Zedruu EDH PRIMER

Commander / EDH Chaos Combo Control Donate RUW (Jeskai, America)

marco-online

Land (38)

• 1x Academy Ruins
• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Deserted Beach
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 1x Fabled Passage
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Forbidden Orchard
• 1x Hall of Heliod's Generosity
• 1x Hallowed Fountain
• 1x Homeward Path
• 4x Island
• 1x Minamo, School at Water's Edge
• 1x Mountain
• 1x Ondu Skyruins  ^Flip
• 5x Plains
• 1x Plaza of Heroes
• 1x Prismatic Vista
• 1x Raugrin Triome
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Sacred Foundry
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Sea of Clouds
• 1x Serra's Sanctum
• 1x Spectator Seating
• 1x Steam Vents
• 1x Stormcarved Coast
• 1x Sundown Pass
• 1x Tolaria West
• 1x Training Center

Draw (6)

• 1x Humble Defector
• 1x Jin-Gitaxias  ^Flip
• 1x Mystic Remora
• 1x Rhystic Study
• 1x Smuggler's Share
• 1x Whirlwind of Thought

Win (5)

• 1x Drannith Magistrate
• 1x Knowledge Pool
• 1x Lavinia, Azorius Renegade
• 1x Luminarch Ascension
• 1x Possibility Storm

Other (1)

• 1x Leyline of Anticipation

Donation Targets (15)

• 1x Banishing Light
• 1x Clout of the Dominus
• 1x Darksteel Mutation
• 1x Forbidden Orchard
• 1x Gift of Immortality
• 1x Grasp of Fate
• 1x Imprisoned in the Moon
• 1x Knowledge Pool
• 1x Leyline Binding
• 1x Oblivion Ring
• 1x Paradox Haze
• 1x Possibility Storm
• 1x Seal from Existence
• 1x Transmogrifying Wand
• 1x Treachery

Engine Cards (10)

• 1x Donate
• 1x Gilded Drake
• 1x Humble Defector
• 1x Perplexing Chimera
• 1x Political Trickery
• 1x Puca's Mischief
• 1x Rainbow Vale
• 1x Role Reversal
• 1x Sudden Substitution
• 1x Vedalken Plotter

Ramp (8)

• 1x Dockside Extortionist
• 1x Keeper of the Accord
• 1x Knight of the White Orchid
• 1x Land Tax
• 1x Smothering Tithe
• 1x Smuggler's Share
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Thieving Skydiver

Pillow (5)

• 1x Collective Restraint
• 1x Ghostly Prison
• 1x Keeper of the Accord
• 1x Propaganda
• 1x Sphere of Safety

Bad Gifts (4)

• 1x Illusions of Grandeur
• 1x Nine Lives
• 1x Pyromancer's Swath
• 1x Statecraft

Commander (1)

Removal (12)

• 1x Banishing Light
• 1x Cavalier of Dawn
• 1x Darksteel Mutation
• 1x Grasp of Fate
• 1x Imprisoned in the Moon
• 1x Leyline Binding
• 1x Oblivion Ring
• 1x Ondu Skyruins  ^Flip
• 1x Skyclave Apparition
• 1x Tragic Arrogance
• 1x Transmogrifying Wand
• 1x Treachery

Pro (8)

• 1x Clout of the Dominus
• 1x Fierce Guardianship
• 1x Gift of Immortality
• 1x Glacial Chasm
• 1x Muddle the Mixture
• 1x Plaza of Heroes
• 1x Teferi's Protection
• 1x Unwind

Fix (7)

• 1x Academy Rector
• 1x Enlightened Tutor
• 1x Idyllic Tutor
• 1x Imperial Recruiter
• 1x Muddle the Mixture
• 1x Tolaria West
• 1x Weathered Wayfarer

Recursion (3)

• 1x Academy Ruins
• 1x Cavalier of Dawn
• 1x Hall of Heliod's Generosity

Removal (1)

• 1x Seal from Existence

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Zedruu EDH PRIMER

Zedruu the Greathearted

The main strength of Zedruu is its ability to donate permanents to other players, which can create political alliances and opportunities for backhanded deals. Additionally, its triggered ability to gain life and draw cards for X donated permanents is an unreached draw engine printed on a commander.

