Lazotep Plating
Instant
Amass Zombies 1. (Put a +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. It's also a Zombie. If you don't control an Army, create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token first.)
You and permanents you control gain hexproof until end of turn. (You and they can't be the targets of spells or abilities your opponents control.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- War of the Spark
- Price
- $0.44
- EDHREC rank
- #2755
Lazotep Plating gives your whole board hexproof until end of turn and makes a 1/1 Zombie token for two mana — that's an absurd amount of work for a single instant. In Geralf, the Fleshwright decks it pulls double duty, protecting a key attack while simultaneously triggering zombie-matters payoffs.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Geralf, the Fleshwright
Geralf, the Fleshwright wants every zombie ETB it can find, and Lazotep Plating delivers one at instant speed while simultaneously protecting the board from a wrath or targeted removal during a critical attack.
Gisa and Geralf
Lazotep Plating slots cleanly into Gisa and Geralf because the free Zombie token fuels the graveyard-and-recast engine while the hexproof clause keeps the commanders themselves safe from the spot removal that would otherwise stall the whole value loop.
Saruman, the White Hand
Saruman, the White Hand cares about casting noncreature spells to generate Orc Army tokens, and Lazotep Plating is a cheap instant that adds to that count while also shielding the army from targeted removal mid-combat.
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born needs a steady stream of creatures to sacrifice for his untap trigger, and Lazotep Plating provides one on demand while protecting Grimgrin from the removal players often hold specifically for him.
Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver
Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver turns every zombie death into a Decayed token, so Lazotep Plating's free 1/1 is just another piece of fodder — and the board-wide hexproof makes alpha strikes through removal-heavy pods significantly safer.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Lazotep Plating sees essentially zero play in competitive formats like Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer — two mana for a token and hexproof is too slow and too narrow when those formats demand proactive threats or cheaper interaction. Commander is where it belongs: the multiplayer politics of the format mean opponents will hold targeted removal to break up your winning turn, and Lazotep Plating punishes that at instant speed for a trivial investment. The incidental Zombie token is what elevates it above a generic protection spell, since most decks that want this effect already care about creature types or sacrifice fodder. In Oathbreaker it functions similarly to Commander, though the tighter card pool and faster games make it less consistent a pick.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.44 bulk tier
At $0.44, Lazotep Plating is firmly bulk — you're paying almost nothing for a card that routinely overperforms in the decks that want it. Bulk rares rarely climb unless they hit a new commander archetype on a high-profile release, so don't expect movement, but there's also no reason not to pick up copies at this price.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.