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

Protection Pieces Show

Enchantment Subtheme

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

Zedruu's Ability Synergies

I run three types to increase Zedruu the Greathearted 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 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 and counting as + for Zedruu's . 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

##Fixing and Tutoring Show

##Card Recursion Choices Show

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 - ~:

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 - ~:

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

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97% Casual

Competitive