Important Rules to Know Show

Adapted from this insightful thread by tstorm823 >click<

Ownership

Zedruu counts cards you own but don't control. The card owner is the player using the deck it started in, regardless of the real-world card owner. The only cards you own when playing Zedruu are those from the deck you're playing. Ownership of tokens works differently: the owner is whoever created the tokens.

Control

Control changes are central to Zedruu. Two situations where control can be unclear are auras and multiple control effects. Remember that control of an aura doesn't change what it's attached to. For multiple control effects, the most recent effect takes precedence, and earlier effects ending don't change later effects.

Trigger Resolution

Zedruu's only trigger condition is reaching the beginning of the upkeep. You can donate things in response to the trigger, and then X is counted during resolution. Keep in mind this works both ways, so if opponents remove your donations in response to the trigger, you'll draw fewer cards.

Players Leaving the Game

When a player leaves the game, all objects they own leave the game, and any effects giving them control of objects or players end. If they die while controlling a card donated to them, the effect giving them control ends, and it returns to whoever would control it without that effect.

Adapted from this insightful thread by tstorm823 >click<

Protection Pieces Show

This deck includes protection staples such as Teferi's Protection, Fierce Guardianship, and Plaza of Heroes. Unique inclusions for protecting Zedruu include auras like Gift of Immortality and Clout of the Dominus, which can be donated. Muddle the Mixture helps find combo pieces, while Unwind untaps mana for additional upkeep donations.

Enchantment Subtheme

• Enchantments are sturdy permanents that synergize with Zedruu's triggered ability.
• Most auras, such as Paradox Haze, can be donated after enchanting permanents or players.
• Removal enchantments like Oblivion Ring can also be donated.
• The deck includes Sphere of Safety and Serra's Sanctum with massive benefit.
• White recursion is available with Hall of Heliod's Generosity.
• White tutor cards include Enlightened Tutor, Idyllic Tutor, and Academy Rector

Minimal Creatures

• The deck features Whirlwind of Thought as a secondary Zedruu.
• Creature inclusions are mainly for card type exchanges with Role Reversal and Sudden Substitution.
• Donating creatures is less effective due to their vulnerability to removal or combat.
• Creatures in the deck should ideally have ETB effects, making them less useful for opponents after swapping.

Avoid Helping Opponents

• Prioritize ramp and card advantage effects for yourself, avoiding symmetrical cards like Howling Mine.
• The deck focuses on non-symmetrical effects, even if they are less mana-efficient, to avoid fueling opponents' resources.
• Examples: Whirlwind of Thought, Propaganda, and Land Tax instead of Dictate of Kruphix, Smoke, and Oath of Lieges.
• The deck runs enough Donation Targets to compensate for the lack of symmetrical cards.

Zedruu's Ability Synergies

I run three types to increase Zedruu the Greathearted {X} count: Bad Gifts, Donation Targets, and Engine Cards.

Bad Gifts are cards that negatively impact the opponent when given control.

Illusions of Grandeur is a classic Zedruu card, offering style points and later-game combo potential (described below).

Nine Lives can also become a combo piece later in the game (described below).

Pyromancer's Swath is politically interesting when donated to control players or players with costly or contentious cards.

Statecraft turns your vanilla creatures into blockers until donated to an aggressive, creature-based opponent, disrupting their primary strategy.

Donation Targets are cards that can be donated once resolved or depleted.

Paradox Haze offers two beneficial card pairings: Paradox Haze + Zedruu the Greathearted and Paradox Haze + Puca's Mischief . The enchantment stays even when donated.

Banishing Light , Imprisoned in the Moon , Oblivion Ring , Darksteel Mutation , and Grasp of Fate serve as synergistic removal.

Swapping lands with Leyline Binding in mind allows you to gain all 5 basic land types and benefits cards like Collective Restraint.

Clout of the Dominus grants Zedruu +2/+2, shroud, and haste, and can be donated while still protecting her.

