Zo-Zu the Punisher
Legendary Creature — Goblin Warrior
Whenever a land enters, Zo-Zu deals 2 damage to that land's controller.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Treasure Chest
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #4112
Zo-Zu the Punisher hits every player for 2 damage each time they play a land — in a format where four players average 3–4 land drops per turn, that's a clock that starts immediately and scales with the table. The cost is a 2/2 body for three mana that does nothing if opponents stop playing lands, but in practice nobody stops playing lands, which makes Zo-Zu the Punisher a reliable tax piece and a natural fit for Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence's damage-to-self engine.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence
Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence triggers off noncombat damage dealt to you, and Zo-Zu the Punisher ensures opponents' land drops ping you right back — turning the mandatory table tax into counters and card advantage for Blyte's engine.
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell
Torbran, Thane of Red Fell bumps every red source's damage by 2, so Zo-Zu the Punisher's land-drop trigger goes from 2 damage to 4 per land played — opponents lose a significant chunk of life just by hitting their curve.
Mogis, God of Slaughter
Mogis, God of Slaughter is built around grinding life totals through inevitability, and Zo-Zu the Punisher adds a passive drain that stacks with Mogis's forced sacrifice or damage trigger every upkeep.
Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls
Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls grows and draws cards whenever opponents lose life outside of combat, and Zo-Zu the Punisher converts every opponent's land drop into a trigger — making routine ramp sequences feed Valgavoth directly.
Solphim, Mayhem Dominus
Solphim, Mayhem Dominus doubles noncombat damage from red sources, which means Zo-Zu the Punisher's 2-damage land trigger becomes 4 under Solphim — a passive doubling of the most common game action at any table.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Zo-Zu the Punisher does its best work: four players means the land-drop tax fires constantly, and the cumulative life loss across a table adds up far faster than in a 1v1 context. In Legacy and Vintage, Zo-Zu the Punisher is legal but rarely played — the formats are too fast and too removal-dense for a 3-mana 2/2 that doesn't interact on the stack to matter before the game is decided. Modern is the same story: a three-mana creature that only punishes future land drops is too slow against the format's typical turn-three or turn-four win conditions. Oathbreaker is a workable home if the signature spell supports a land-punishment theme, but the card's ceiling is clearly a four-player Commander table where it doubles as a clock and a deterrent.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Zo-Zu the Punisher isn't available in the current feed, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the live number. Historically it's been an inexpensive uncommon — easy to pick up as a role-player in any red punishment or group slug build.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.