EDH Optimizer
Professor Zei, Anthropologist
Legendary Creature — Human Advisor Ally · URUR
Color identity: Red · Blue · Izzet
Professor Zei, Anthropologist is Izzet (red and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
{T}, Discard a card: Draw a card.
{1}, {T}, Sacrifice Professor Zei: Return target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard to your hand. Activate only during your turn.
Reference price of the card: €0.15
Average lands in decks for Professor Zei, Anthropologist: 36
SpellslingerBurnCard DrawDiscardComboControlCounterspellsRamp
Build your Professor Zei, Anthropologist deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Professor Zei, Anthropologist 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Professor Zei, Anthropologist deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: C+ (62/100)
- Consistency88
- Speed56
- Interaction81
- Resilience90
- Closing33
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (15 nonbasic, 12 Island, 9 Mountain)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Faithless Looting · Frantic Search · Izzet Signet · Counterspell · Talisman of Creativity · Brainstorm · Blasphemous Act · Consider · Abandon Attachments · Deep Analysis · Chaos Warp · Arcane Denial · Archmage Emeritus · Data, Exploring Humanity · Data, Professor of Humanities · Goblin Electromancer · Monument to Endurance · Negate · Reg Barclay, Fidgety Fantasist · Rom and Leeta, Unlikely Pair · Tom Paris, Risk-Taker · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Bender's Waterskin · Big Score · Preordain · Circular Logic · Obsessive Search · Ponder · Prismari Command · Windfall · Containment Construct · Opt · Stormcatch Mentor · Unexpected Windfall · Abrade · Guttersnipe · Resonating Lute · Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs · Mind Stone · Storm-Kiln Artist · Flashback · It'll Quench Ya! · Rielle, the Everwise · Sphinx's Approach · Tablet of Discovery · Izzet Charm · Lightning Bolt · Magmakin Artillerist · Mystical Tutor · Pinnacle Monk // Mystic Peak · Pongify · Thought Vessel · Thrill of Possibility · Waterbending Lesson · Fellwar Stone · Irencrag Pyromancer · Mizzix's Mastery · Niv-Mizzet, Parun · Teferi's Ageless Insight · Treasure Cruise · Artist's Talent · Command Tower · Sulfur Falls · Shivan Reef · Cascade Bluffs · Steam Vents · Frostboil Snarl · Stormcarved Coast · Mystic Sanctuary · Temple of Epiphany · Training Center · Izzet Boilerworks · Ferrous Lake · Riverpyre Verge · Riverglide Pathway // Lavaglide Pathway · Scalding Tarn
🃏 Recommended cards for Professor Zei, Anthropologist
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Professor Zei, Anthropologist, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Data, Professor of Humanities | 25% | +25% |
| Tom Paris, Risk-Taker | 25% | +25% |
| Abandon Attachments | 28% | +24% |
| Data, Exploring Humanity | 25% | +24% |
| Reg Barclay, Fidgety Fantasist | 25% | +24% |
| Rom and Leeta, Unlikely Pair | 25% | +24% |
| Monument to Endurance | 25% | +22% |
| Circular Logic | 22% | +21% |
| Obsessive Search | 22% | +21% |
| Deep Analysis | 27% | +21% |
| Containment Construct | 20% | +19% |
| Bender's Waterskin | 23% | +17% |
| Sphinx's Approach | 17% | +17% |
| Faithless Looting | 47% | +16% |
| It'll Quench Ya! | 17% | +16% |
| Waterbending Lesson | 16% | +15% |
| Rielle, the Everwise | 17% | +15% |
| Irencrag Pyromancer | 15% | +14% |
| Just the Wind | 13% | +13% |
| Fiery Temper | 13% | +13% |
| Emrakul's Messenger | 13% | +13% |
| Improbable Alliance | 13% | +12% |
| Magmakin Artillerist | 16% | +12% |
| Mischievous Mystic | 13% | +12% |
💰 The best cards for your Professor Zei, Anthropologist deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Abandon Attachments
- Circular Logic
- Obsessive Search
- Deep Analysis
- Containment Construct
- Bender's Waterskin
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Data, Exploring Humanity
- Rielle, the Everwise
- Teferi's Ageless Insight
- Cool but Rude
- Artist's Talent
- Lórien Revealed
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Rom and Leeta, Unlikely Pair
- Monument to Endurance
- Surly Badgersaur
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Professor Zei, Anthropologist
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Underworld Breach + Lotus Petal + Brain Freeze → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite magecraft triggers, Near-infinite mill
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
- Underworld Breach + Lion's Eye Diamond + Brain Freeze → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite colored mana, Near-infinite magecraft triggers, Near-infinite mill, Near-infinite storm count
- Underworld Breach + Wheel of Fortune + Jeska's Will → Infinite draw triggers for all players, Infinite looting for all players, Near-infinite magecraft triggers, Near-infinite storm count
- Underworld Breach + Lion's Eye Diamond + Wheel of Fortune → Infinite draw triggers, Infinite looting, Infinite looting for opponents, Near-infinite storm count
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Professor Zei, Anthropologist's color identity?
Professor Zei, Anthropologist is Izzet (red and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Professor Zei, Anthropologist come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Professor Zei, Anthropologist deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 2.1 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 100 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 11 % of the time and floods 18 %. Deck health: C+ (62/100).
How many lands should a Professor Zei, Anthropologist deck run?
Real Professor Zei, Anthropologist decks run 36 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Professor Zei, Anthropologist?
The three highest-synergy cards are Data, Professor of Humanities, Tom Paris, Risk-Taker, Abandon Attachments. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Professor Zei, Anthropologist decks.
What combos does Professor Zei, Anthropologist have?
Professor Zei, Anthropologist has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Professor Zei, Anthropologist deck cost?
You can start cheap: Abandon Attachments, Circular Logic, Obsessive Search are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.