Gift of Immortality offers protection and can be donated, making it preferable to Swiftfoot Boots.

Forbidden Orchard can be donated with political deals in mind, netting tokens in return.

Treachery is a free, donatable card that can act as pseudo-removal for creatures.

Pentad Prism and Sphere of the Suns provide efficient ramp and can be donated after depletion.

Engine Cards make opponents control your permanents.Sudden Substitution allows you to swap a creature with a target spell, giving control of cards like Pyromancer's Swath or Possibility Storm to opponents.

Donate is a backup that mimics Zedruu's donation ability, useful for late-game situations.

Gilded Drake automatically swaps itself for any threat or commander, and can be retrieved with Homeward Path if it dies.

Political Trickery and Vedalken Plotter are excellent engine cards, with exchanged lands rarely removed during games.

Role Reversal and Puca's Mischief help even out board states, despite their respective type and CMC restrictions.

Puca's Mischief + Homeward Path allows one-sided creature to noncreature card swaps.

Pendant of Prosperity offers political group-hug potential and auto-swap ability.

Humble Defector becomes a draw engine with Homeward Path. Activate it in response to Zedruu's triggered ability to increase the {X} draw, then regain control with Homeward Path.

Rainbow Vale can be tapped for Zedruu's donate ability in response to her trigger, paying for one of {R}{U}{W} and counting as +{1} for Zedruu's {X}. It also enables political plays.

Perplexing Chimera is powerful with Homeward Path. The card itself, and especially the combination of Homeward Path + Perplexing Chimera , can deter opponents from playing impactful spells.

##Additional Draw Engines Show

In addition to Zedruu the Greathearted and the previously mentioned combinations of Humble Defector and Homeward Path, there are potent static options to draw more cards.

The "fish" Mystic Remora is excellent, as it can be recurred with Cavalier of Dawn or Hall of Heliod's Generosity.

Rhystic Study is a classic card draw engine that puts pressure on your opponents to pay extra mana or let you draw cards.

Smuggler's Share synergizes well with Humble Defector and Pendant of Prosperity, allowing you to draw additional cards as your opponents utilize these donated cards.

Whirlwind of Thought acts as a secondary engine, granting card draw whenever you cast a noncreature spell.

##Fixing and Tutoring Show

To ensure consistency and access to key cards, the deck includes a variety of tutors tailored to specific card types:

Muddle the Mixture and Imperial Recruiter focus on tutoring key creatures. Muddle the Mixture has the added benefit of countering an instant or sorcery spell with a converted mana cost of 2, while Imperial Recruiter can fetch creatures with power 2 or less.

Academy Rector and Idyllic Tutor specialize in searching for enchantments. Academy Rector's ability triggers upon its death, allowing you to put any enchantment from your library onto the battlefield, while Idyllic Tutor directly puts an enchantment from your library into your hand.

Enlightened Tutor is a versatile tutor that searches for either key artifacts or enchantments, placing them on top of your library.

Weathered Wayfarer is a land tutor that allows you to search for any land card when activated, providing crucial mana fixing or access to utility lands.

These tutors provide the deck with a higher degree of consistency, ensuring that you can find the cards you need when you need them.

##Card Recursion Choices Show

While the deck does not heavily rely on recursion, having a few options to bring back key cards can be beneficial:

Cavalier of Dawn provides recursion for artifacts or enchantments. When it leaves the battlefield, its ability allows you to return an artifact or enchantment card from your graveyard to your hand, giving you a second chance to use those important cards.

Academy Ruins and Hall of Heliod's Generosity are lands that offer recursion for artifacts and enchantments, respectively. By tapping Academy Ruins and paying {1}{U}, you can put an artifact card from your graveyard on top of your library. Similarly, by tapping Hall of Heliod's Generosity and paying {1}{W}, you can put an enchantment card from your graveyard on top of your library.

These recursion options give the deck added resilience and the ability to recover key cards that may have been removed or destroyed during the course of the game.

