Zhao, the Moon Slayer
Legendary Creature — Human Soldier
Menace
Nonbasic lands enter tapped.
: Put a conqueror counter on Zhao.
As long as Zhao has a conqueror counter on him, nonbasic lands are Mountains. (They lose all other land types and abilities and have "
: Add 
.")
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Price
- $0.37
- EDHREC rank
- #10928
Zhao, the Moon Slayer lands as a threatening on-board presence that rewards aggressive, damage-forward strategies — the kind of card Ozai, the Phoenix King decks pick up to keep pressure consistent. The cost is real, but the payoff is direct enough that you run it when the deck's game plan already lines up.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ozai, the Phoenix King
Ozai, the Phoenix King's damage-amplifying engine turns every hit into a multiplied threat, and Zhao, the Moon Slayer feeds that loop cleanly — more triggers, more pressure, more closing speed.
Zo-Zu the Punisher
Zo-Zu the Punisher taxes every land drop, and Zhao, the Moon Slayer adds another angle of passive damage that stacks with Zo-Zu's pings to grind life totals down before opponents stabilize.
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 Zhao, the Moon Slayer does its best work — multiplayer life totals are high enough that sustained pressure sources matter, and the card fits naturally into red aggro and punishment strategies that want redundancy. In competitive 1v1 formats like Modern and Pioneer, the bar for a card at this cost and effect is higher, and Zhao, the Moon Slayer doesn't clear it without a shell specifically built around it. Legacy and Vintage have enough efficient threats that Zhao, the Moon Slayer is a fringe consideration at best. Standard is the one format where it could see play simply by virtue of card availability rather than raw power.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.37 bulk tier
At $0.37, Zhao, the Moon Slayer is bulk — easy to pick up as a playset without thinking twice. Bulk rares that see meaningful Commander play tend to stay in this range unless a breakout decklist pushes demand, so grab it now if the deck calls for it and don't expect the price to move much either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.