EDH Optimizer
Zaxara, the Exemplary
Legendary Creature — Nightmare Hydra · 1BGU
Color identity: Black · Green · Blue · Sultai
Zaxara, the Exemplary is Sultai (black, green and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Deathtouch
{T}: Add two mana of any one color.
Whenever you cast a spell with {X} in its mana cost, create a 0/0 green Hydra creature token, then put X +1/+1 counters on it.
Reference price of the card: €0.55
Average lands in decks for Zaxara, the Exemplary: 35
X Spells+1/+1 CountersHydrasTokensRampComboBig ManaMidrange
Build your Zaxara, the Exemplary deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Zaxara, the Exemplary 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Zaxara, the Exemplary deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (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: B+ (75/100)
- Consistency64
- Speed66
- Interaction86
- Resilience83
- Closing75
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (25 nonbasic, 3 Island, 1 Swamp, 6 Forest)
Sol Ring · Hydroid Krasis · Unbound Flourishing · Arcane Signet · Primordial Hydra · Villainous Wealth · Exsanguinate · Hungering Hydra · Voracious Hydra · Garruk's Uprising · Steelbane Hydra · Goldvein Hydra · Animist's Awakening · Curse of the Swine · Elementalist's Palette · The Goose Mother · Gargos, Vicious Watcher · Lifeblood Hydra · Stonecoil Serpent · Genesis Hydra · Branching Evolution · Cultivate · Corpsejack Menace · Doubling Season · Kalonian Hydra · Finale of Revelation · Mistcutter Hydra · Vastwood Hydra · Farseek · Herald of Secret Streams · Pull from Tomorrow · Torment of Hailfire · Rampant Growth · Hooded Hydra · Nexos · Profane Command · Repulsive Mutation · Selvala, Heart of the Wilds · Kodama's Reach · Inspiring Call · Nyxborn Hydra · The Ozolith · Protean Hydra · Simic Ascendancy · Freed from the Real · Nature's Lore · Thassa's Intervention · Terrasymbiosis · Counterspell · Heroic Intervention · Neverwinter Hydra · Lightning Greaves · Beast Within · Blue Sun's Zenith · Condescend · Managorger Hydra · Benevolent Hydra · Erebos's Intervention · Owlin Spiralmancer · Swiftfoot Boots · Syncopate · Birds of Paradise · Brass Infiniscope · Geometer's Arthropod · Command Tower · Opulent Palace · Exotic Orchard · Reliquary Tower · Breeding Pool · Hinterland Harbor · Overgrown Tomb · Zagoth Triome · Watery Grave · Woodland Cemetery · Path of Ancestry · Sunken Hollow · Rejuvenating Springs · Dreamroot Cascade · Rogue's Passage · Undergrowth Stadium · Llanowar Wastes · Yavimaya Coast · Temple of the False God · Misty Rainforest · Verdant Catacombs · Polluted Delta · Drowned Catacomb · Simic Growth Chamber · Evolving Wilds
🃏 Recommended cards for Zaxara, the Exemplary
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Zaxara, the Exemplary, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Hydroid Krasis | 87% | +81% |
| Unbound Flourishing | 80% | +76% |
| Primordial Hydra | 69% | +65% |
| Hungering Hydra | 67% | +63% |
| Voracious Hydra | 66% | +62% |
| Steelbane Hydra | 65% | +61% |
| Exsanguinate | 67% | +60% |
| Goldvein Hydra | 64% | +59% |
| Elementalist's Palette | 61% | +58% |
| Garruk's Uprising | 65% | +58% |
| Animist's Awakening | 61% | +57% |
| The Goose Mother | 60% | +56% |
| Curse of the Swine | 61% | +56% |
| Gargos, Vicious Watcher | 59% | +56% |
| Lifeblood Hydra | 58% | +55% |
| Stonecoil Serpent | 58% | +54% |
| Genesis Hydra | 57% | +54% |
| Villainous Wealth | 68% | +53% |
| Kalonian Hydra | 51% | +47% |
| Mistcutter Hydra | 50% | +47% |
| Vastwood Hydra | 50% | +47% |
| Finale of Revelation | 50% | +47% |
| Doubling Season | 53% | +46% |
| Pull from Tomorrow | 48% | +44% |
💰 The best cards for your Zaxara, the Exemplary 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.
- Hydroid Krasis
- Primordial Hydra
- Hungering Hydra
- Voracious Hydra
- Steelbane Hydra
- Exsanguinate
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Unbound Flourishing
- Goldvein Hydra
- Kalonian Hydra
- Branching Evolution
- Herald of Secret Streams
- Nexos
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Doubling Season
- Torment of Hailfire
- The Ozolith
- Terrasymbiosis
- Nyxbloom Ancient
- Kodama of the West Tree
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Zaxara, the Exemplary
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Demonic Consultation + Thassa's Oracle → Exile your library, Win the game
- Tainted Pact + Thassa's Oracle → Win the game
- 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
- Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy + Basalt Monolith → Infinite colorless mana
- Staff of Domination + Selvala, Heart of the Wilds → Infinite card draw, Infinite colored mana, Infinite draw triggers, Infinite lifegain, Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite mana creatures you control can produce, Infinite untap of creatures you control
👥 Community decks with Zaxara, the Exemplary
Full decklists published by players on EDH Optimizer, with their analysis, bracket and health. Clone them to your account and optimize them for free.
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Zaxara, the Exemplary's color identity?
Zaxara, the Exemplary is Sultai (black, green 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 Zaxara, the Exemplary come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Zaxara, the Exemplary deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.1 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 96 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 10 % of the time and floods 12 %. Deck health: B+ (75/100).
How many lands should a Zaxara, the Exemplary deck run?
Real Zaxara, the Exemplary decks run 35 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 Zaxara, the Exemplary?
The three highest-synergy cards are Hydroid Krasis, Unbound Flourishing, Primordial Hydra. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Zaxara, the Exemplary decks.
What combos does Zaxara, the Exemplary have?
Zaxara, the Exemplary 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 Zaxara, the Exemplary deck cost?
You can start cheap: Hydroid Krasis, Primordial Hydra, Hungering Hydra 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.