Zagras, Thief of Heartbeats
CommanderZagras is a Rakdos combat commander that rewards building a party and turns your whole team into lethal, planeswalker-hunting attackers.
Public decks: 1Bracket: 4
Card text
Legendary Creature — Vampire Rogue
This spell costs 
less to cast for each creature in your party.
Flying, deathtouch, haste
Other creatures you control have deathtouch.
Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a planeswalker, destroy that planeswalker.
Building around this commander?
Use MTG Master to build or analyze a Commander deck around this card, check consistency, and find weak spots before your next game.
Overview
- Plays like a creature-forward midrange deck that tries to curve out with party members to discount Zagras.
- Once Zagras is down, global deathtouch makes even small attackers and utility bodies trade up and makes blocking miserable.
- Flying and haste let Zagras immediately pressure life totals and pick off key planeswalkers with combat damage triggers.
- Often leans on Rakdos removal to clear the way, then snowballs combat advantage into a closing swing.
- Can also pivot into “deathtouch + pings” style control if you include repeatable damage sources.
Common lines
- Develop a few early creatures that happen to fill party roles, then land Zagras a turn earlier than normal.
- Attack with multiple deathtouch creatures to force bad blocks and open up profitable follow-up attacks.
- Use spot removal to push through combat damage on a planeswalker, then let Zagras’ trigger finish it off.
- If you run pingers (for example Cunning Sparkmage or Goblin Sharpshooter), deathtouch turns small activations into real creature control.
- Stabilize after a reset with a sweeper (for example Blasphemous Act) and rebuild into a hasty Zagras threat.
Strengths
- Global deathtouch strongly discourages blocks and makes your combat math favorable.
- Zagras being hasty and evasive means it can impact the board the turn it’s cast.
- Built-in planeswalker hate gives you a clean answer to “hide behind walkers” game plans.
- Rakdos interaction suite supports a proactive plan (for example Abrade, Bedevil, Chaos Warp, Deadly Rollick, Feed the Swarm).
- Cost reduction from party can let you deploy Zagras while still holding up interaction.
Weaknesses
- Zagras is six mana without help; if you don’t assemble party bodies, it can be slow to get online.
- Creature-based plan is vulnerable to repeated board wipes and well-timed removal on key enablers.
- Global deathtouch doesn’t stop go-wide boards from racing if you can’t control the crackback.
- Has to win largely through combat pressure; fogs, pillowfort, and consistent lifegain can buy opponents time.
- If opponents remove Zagras multiple times, commander tax can negate the party discount.
Rule zero notes
- Mention whether you’re running repeatable ping effects with global deathtouch (these can function like a removal engine).
- Call out if your win plan is mostly combat damage or if you also have big damage amplification lines (for example Fiery Emancipation).
- Set expectations on how hard you’re leaning into party/tutor-style payoffs (for example Coveted Prize).
- Note if you’re packing high-efficiency free interaction (for example Deadly Rollick).
Matchups
Best into
- Creature-heavy midrange pods that rely on blocking and combat to stabilize
- Planeswalker-centric value decks that try to accumulate loyalty behind defenders
- Single-big-threat strategies where deathtouch trades efficiently
Struggles against
- Fast, low-to-the-ground combo pods that don’t care about combat
- Heavy control tables packed with sweepers and instant-speed commander removal
- Pillowfort or repeated fog effects that blank attack steps
FAQ
Do my other creatures really get deathtouch from Zagras?
Yes. While Zagras is on the battlefield, every other creature you control has deathtouch, which changes both combat blocks and any noncombat damage those creatures deal.
How does the party cost reduction usually matter in Commander?
It’s at its best when your early plays naturally include multiple party creature types, letting Zagras come down earlier while you keep developing or holding up interaction.
Does Zagras destroy a planeswalker if I hit it with any creature?
Yes, as long as a creature you control deals combat damage to that planeswalker, Zagras’ trigger will destroy it when the trigger resolves.
What’s a realistic way to close games with Zagras?
Most wins come from repeated, hard-to-block attacks where deathtouch makes defending impossible, sometimes backed by burst damage or a big tempo swing after clearing the board.
Is this more of an aggro deck or a control deck?
It tends to sit in the middle: you pressure life totals with evasive, hasty threats, but you can also play a controlling role with removal and (if included) deathtouch-enabled ping engines.