EDH Optimizer
Zuko, Conflicted
Legendary Creature — Human Rogue · BR
Color identity: Black · Red · Rakdos
Zuko, Conflicted is Rakdos (black and red): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
At the beginning of your first main phase, choose one that hasn't been chosen and you lose 2 life —
• Draw a card.
• Put a +1/+1 counter on Zuko.
• Add {R}.
• Exile Zuko, then return him to the battlefield under an opponent's control.
Reference price of the card: €0.20
Average lands in decks for Zuko, Conflicted: 35
Group SlugBig ManaDonateForced CombatGroup HugBurnRampChaos
Build your Zuko, Conflicted deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Zuko, Conflicted 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Zuko, Conflicted 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+ (63/100)
- Consistency67
- Speed63
- Interaction55
- Resilience83
- Closing54
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (24 nonbasic, 4 Swamp, 7 Mountain)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Chaos Warp · Xantcha, Sleeper Agent · Rakdos Charm · Blasphemous Act · Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos · Humble Defector · Kardur, Doomscourge · Redirect Lightning · Mai, Scornful Striker · Kain, Traitorous Dragoon · Rakdos Signet · Feed the Swarm · Terminate · Big Score · Curse of Opulence · Disrupt Decorum · Khârn the Betrayer · Talisman of Indulgence · Zuko's Conviction · Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor · Stormfist Crusader · Dark Ritual · Deadly Dispute · Agitator Ant · Ozai, the Phoenix King · Combustion Man · Sleeper Agent · Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor · Assault Suit · Unexpected Windfall · Vislor Turlough · Descent into Avernus · Fellwar Stone · Insurrection · Spiteful Visions · Withering Torment · Bedevil · Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire · Shiny Impetus · Bloodthirsty Blade · Harmless Offering · Lightning Bolt · Oft-Nabbed Goat · Solemn Simulacrum · The Last Agni Kai · Zuko, Exiled Prince · Brand · Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant · Life of the Party · Reanimate · Rite of the Raging Storm · Etali, Primal Storm · Night's Whisper · Abrade · Combustible Gearhulk · Razorkin Needlehead · Slicer, Hired Muscle // Slicer, High-Speed Antagonist · The Lord of Pain · Tibalt's Trickery · Day of Black Sun · Deflecting Swat · Hedron Archive · Command Tower · Dragonskull Summit · Smoldering Marsh · Sulfurous Springs · Foreboding Ruins · Blood Crypt · Tainted Peak · Shadowblood Ridge · Bojuka Bog · Haunted Ridge · Blazemire Verge · Luxury Suite · Temple of Malice · Graven Cairns · Homeward Path · Exotic Orchard · Fire Nation Palace · Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway · Blackcleave Cliffs · Bloodstained Mire · Rakdos Carnarium · Rogue's Passage · Canyon Slough · Raucous Theater
🃏 Recommended cards for Zuko, Conflicted
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Zuko, Conflicted, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Xantcha, Sleeper Agent | 48% | +43% |
| Humble Defector | 41% | +38% |
| Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos | 42% | +38% |
| Kain, Traitorous Dragoon | 36% | +35% |
| Mai, Scornful Striker | 37% | +33% |
| Homeward Path | 32% | +31% |
| Khârn the Betrayer | 32% | +30% |
| Zuko's Conviction | 29% | +28% |
| Redirect Lightning | 38% | +27% |
| Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor | 28% | +25% |
| Ozai, the Phoenix King | 26% | +25% |
| Curse of Opulence | 32% | +25% |
| Fire Nation Palace | 29% | +24% |
| Disrupt Decorum | 32% | +24% |
| Sleeper Agent | 25% | +24% |
| Varchild, Betrayer of Kjeldor | 25% | +24% |
| Assault Suit | 24% | +24% |
| Agitator Ant | 26% | +24% |
| Combustion Man | 25% | +23% |
| Vislor Turlough | 24% | +23% |
| Kardur, Doomscourge | 38% | +20% |
| Insurrection | 23% | +20% |
| Oft-Nabbed Goat | 21% | +20% |
| Brand | 20% | +19% |
💰 The best cards for your Zuko, Conflicted 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.
- Xantcha, Sleeper Agent
- Humble Defector
- Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos
- Kain, Traitorous Dragoon
- Mai, Scornful Striker
- Zuko's Conviction
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Homeward Path
- Khârn the Betrayer
- Ozai, the Phoenix King
- Curse of Opulence
- Insurrection
- Life of the Party
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Redirect Lightning
- Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant
- Descent into Avernus
- Avatar Roku, Firebender
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Zuko, Conflicted
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- 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
- Dualcaster Mage + Twinflame → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature tokens with haste, Infinite magecraft triggers
- Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar + Reassembling Skeleton → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Dualcaster Mage + Molten Duplication → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature tokens with haste, Infinite magecraft triggers
- Sheoldred, the Apocalypse + Peer into the Abyss → Near-infinite card draw for target opponent, Near-infinite draw triggers for target opponent, Near-infinite lifeloss for target opponent, Target opponent loses the game
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Zuko, Conflicted's color identity?
Zuko, Conflicted is Rakdos (black and red): 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 Zuko, Conflicted come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Zuko, Conflicted deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 2.2 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 7 % of the time and floods 8 %. Deck health: C+ (63/100).
How many lands should a Zuko, Conflicted deck run?
Real Zuko, Conflicted 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 Zuko, Conflicted?
The three highest-synergy cards are Xantcha, Sleeper Agent, Humble Defector, Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Zuko, Conflicted decks.
What combos does Zuko, Conflicted have?
Zuko, Conflicted has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood. 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 Zuko, Conflicted deck cost?
You can start cheap: Xantcha, Sleeper Agent, Humble Defector, Alexios, Deimos of Kosmos 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.