Win the Game by Combo, Not Damage

The win conditions in this deck involve two-card combos that don't result in infinite scenarios or rely on dealing damage. These combos can be easily downgraded to less competitive win conditions or adjusted by cutting tutoring effects for a less win oriented gameplay experience.

Combo Win Conditions

Lock - ~{4}{R}{R}{WU}:

Drannith Magistrate + Possibility Storm or Lavinia, Azorius Renegade + Possibility Storm creates a lock where only you can cast spells. You can either play Possibility Storm and play creatures until you achieve the lock through chaos, or have one of the key creatures on the board and then play Possibility Storm.

Lock - ~{7}{WU}:

card:Knowledge Pool + Drannith Magistrate or Knowledge Pool + Lavinia, Azorius Renegade creates another lock where only you can cast spells. To assemble the lock, play one of the key creatures first, followed by Knowledge Pool.

Themed Win Conditions

card:Nine Lives + Donate: Cast Nine Lives and donate it to an opponent. Over time, the counters will accumulate, and when the ninth counter is placed, the death trigger of Nine Lives will eliminate that player.

card:Nine Lives + Zedruu the Greathearted: Cast Nine Lives, wait until the ninth counter is placed on it, and then donate it via Zedruu the Greathearted's ability with instant speed, taking out one opponent.

Illusions of Grandeur + Zedruu the Greathearted : Cast Illusions of Grandeur, donate it, and gain +20 life. The new controller of Illusions of Grandeur will have to deal with -20 life.

In 4-player games, with a pillow fort build like this, Luminarch Ascension is an excellent win condition. Multiple tax effects like Sphere of Safety, Collective Restraint, Ghostly Prison, and Propaganda hinder opponents from attacking, allowing you to activate Luminarch Ascension.

The ideal pairing with an established board state is Luminarch Ascension + Sphere of Safety . With Serra's Sanctum or Smothering Tithe, you can generate several angels per turn, eventually overwhelming your opponents.

Ongoing Considerations Show

Considered Winconditions...

Since Academy Ruins is already in the deck I seek space to fiddle with Mindslaver.

Academy Ruins + Mindslaver == gain control of all of target player's turns for {11}{U}.

Emry, Lurker of the Loch + Mindslaver == gain control of all of target player's turns for {10}. Emry, Lurker of the Loch does double as another recursion option.

Mages' Contest + Mindslaver would snipe an opponent to death if he does not bow to you since you could bid his remaining life points with Mages' Contest for him while he is mindslaved.

Considered Card Choices...

Here are some cards that are being considered for inclusion in the deck:

card:Reins of PowerSTH: An interesting option for a surprise, fatal blow or to turn opponents' creatures against each other before they can attack you.

Guardian of Faith: A potential replacement for Teferi's Protection.

Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs: Could replace a pillow fort effect for added versatility.

Pramikon, Sky Rampart: Provides an impactful and political way of restricting who can attack you.

Slaughter the Strong: A board wipe that keeps Zedruu alive while clearing the board of larger threats.

Swift Reconfiguration: Protects Zedruu as a giftable enchantment.

Sejiri Shelter  : Offers further protection for your key permanents.

Alexi's Cloak: Another option for protection.

Divine Presence: Provides symmetric protection for a more balanced approach.

Khârn the Betrayer: An auto-donate permanent that acts as a draw engine.

Date added	1 year
Last updated	11 months
Key combos	Academy Ruins + Mindslaver Paradox Haze + Zedruu the Greathearted Illusions of Grandeur + Zedruu the Greathearted Knowledge Pool + Lavinia, Azorius Renegade Mages' Contest + Mindslaver Homeward Path + Perplexing Chimera Lavinia, Azorius Renegade + Possibility Storm Emry, Lurker of the Loch + Mindslaver Drannith Magistrate + Possibility Storm Paradox Haze + Puca's Mischief Luminarch Ascension + Sphere of Safety
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	6 - 0 Mythic Rares 66 - 0 Rares 11 - 0 Uncommons 6 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.18
Tokens	Angel 4/4 W, Golem 3/3 C, Illusion */* U, Ox 2/4 W, Soldier 1/1 W, Spirit 1/1 C, Treasure
Folders	EDH