Zaffai and the Tempests
Legendary Creature — Human Bard Sorcerer
Once during each of your turns, you may cast an instant or sorcery spell from your hand without paying its mana cost.
- CMC
- 7
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- RU
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Secrets of Strixhaven Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #16416
Zaffai and the Tempests puts a storm-scale threat on the board that rewards you for casting multiple spells in a turn — the damage and token output scale fast, and the ask is just sequencing your spells correctly. Ashling, Rekindled is the clearest home for it, but any Izzet or Grixis shell that wants a payoff for spell velocity will find real work here.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ashling, Rekindled
Ashling, Rekindled triggers off each noncreature spell and wants as many instants and sorceries firing as possible, so Zaffai and the Tempests slots in as a natural secondary payoff that punishes opponents for the same spell chain that grows Ashling.
Prismari, the Inspiration
Prismari, the Inspiration generates value through high-cost spells and wants something to do with all that mana — Zaffai and the Tempests converts that same big-spell strategy into direct pressure, giving the deck a closing threat that the value engine naturally feeds.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Zaffai and the Tempests does its best work — the multiplayer life totals give you time to set up a spell-heavy turn, and the cumulative damage output punishes every opponent at once. In competitive 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer, the card faces a much steeper bar: five mana is a significant ask, and the payoff requires board presence and spell sequencing that faster decks won't allow. Legacy and Vintage have the raw power to support it in theory, but those formats already have more efficient storm-adjacent finishers. Standard is legal but worth watching — if spell-synergy decks emerge in the format, Zaffai and the Tempests has genuine top-end potential there.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
No current pricing data is available for Zaffai and the Tempests, which suggests it may be newly spoiled or not yet widely listed. Check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for up-to-date numbers before purchasing.
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Sources
Mentioned
- Ashling, Rekindled
- Prismari, the Inspiration
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.