Zuo Ci, the Mocking Sage
Legendary Creature — Human Advisor
Hexproof (This creature can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control.)
Zuo Ci can't be blocked by creatures with horsemanship.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Portal Three Kingdoms
- Price
- $40.70
- EDHREC rank
- #29029
Zuo Ci, the Mocking Sage turns every spell you cast into a political weapon — opponents must choose between giving you a free copy or handing you a card, which means you're always coming out ahead. The cost is real: five mana at sorcery speed is slow, and the effect requires opponents to make the call, so it folds to anyone willing to just let you have the copy.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Zuo Ci, the Mocking Sage actually lives — the multiplayer table creates the political tension that makes the forced-choice ability punishing, since at least one opponent will almost always make the wrong call. In a four-player pod, you're statistically getting value off nearly every spell you cast, which is a meaningful engine on a single card. Legacy and Vintage are both legal on paper, but five mana for an effect that requires opponents to cooperate is completely non-competitive in those formats — it will never see play there. Oathbreaker is the one other format worth mentioning: smaller life totals and faster games mean Zuo Ci can act as a signature spell engine if the oathbreaker supports spellslinging, though the five-mana ceiling is still a liability.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Zuo Ci, the Mocking Sage's unique forced-choice mechanic doesn't have a true one-card analog at a lower price, but Twincast and Strionic Resonator both let you copy spells or triggered abilities for a fraction of the cost if your primary goal is spell duplication rather than the political pressure. If the draw-or-copy tension is what you're after, Melek, Izzet Paragon as a commander captures some of that feel by letting you cast spells twice off the top, at a much lower financial commitment.
Price Context
Current price
$40.70 premium tier
At $40.70, Zuo Ci, the Mocking Sage sits firmly in premium territory — this is a price driven by collector demand for the Three Kingdoms set, not by competitive ubiquity. That scarcity premium is unlikely to erode quickly, but the card's narrow Commander role means you're paying for rarity, not raw power.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.