Art: Simon Dominic · ™ & © Wizards of the Coast

Zaxara, the Exemplary

UBG

Legendary Creature — Nightmare Hydra · from $2.00

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.

Build with this commander Start with a starter shell Card details, printings & prices

A typical Commander deck

A starting template, not a rule — counts to fill in around the commander.

Lands3736–38 for most decks; fewer with cheap curves
Ramp10mana rocks, dorks, land ramp — mostly 2–3 mana
Card draw10repeatable engines beat one-shot cantrips
Targeted removal6answers for creatures AND artifacts/enchantments
Board wipes3sweepers reset boards you've lost
Synergy & win conditions33the deck's actual plan

Staples in these colors

The 100 cards that fit this color identity in the most EDHREC decklists (EDHREC rank via Scryfall).

Budget

60 of 100 at $5 or less · 40 at $1 or less

#	Card	Type	MV	Price
1	Sol Ring	Artifact	1	$1.07
2	Command Tower	Land	0	$0.26
3	Arcane Signet	Artifact	2	$0.34
4	Exotic Orchard	Land	0	$0.19
5	Reliquary Tower	Land	0	$4.28
6	Swiftfoot Boots	Artifact	2	$1.43
7	Lightning Greaves	Artifact	2	$3.86
8	Path of Ancestry	Land	0	$0.16
9	Counterspell	Instant	2	$1.33
10	Fellwar Stone	Artifact	2	$0.47
11	Rogue's Passage	Land	0	$0.31
12	Evolving Wilds	Land	0	$0.09
13	Cultivate	Sorcery	3	$0.38
14	Thought Vessel	Artifact	2	$2.23
15	Farseek	Sorcery	2	$0.42
16	Bojuka Bog	Land	0	$1.12
17	Beast Within	Instant	3	$0.49
18	Nature's Lore	Sorcery	2	$2.15
19	Rampant Growth	Sorcery	2	$0.39
20	Heroic Intervention	Instant	2	$9.28
21	Terramorphic Expanse	Land	0	$0.10
22	Myriad Landscape	Land	0	$0.25
23	Mind Stone	Artifact	2	$0.21
24	Dark Ritual	Instant	1	$0.44
25	An Offer You Can't Refuse	Instant	1	$3.01
26	Birds of Paradise	Creature	1	$4.98
27	Polluted Delta	Land	0	$19.85
28	Kodama's Reach	Sorcery	3	$1.55
29	Flooded Strand	Land	0	$12.78
30	Three Visits	Sorcery	2	$5.55
31	Skullclamp	Artifact	1	$4.85
32	Solemn Simulacrum	Creature	4	$0.27
33	Misty Rainforest	Land	0	$35.98
34	Bloodstained Mire	Land	0	$14.54
35	Fabled Passage	Land	0	$0.65
36	Windswept Heath	Land	0	$11.19
37	Rhystic Study	Enchantment	3	$61.06
38	Wooded Foothills	Land	0	$17.96
39	Verdant Catacombs	Land	0	$29.16
40	Scalding Tarn	Land	0	$36.86
41	Watery Grave	Land	0	$9.86
42	Marsh Flats	Land	0	$32.04
43	Arcane Denial	Instant	2	$1.88
44	Commander's Sphere	Artifact	3	$0.19
45	Reanimate	Sorcery	1	$6.56
46	Negate	Instant	2	$0.12
47	Arid Mesa	Land	0	$31.40
48	Cyclonic Rift	Instant	2	$29.75
49	Llanowar Elves	Creature	1	$0.24
50	Breeding Pool	Land	0	$9.15
51	Demonic Tutor	Sorcery	2	$62.80
52	Toxic Deluge	Sorcery	3	$5.04
53	Swan Song	Instant	1	$10.72
54	Ancient Tomb	Land	0	$56.94
55	Overgrown Tomb	Land	0	$8.00
56	Brainstorm	Instant	1	$0.56
57	Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth	Land	0	$56.13
58	Boseiju, Who Endures	Land	0	$50.48
59	Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth	Land	0	$16.76
60	Fierce Guardianship	Instant	3	$59.21
61	Temple of the False God	Land	0	$0.19
62	Chromatic Lantern	Artifact	3	$0.38
63	Sunken Hollow	Land	0	$0.29
64	Otawara, Soaring City	Land	0	$26.57
65	Garruk's Uprising	Enchantment	3	$0.39
66	Feed the Swarm	Sorcery	2	$0.19
67	Talisman of Dominance	Artifact	2	$0.49
68	City of Brass	Land	0	$9.17
69	The One Ring	Artifact	4	$109.88
70	Hinterland Harbor	Land	0	$0.28
71	Frantic Search	Instant	3	$0.82
72	Mystic Remora	Enchantment	1	$10.97
73	Elvish Mystic	Creature	1	$0.35
74	Phyrexian Arena	Enchantment	3	$1.92
75	Drowned Catacomb	Land	0	$0.50
76	Deadly Rollick	Instant	4	$26.52
77	Cavern of Souls	Land	0	$47.72
78	Woodland Cemetery	Land	0	$0.62
79	Propaganda	Enchantment	3	$1.84
80	Sakura-Tribe Elder	Creature	2	$0.30
81	Vampiric Tutor	Instant	1	$48.13
82	Mana Confluence	Land	0	$34.75
83	Urza's Saga	Enchantment	0	$34.67
84	Mana Drain	Instant	2	$50.65
85	Lotus Petal	Artifact	0	$35.11
86	Eternal Witness	Creature	3	$1.10
87	Assassin's Trophy	Instant	2	$1.01
88	Wayfarer's Bauble	Artifact	1	$0.31
89	Black Market Connections	Enchantment	3	$10.78
90	Victimize	Sorcery	3	$0.57
91	Deadly Dispute	Instant	2	$0.29
92	Roaming Throne	Creature	4	$47.06
93	Ashnod's Altar	Artifact	3	$8.15
94	Yavimaya Coast	Land	0	$0.31
95	Llanowar Wastes	Land	0	$0.59
96	War Room	Land	0	$0.79
97	Blood Artist	Creature	2	$2.78
98	Underground River	Land	0	$0.51
99	Ponder	Sorcery	1	$1.82
100	Rejuvenating Springs	Land	0	$4.12

