Zuo Ci, the Mocking Sage

Gameplan

Suit up a small, hard-to-kill commander and beat face. Zuo Ci's hexproof means opponents can't target him with removal, so you stack green ramp into big auras and equipment, accelerate combat damage, and ideally close with commander damage or a single oversized swing. Turn to turn you ramp early, then deploy buffs and protect your board.

Key Cards

• Shadowspear — Grants trample and lifelink while stripping hexproof from blockers, pushing commander damage through.
• Rancor — Cheap recurring trample-and-pump aura that comes back when Zuo Ci dies to a wrath.
• Garruk's Uprising — Trample plus a draw on each big creature's entry keeps the gas flowing in a creature-heavy build.
• Three Visits — Two-mana ramp that fixes and accelerates the voltron clock.
• Heroic Intervention — Protects your whole board from the wraths that are your only real weakness.

Upgrade Path

Lean into the hexproof by going voltron with efficient enchantments (Ancestral Mask, Snake Umbra, Rancor) and protective gear, while adding totem-armor and 'fog/protection' effects like Heroic Intervention and Tamiyo's Safekeeping to beat wraths. Tighten the mana base with green's premium ramp (Sol Ring, Three Visits, Cultivate) and add reliable trample sources like Shadowspear and Garruk's Uprising; for higher power, splash a green combo finisher such as Craterhoof Behemoth plus Earthcraft/Squirrel Nest tokens to convert evasion into lethal.