate in finding COOL donable targets.
- Cultural Exchange - really good with upkeep on Zedruu.
- Platinum Emperion + Norn's Annex
- Lich's Tomb can wreck board position before you swoop in for kill
- Jinxed artifacts? Jinxed Choker,Jinx Idol
I like the idea of ambiguous global effects that disregard the controller. Could do a token aggro theme as a backup plan?
That being said, I like what you have so far. I agree with the previous comments. You need more things to give away, as well as some more ways to trade things. Gilded Drake and Pucha's Mischief have homes here I think. Telim'tor's edict is a cute trick if you find something.you gave away isn't working out like you wanted (as in your opponent finds a way to use it against you, or you get stuck with something you don't want). I also like brand so you could steal back your stuff later if you feel like you need it all back.
Bad things to donate: Grid Monitor, Taniwha, Summoner's Egg (Put under a creature with a terrible ETB trigger like Leveler), Clone Shell (Same as Egg), Thought Lash, Celestial Dawn (If their Commander doesn't have white, they can't play colored spells), Lich's Tomb, Illusions of Grandeur
Cool deck.
QFT. This guy is gonna be so much fun.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Great ideas. What are some other good Clone Shell targets?
The only one I can think of is Sky Swallower. It's difficult to find creatures with drawbacks that don't have a sac the creature clause.
EDIT: found some more good creatures to donate with Clone Shell/Summoner Egg:
Would learn my licks with a bottle neck slide
I did some more searching and found a couple more donate targets: Akron Legionnaire, Form of the Dragon, Molten Firebird (lol), Ivory Gargoyle
(U/B)(U/B)(U/B) JUMP IN THE LINE, ROCK YOUR BODY IN TIME
(R/W)(R/W)(R/W) RISING FROM THE NEON GLOOM, SHINING LIKE A CRAZY MOON
(U/R)(R/G)(G/U) STEALIN' WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUYIN'
Edit: Nath'd
I also suggest you get on UNIQUE sleeves to tell which cards are yours.
They changed this some time ago. You no longer own the tokens; whoever controls them as they come into play owns them.
I decided to dial back on the aura theme and token theme, and move the balance towards a more traditional control deck with proper fatties and some tweaks that made it more Zedruu friendly. For example, I've eschewed swords to plowshares for journey to nowhere. Journey isn't quite Swords, but it serves a similar function and I can donate it for some extra cards and life as the game progresses. Overall, I think I actually maintained the amount of donate-able permanents.
I sculpted the targets for donation a little better, down to 9 real "screw you" cards. The "trade" cards underneath are really great. Trading lands with opponents is really nasty with Zedruu, since it's really hard to ditch a land when it's been given to you, and I can even steal my opponents Homeward Path or somesuch for great justice. Just donating lands with Zedruu works, but this is really efficient and plants a permanent I own really early without screwing up my mana.
Other cards I added were Wild Research (which is insane) and Paradox Haze, which is PERFECT with Zedruu, since you can donate it and it still works. You can also donate a spent Sphere of the Suns. I may try to add Tumble Magnet for the same effect.
Thanks everyone for your feedback, keep it coming.
It turns all their lands into Plains, and since their commander's color identity doesn't include white all of those lands can only produce colorless mana.
R Citizen Cane (Feldon of the Third Path)
-Modern-
WMartyrProcB
BBurnR
-Commander-
A problem with 'weak' token is your opponent can simply use them to attack your another opponent and it will be blocked by bigger creature certainly because none of your opponents want you to draw and gain life. . .
That's absolutely true. I tried to shy away from too many creature donation strategies in here, as they're not nearly as reliable as a land or other non-creature permanent for Zedruu's purposes. My initial build had a token theme, but I quickly realized how often that would be foiled.
The donate-able creatures I've included get their card advantage upfront, like Chromeshell Crab or Pilgrim's Eye. Donating one of those at EOT and netting an extra life and card is never bad. Kher Keep makes the cut, imho, since it doesn't really take up a spot in the deck, gives me an instant speed dork to donate, and can even block for me or an allied opponent in pinch. Also, when you donate it to a Statecrafted opponent, they're going to have a MUCH tougher time losing it