Arcane Foundry › Commanders › Zhao, Ruthless Admiral

Zhao, Ruthless Admiral

Zhao, Ruthless Admiral

Legendary Creature — Human Soldier · {2}{B/R}{B/R} · Black/Red commander

Firebending 2 (Whenever this creature attacks, add {R}{R}. This mana lasts until end of combat.) Whenever you sacrifice another permanent, creatures you control get +1/+0 until end of turn.
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What Zhao, Ruthless Admiral actually does

Read off the card by the same engine the Forge and Analyzer use — this is the mechanical classification, not a summary.

What a Zhao, Ruthless Admiral deck needs

Plays as aristocrats. What the commander asks of the other 99 — read from the card and checked by hand.

The Zhao, Ruthless Admiral deck plan

The roles the Forge fills for this commander, and how many cards of each.

Best cards for Zhao, Ruthless Admiral

Ranked by an engine that reads what each card does — its real cost, its delay and how reliably it works — rather than counting how often other people play it.

Sacrifice a creature for no mana, repeatably

  1. Carrion Feeder1 mana
  2. Viscera Seer1 mana
  3. Altar of Dementia2 mana
  4. Goblin Bombardment2 mana
  5. Spawning Pit2 mana
  6. Umbral Collar Zealot2 mana
  7. Bloodthrone Vampire2 mana
  8. Dark Privilege2 mana

Creatures you are happy to sacrifice — a free sac outlet on the commander is worthless with nothing to feed it

  1. Nurgle's Rot1 mana
  2. Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal // Temple of the Dead5 mana
  3. Phyrexian Triniform9 mana
  4. Exquisite Huntmaster4 mana
  5. Grixis Slavedriver6 mana
  6. Impulsive Pilferer1 mana
  7. Vivi's Persistence2 mana
  8. Liliana, Heretical Healer // Liliana, Defiant Necromancer3 mana

Make creature tokens — a static anthem or a go-wide commander needs a board to be wide

  1. Replicating Ring3 mana
  2. Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate0 mana
  3. Andúril, Flame of the West3 mana
  4. Hanweir Garrison3 mana
  5. Sarkhan, Fireblood3 mana
  6. Field of the Dead0 mana
  7. Fountainport0 mana
  8. Grave Titan6 mana

Actually remove one problem permanent — preventing its damage is not removing it

  1. Wild Magic Surge2 mana
  2. Defile1 mana
  3. Tragic Slip1 mana
  4. Infernal Grasp2 mana
  5. Terminate2 mana
  6. Fatal Push1 mana
  7. Bitter Triumph2 mana
  8. Black Sun's Twilight1 mana

Find the exact card the plan needs

  1. Demonic Tutor2 mana
  2. Diabolic Intent2 mana
  3. Vampiric Tutor1 mana
  4. Imperial Seal1 mana
  5. Demonic Consultation1 mana
  6. Grim Tutor3 mana
  7. Tainted Pact2 mana
  8. Scheming Symmetry1 mana

Answer a whole board at once

  1. Toxic Deluge3 mana
  2. Damnation4 mana
  3. Blasphemous Act9 mana
  4. Chain Reaction4 mana
  5. Bontu's Last Reckoning3 mana
  6. Street Spasm1 mana
  7. Sickening Dreams2 mana
  8. Crypt Rats3 mana

Refill your hand

  1. Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer1 mana
  2. Skullclamp1 mana
  3. Black Market Connections3 mana
  4. Braids, Arisen Nightmare3 mana
  5. Morbid Opportunist3 mana
  6. Phyrexian Arena3 mana
  7. Professional Face-Breaker3 mana
  8. The One Ring4 mana

Keep a permanent you control alive through removal

  1. Hexing Squelcher2 mana
  2. Lightning Greaves2 mana
  3. Swiftfoot Boots2 mana
  4. Eldrazi Monument5 mana
  5. Commander's Plate1 mana
  6. Mithril Coat3 mana
  7. Akroma's Memorial7 mana
  8. The Walls of Ba Sing Se8 mana

Get ahead on mana

  1. Sol Ring1 mana
  2. Rakdos Signet2 mana
  3. Palladium Myr3 mana
  4. Worn Powerstone3 mana
  5. Chrome Mox0 mana
  6. Everflowing Chalice0 mana
  7. Mox Diamond0 mana
  8. Mana Vault1 mana

Build this deck in the Arcane Forge →

Arcane Foundry is free to join and every tool is included: the Arcane Forge deck builder, the ARCANE Analyzer that scores a deck by simulating games rather than counting staples, a card scanner, a collection vault, and live webcam Commander tables. Read the guide · Browse all commanders · Pricing