EDH Optimizer
Zhou Yu, Chief Commander
Legendary Creature — Human Soldier · 5UU
Color identity: Blue
Zhou Yu, Chief Commander is blue: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Zhou Yu can't attack unless defending player controls an Island.
Reference price of the card: €40.85
Average lands in decks for Zhou Yu, Chief Commander: 38
Build your Zhou Yu, Chief Commander deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Zhou Yu, Chief Commander 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Zhou Yu, Chief Commander 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+ (58/100)
- Consistency57
- Speed49
- Interaction30
- Resilience69
- Closing85
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 38 lands (5 nonbasic, 33 Island)
Sea's Claim · Lingering Mirage · Spreading Seas · High Tide · Quicksilver Fountain · Sapphire Medallion · Sol Ring · Stormtide Leviathan · Tidal Warrior · Fishliver Oil · Serpent of the Endless Sea · Aquitect's Will · Reef Shaman · Counterspell · Flow of Ideas · Inkwell Leviathan · Scourge of Fleets · Dream Thrush · Midnight Clock · Mystic Compass · Deepchannel Mentor · Jinx · Sealock Monster · Dandân · Eluge, the Shoreless Sea · Mind Stone · Political Trickery · Tide Shaper · Arcane Signet · Chasm Skulker · Coastal Piracy · Frantic Search · Part Water · Phantasmal Terrain · Charix, the Raging Isle · Magical Hack · Reality Shift · Sea Snidd · Shimmering Mirage · Vedalken Plotter · Aetherize · Brainstorm · Hammerhead Shark · Swiftfoot Boots · Thada Adel, Acquisitor · Floodchaser · Hedron Matrix · Rapid Hybridization · Forebear's Blade · Imprisoned in the Moon · Kukemssa Serpent · Opt · Reef Worm · The Flood of Mars · Wayfarer's Bauble · Winged Boots · Wu Warship · Burnished Hart · Curse of the Swine · Gauntlet of Power · Harbinger of the Seas · Mystic Sanctuary · Myriad Landscape · Reliquary Tower · Castle Vantress · War Room
🃏 Recommended cards for Zhou Yu, Chief Commander
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Zhou Yu, Chief Commander, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Sea's Claim | 70% | +69% |
| Lingering Mirage | 67% | +66% |
| Spreading Seas | 67% | +66% |
| Tidal Warrior | 64% | +63% |
| Quicksilver Fountain | 64% | +62% |
| Serpent of the Endless Sea | 61% | +60% |
| Fishliver Oil | 61% | +60% |
| Reef Shaman | 58% | +57% |
| Stormtide Leviathan | 64% | +57% |
| Aquitect's Will | 58% | +52% |
| Inkwell Leviathan | 55% | +52% |
| Dream Thrush | 52% | +51% |
| Flow of Ideas | 55% | +50% |
| Mystic Compass | 48% | +48% |
| Sealock Monster | 45% | +45% |
| Jinx | 45% | +45% |
| Deepchannel Mentor | 45% | +44% |
| Scourge of Fleets | 55% | +43% |
| Political Trickery | 42% | +42% |
| Dandân | 42% | +42% |
| Tide Shaper | 42% | +42% |
| Phantasmal Terrain | 39% | +39% |
| Part Water | 39% | +39% |
| Sea Snidd | 36% | +36% |
💰 The best cards for your Zhou Yu, Chief Commander 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.
- Sea's Claim
- Lingering Mirage
- Spreading Seas
- Tidal Warrior
- Quicksilver Fountain
- Serpent of the Endless Sea
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Political Trickery
- Part Water
- Magical Hack
- Eluge, the Shoreless Sea
- Thada Adel, Acquisitor
- Winged Boots
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Merchant Ship
- Sandals of Abdallah
- Throne of Eldraine
- Commander's Plate
- Flash Photography
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Zhou Yu, Chief Commander
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Narset's Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite turns, Lock
- Ioreth of the Healing House + Vizier of Tumbling Sands → Infinite untap of legendary creatures you control, Infinite mana legendary creatures you control can produce
- Ioreth of the Healing House + Kelpie Guide → Infinite untap of legendary creatures you control, Infinite mana legendary creatures you control can produce
- Archetype of Imagination + Stormtide Leviathan → Opponents can't attack with most creatures, Lock
- Leveler + Laboratory Maniac → Exile your library, Win the game
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Zhou Yu, Chief Commander's color identity?
Zhou Yu, Chief Commander is blue: its deck can only run cards of that color 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 Zhou Yu, Chief Commander come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Zhou Yu, Chief Commander deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 38 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 6.8 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 74 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 24 % of the time and floods 15 %. Deck health: C+ (58/100).
How many lands should a Zhou Yu, Chief Commander deck run?
Real Zhou Yu, Chief Commander decks run 38 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 Zhou Yu, Chief Commander?
The three highest-synergy cards are Sea's Claim, Lingering Mirage, Spreading Seas. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Zhou Yu, Chief Commander decks.
What combos does Zhou Yu, Chief Commander have?
Zhou Yu, Chief Commander 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 Zhou Yu, Chief Commander deck cost?
You can start cheap: Sea's Claim, Lingering Mirage, Spreading Seas 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.