Curve of these staples

Most played with Zaxara, the Exemplary

The 25 most-played cards in 5 settled top-16 lists running Zaxara, the Exemplary at 16+ player events since Apr 4, 2026, ranked by lists played — top-4 counts shown for context. Results from Topdeck.gg.

#	Card	Played in	Top 4
1	Command Tower	100% · 5 of 5	1
2	Sol Ring	100% · 5 of 5	1
3	Forest	80% · 4 of 5	1
4	Island	80% · 4 of 5	1
5	Arcane Signet	60% · 3 of 5	1
6	Birds of Paradise	60% · 3 of 5	1
7	Bloom Tender	60% · 3 of 5	1
8	Breeding Pool	60% · 3 of 5	1
9	City of Brass	60% · 3 of 5	1
10	Demonic Tutor	60% · 3 of 5	1
11	Exsanguinate	60% · 3 of 5	1
12	Fierce Guardianship	60% · 3 of 5	1
13	Flooded Grove	60% · 3 of 5	1
14	Force of Negation	60% · 3 of 5	1
15	Force of Will	60% · 3 of 5	1
16	Freed from the Real	60% · 3 of 5	1
17	Genesis Hydra	60% · 3 of 5	0
18	Hydroid Krasis	60% · 3 of 5	0
19	Mana Drain	60% · 3 of 5	1
20	Mystic Remora	60% · 3 of 5	1
21	Opposition Agent	60% · 3 of 5	1
22	Overgrown Tomb	60% · 3 of 5	1
23	Pact of Negation	60% · 3 of 5	1
24	Rhystic Study	60% · 3 of 5	1
25	Swamp	60% · 3 of 5	0

Combos with Zaxara, the Exemplary

The 10 most popular of 11 combos (by EDHREC decklist count) using this commander that fit its color identity, from Commander Spellbook.

Freed from the Real + Zaxara, the Exemplary
Infinite colored mana
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Pemmin's Aura + Zaxara, the Exemplary
Infinite colored mana
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Nyxbloom Ancient + Umbral Mantle + Zaxara, the Exemplary
Infinite colored mana · Infinitely large creature until end of turn · Infinite untap of creatures you control · Infinite mana creatures you control can produce
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Mana Reflection + Umbral Mantle + Zaxara, the Exemplary
Infinite colored mana · Infinitely large creature until end of turn · Infinite untap of creatures you control · Infinite mana creatures you control can produce
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Training Grounds + Umbral Mantle + Zaxara, the Exemplary
Infinite colored mana · Infinitely large creature until end of turn · Infinite untap of creatures you control · Infinite mana creatures you control can produce
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Biomancer's Familiar + Umbral Mantle + Zaxara, the Exemplary
Infinite colored mana · Infinitely large creature until end of turn · Infinite untap of creatures you control · Infinite mana creatures you control can produce
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Horseshoe Crab + Necrotic Ooze + Zaxara, the Exemplary
Infinite colored mana
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Morphling + Necrotic Ooze + Zaxara, the Exemplary
Infinite colored mana
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Horseshoe Crab + Patchwork Crawler + Zaxara, the Exemplary
Infinite colored mana
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Morphling + Patchwork Crawler + Zaxara, the Exemplary
Infinite colored mana
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo

Top finishes

7 finishes placing top 16 at 16+ player events with this commander. Results from Topdeck.gg.

7th of 34 — Commander Party - The Hobbit - Magic Barcelona on Topdeck.ggAug 22, 2026 · 1–0–1 · by Arnau Castelló Garcia
13th of 34 — Commander Party - The Hobbit - Magic Barcelona on Topdeck.ggAug 22, 2026 · 1–0–1 · by Sergio Salas Calvo
1st of 16 — Dragon Egg Games: CEDH at Billings Fun Con on Topdeck.ggJun 13, 2026 · 3–1–1 · by Buddy
15th of 18 — III Commanderwave on Topdeck.ggMay 30, 2026 · 0–3–0 · by Alessandro Cattaneo Vorosh
5th of 29 — Commander Budget 9º Aniversario - Magic Barcelona on Topdeck.ggMay 9, 2026 · 0–2–0 · by Arnau Castelló Garcia
16th of 22 — TGL April Bracket 3 on Topdeck.ggApr 11, 2026 · 0–3–0 · by Xavier Crane
8th of 18 — The Almost Final Fortune on Topdeck.ggApr 4, 2026 · 0–1–1 · by Steven James

All 7 finishes →

Card data and images courtesy of Scryfall; popularity ranking from EDHREC decklist data included in Scryfall bulk. Combo data courtesy of Commander Spellbook. Tournament results courtesy of Topdeck.gg. Deckwarden is unofficial Fan Content and is not endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.

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