ZADA, HEDRON GRINDER — Budget Commander Deck

HOW TO PLAY THE ONE RULE: Zada copies any instant or sorcery that targets ONLY her — one free copy per creature you control, each copy targeting a different creature. Copies cost nothing. Cast Expedite on Zada with 10 creatures = draw 9 cards and give everyone haste for {R}. That's the whole deck. TURNS 1-3 — BUILD THE BOARD: Drop cheap creatures and token makers. Goblin Instigator, Mogg War Marshal, and Dragon Fodder/Krenko's Command all put multiple bodies into play for 2 mana. Young Pyromancer creates a token for every spell you cast. Rabblemaster, Legion Warboss, and both Krenkos snowball on their own — leave them a few turns and you'll have 8-10 tokens before Zada even arrives. Get Impact Tremors or Purphoros down early so tokens entering start dealing damage passively. TURN 4 — CAST ZADA: She costs {3}{R} and arrives on curve. If Swiftfoot Boots are in play, equip immediately (haste means she can block; hexproof means opponents can't remove her — but don't leave boots on during the combo turn or you can't target her!). Hazoret's Monument reduces her cost by {1}, which also helps with commander tax if she dies and gets recast. TURN 5-6 — THE COMBO TURN: Aim to have Zada + 8+ other creatures. The sequence: 1. Cast Battle Hymn or Brightstone Ritual for a mana burst. With 10 creatures, Battle Hymn produces 10 red mana. 2. Cast Expedite targeting ONLY Zada. Draw 9+ cards. Everyone gets haste. Now you have cards AND your creatures can attack. 3. Cast Crimson Wisps on Zada. Draw 9+ more. Everyone +1/+0. 4. Cast Brute Force on Zada. Everyone gets +3/+3. Your 1/1 Goblin tokens are now 5/4 haste attackers. 5. Cast Temur Battle Rage on Zada. Everyone gets double strike + trample (they all have 4+ power from step 4). 6. Attack. 10 creatures × 5 power × double strike = 100 damage on first strike alone. Game over. COPY SPELL TRICK: Cast Reverberate, Increasing Vengeance, or Howl of the Horde targeting one of your cantrips. Zada sees the copy targeting her and triggers AGAIN. One Reverberate after Expedite = draw 20 cards total off two {R} spells. Dualcaster Mage (flash) does the same thing at instant speed. MIRRORWING DRAGON is a flying backup Zada. Target it instead if Zada is removed, or keep both in play for redundancy. Most opponents don't know Mirrorwing exists until it's too late. CHANDRA'S IGNITION (alternate win): Cast it targeting Zada. Each opponent takes damage equal to Zada's power. If Zada is 10+ power from counters or pump, that's 10 damage to everyone and kills every creature on the board simultaneously. EMPTY THE WARRENS (alternate win): Cast 5+ spells first, then Empty the Warrens creates 12+ Goblins. With Impact Tremors + Purphoros in play, that's 36 damage to each opponent on entry before a single creature attacks. THINGS TO REMEMBER: - The spell must target ONLY Zada. No split targets. - The copies are not "cast" — Guttersnipe doesn't trigger, prowess doesn't trigger, but the effect still resolves. - Don't have Swiftfoot Boots equipped when you go for the combo. - Battle Hymn and Brightstone Ritual don't target a creature, so Zada doesn't copy them — they're just ramp spells. - Ib Halfheart turns blocked Goblins into 2 more Goblins each. Attack into blockers freely; your army multiplies on contact. UPGRADE PATH (when budget allows): - Skirk Prospector (~$1): sac a Goblin for {R} = free mana - Goblin Matron (~$2): tutor for any Goblin - Goblin Lackey (~$5): put any Goblin into play when it hits - Mana Echoes (~$10): 20 Goblins entering = 20 free mana