BorosLegendary Creature — Human Mutant ScoutZidane, Tantalus Thief
Mana value5Rank#8,898
The Commander
When Zidane enters, gain control of target creature an opponent controls until end of turn. Untap it. It gains lifelink and haste until end of turn.
Whenever an opponent gains control of a permanent from you, you create a Treasure token.
Guide
Gameplan
Zidane is a Threaten engine on a stick: each time he enters, you steal an opponent's best creature, untap it, and swing with haste and lifelink, then either sacrifice it for value or simply blow them out in combat. Loop his enter trigger with blink and sac outlets to permanently strip the table of threats while building Treasures off donate effects, then close with stolen-creature aggro or an Aristocrats drain.
Strengths
- Built-in interaction every time he hits the battlefield — repeatable single-target removal/theft in colors that struggle for it
- Stolen creature gets haste, untap, and lifelink, turning it into immediate damage and life swing
- Blink and recursion turn his ETB into a recurring 'steal a thing' machine
- Treasure generation rewards donate/group-style cards for ramp and fixing
- Punishes go-wide and big-creature decks by hijacking their key threats during combat
Weaknesses
- The control effect only lasts until end of turn unless you sacrifice the creature, requiring sac outlets to convert thefts into permanent gains
- The Treasure clause is narrow — few Boros cards reliably give opponents your permanents
- Five mana for a commander that does nothing if removed before attacking is slow against fast combo
- No card advantage engine baked in beyond combat; can run out of gas
- Vulnerable to spot removal in response to the ETB, fizzling the steal
Key Cards
- Goblin Bombardment — Free sac outlet that keeps stolen creatures permanently and turns each one into reach damage.
- Ashnod's Altar — Sacrifices the borrowed creature for mana before it returns, and fuels recasting Zidane.
- Conjurer's Closet — End-step blink reliably re-triggers Zidane's steal every turn for free.
- Restoration Angel — Flash blink to dodge removal and grab another creature at instant speed.
- Mayhem Devil — Drains the table every time you sacrifice a stolen creature or crack a Treasure.
- Eldrazi Displacer — Repeatable activated blink to steal a new creature each turn for three mana.
- Sword of the Animist — Boros loves equipment ramp, but here Zidane's evasion and recursion make him a fine carrier for sacrifice payoffs.
Upgrade Path
Prioritize cheap, repeatable blink (Cloudshift, Restoration Angel, Eldrazi Displacer, Conjurer's Closet) and free sac outlets (Goblin Bombardment, Viscera Seer, Ashnod's Altar) so every steal becomes permanent removal plus value. Add Aristocrats payoffs like Mayhem Devil, Bastion of Remembrance, and Zulaport-style drains to turn sacrifices into a win, and lean on Treasure synergies plus fast mana (Sol Ring, Boros Signet, Smothering Tithe) to recast Zidane after he dies. Top-end blink like Felidar Guardian or Flickerwisp gives extra reach against decks that out-grind you.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Beat down with stolen creatures granted haste and lifelink alongside your own board
- ▸Aristocrats drain via Mayhem Devil/Blood Artist effects as you sacrifice borrowed creatures
- ▸Snowball Treasures into a big equipment- or token-based Boros alpha strike
- ▸Repeatedly strip opponents of their best blockers and finishers until they can't stabilize
Archetypes
- Blink — Flicker effects re-trigger Zidane's enter ability to repeatedly steal and recast threats.
- Aristocrats — Sac outlets convert temporarily stolen creatures into permanent removal plus drain triggers.
- Stax/Pillow Tactics — Donate-style and group cards both punish opponents and bank Treasures off his second ability.
- Aggro — A parade of stolen, hasty, lifelinking creatures plus your own board provides fast clocks.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (RW), by popularity.
