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Zhao, Ruthless Admiral
Legendary Creature — Human Soldier
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.
3 / 4
$0.12Buy on TCGPlayer
“Rakdos sacrifice aristocrats: firebend mana into combat tricks and constant creature sacrifice synergies.”
Midrange
Intermediate
Combat damage, Tokens swarm
Sacrifice, Tokens, Aristocrats
Strategy
Zhao, Ruthless Admiral is a sacrifice-focused commander that rewards you for blowing up your own permanents. The firebending ability gives you extra red mana each combat, which you can sink into sacrifice outlets or pump spells, while your creatures get a damage boost whenever something hits the yard. Your game plan revolves around building a board of expendable tokens or utility creatures, then sacrificing them repeatedly to trigger Zhao's power boost while generating mana and value.
The deck plays out like a Rakdos aristocrats shell: you're filling your deck with cheap creatures, tokens, and sacrifice outlets like Viscera Seer or Ashnod's Altar. Cards that create tokens (especially Bitterblossom or Dreadhorde Invasion) give you a steady stream of fodder. Every sacrifice pumps your team, so you're often swinging in with a buffed Zhao and a growing squad of creatures that all have temporary power boosts. The mana generated from firebending lets you chain together sacrifices or cast follow-up threats in the same turn.
Strategy generated by Tapped Decks AI. Not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.
Key Synergies
Budget Build
Skip pricey tutors and shocks; use Evolving Wilds and basic lands. Replace Bitterblossom with Gravecrawler or Zulaport Cutthroat for budget sacrifice payoffs.
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Inclusion = % of Zhao, Ruthless Admiral decks running this card. +lift = percentage-point boost over the format average.
Community Decks
No public decks for Zhao, Ruthless Admiral yet.
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