Zara, Renegade Recruiter

Legendary Creature — Human Pirate

Flying

Whenever Zara, Renegade Recruiter attacks, look at the defending player's hand. You may put a creature card from it onto the battlefield tapped and attacking that player or planeswalker they control. Return that creature to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next end step.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (8)

MistaMint on my door is always open

9 months ago

Oh for sure. My Garth deck is more of a casino where you roll the dice every game. I don't really like making decks where you are only trying to play four cards out of a 100 card deck. I like to have fun with all my cards, and Garth is a crowd favourite with my playgroup because everyone wants to see what he comes up with this time.

My favourite win was when I stole a master of cruelties out of a Kaalia deck and killed them with their own combo a turn before they were going to do it to me. Zara, Renegade Recruiter stole the show that night.

Optimator on Roses of May -- (Marchesa Threaten)

1 year ago

I'm glad you love the deck elliotmward97!! I've had her for many years and I love her dearly. I even love Marchesa enough to have a five-color "Secret Marchesa" deck: Special Snowflakes. My playgroup ranges from precons and upgraded precons to "powerful casual" and this deck seems to hang with their stronger decks very well. It's certainly not cEDH, nor would I really want it to be. One of the reasons I kept the Threaten subtheme going string from it's budget days.

As far as "very little" card draw...

Bloodtracker, Braids, Arisen Nightmare, Grim Haruspex, River Kelpie, Sage of Fables, Scorn-Blade Berserker, Yawgmoth, Thran Physician, Phyrexian Arena, Jeska's Will, Syphon Mind, and Skullclamp are all card draw. That's eleven.

Phyrexian Reclamation is big-time card advantage if my goons keep getting whacked, Viscera Seer is decent card selection when the engine is running, and the non-Treaten theft cards could even be viewed as card-advantage if you squint (looping Thalakos Deceiver and Puppeteer Clique and Keiga, the Tide Star, Zara, Renegade Recruiter getting lucky a few times, Grave Betrayal sticking, etc).

Actually seems above-average to me, elliotmward97.

Perhaps it's light in more pure Concentrate- and Tidings-style draw, but I like the creature-based draw that synergizes with Marchesa. Makes the deck feel like it has more character, and the ceiling is quite high when the engine is rolling. Lower floor, perhaps. I've thought about including more draw effects like Bident of Thassa, Reconnaissance Mission, and Coastal Piracy since the deck swings out so much, but I like where things are right now.

legendofa on Fun izzet commanders

1 year ago

Izzet's not my strongest point, but Zara, Renegade Recruiter, Dalakos, Crafter of Wonders, or Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer could all be starting points.

The {U}{R} legendary creature list leans very heavily into card draw and instants/sorceries. Would you consider adding a third color?

Hagenizzle on Obeka, brute Chronologist

2 years ago

Keep in mind, end of turn actions still happen. Obeka can only cancel out things that go on the stack. For example she can not stop Endling from losing death touch at the end of turn but she can stop "at the beginning of the next end step" like Zara, Renegade Recruiter's ability.

DavidBray on Speak "friend" and Enter [PRIMER]

3 years ago

Mundus33 I take that by all red theft effects, you mean Mob Rule - in this deck, at least. Zara, Renegade Recruiter still keeps the creature.

multimedia on Thieving Pirates

3 years ago

Hey, well done on a budget. Nice Sol Ring and Mutavault promos :)

More flying/unblockable Pirates can help to easier trigger Malcolm and Breaches.

• Departed Deckhand --> Volcanic Dragon
• Spectral Sailor --> Swaggering Corsair
• Siren Stormtamer --> Goblin Trailblazer
• Warkite Marauder --> Captain Vargus Wrath
• Storm Fleet Sprinter --> Littjara Kinseekers
• Zara, Renegade Recruiter --> Maelstrom Colossus
• Archetype of Imagination --> Confiscate

Imagination also makes it so your opponents creatures most likely can't block your creatures because they can't have flying. The only creatures who can block are ones with reach or there's an effect to be able to block creatures with flying.

Sources of repeatable draw when a creature you control does damage or combat damage to a player are good with more flying Pirates.

• Bident of Thassa --> Sisay's Ring
• Reconnaissance Mission --> Dreamstone Hedron
• Tandem Lookout --> Divination

If Lookout soulbond to Lightning-Rig Crew or Glint-Horn Buccaneer then you draw cards equal to the number of opponents you have. Lookout can change who it's soulbond too which is very helpful.

Some Pirates can repeatedly help to clear the way of blockers to do more damage with Breaches and other Pirates.

• Coercive Recruiter --> Prosperous Pirates
• Merchant Raiders --> Brazen Freebooter

Any creature you gain control of with Recruiter becomes a Pirate until end of turn. If that creature does damage to an opponent then it will trigger Breaches and Malcolm.

Good luck with your deck.

Chaoscharlie on Maelstrom Wanderer is LEGEND-waitforit-DARY

4 years ago

Hi. Can we talk. I'm literally building this, independent of you. Lol But I have questions. I don't know how updated this list is. Would you consider: Jori En, Ruin Diver Rashmi, Eternities Crafter Nikya of the Old Ways Purphoros, Bronze-Blooded Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma

But most importantly, I started building the deck because of Zara, Renegade Recruiter

And I'm thinking Keruga, the Macrosage as a companion.

What is your input? What do you think?

rjife on Yasova, Mother to the Wild

4 years ago

You might want to consider running Zara, Renegade Recruiter?