Zhao, Ruthless Admiral

Zhao is a 4cmc Rakdos legendary that generates {R}{R} on attack via Firebending 2 (usable for combat tricks or pump effects) and pumps your entire board +1/+0 whenever you sacrifice another permanent — a powerful pairing that rewards aristocrats and sacrifice-go-wide strategies. The attack-triggered ramp is minor in a vacuum but fuels instant-speed sacrifice payoffs during combat; the pump trigger scales best with a wide board of expendable permanents.

• The Firebending 2 mana ({R}{R}) lasts until end of combat, not end of turn — it can only be spent on instants or activated abilities usable during combat, so building around it requires combat-phase mana sinks or instant-speed sacrifice outlets.

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• Zhao's pump trigger fires on ANY permanent sacrifice (not just creatures), so sacrificing Treasures, clues, or tokens from other sources all count — making treasure-generating cards unexpectedly synergistic in a Zhao deck.

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• As a 4cmc Rakdos commander in Brawl or EDH, Zhao competes with higher-powered Rakdos aristocrats legends; he is best used as a value piece in the 99 of a dedicated sacrifice shell rather than as a primary commander.

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• EDHREC rank: #15,101