Art by Bartek Fedyczak
Commander deckU
Helmut Zemo, Mastermind
Fill the graveyard with impactful instants and sorceries using cantrips and discard, then attack with Helmut Zemo to cast them for free while buffing him and triggering spellslinger payoffs.
Asked for“Helmut Zemo, Mastermind commander deck”
Deck anatomy
What this list actually runs on: how cheaply it casts things, and whether it has enough ramp, card draw and interaction to keep up at the table. Each block is one card — hover for its name.
Mana curve · 62 nonland cards
The working parts
Counted from Scryfall’s community card tags, not from the builder’s own labels. A card that does two jobs counts twice, so these add up to more than the deck. The hatched band is a common rule of thumb, not a law — combo decks run leaner, battlecruiser decks heavier.
Colored mana symbols
Commander
1Helmut Zemo, Mastermind
2ULegendary Creature — Human Noble Villain
Chosen commander for the requested strategy.
Ramp
10
Midnight Clock
2UArtifact
ramps mana and later refills hand while restocking graveyard
Card Draw
10
Fact or Fiction
3UInstant
digs five cards deep and puts cards directly in graveyard
Removal
10
Threats/Wincons
24
Talrand, Sky Summoner
2UULegendary Creature — Merfolk Wizard
creates flying drakes whenever spells are cast
Murmuring Mystic
3UCreature — Human Wizard
spawns bird illusion tokens from spell casts
Poppet Stitcher // Poppet Factory
2UCreature — Human Wizard // Artifact
generates token army and flips into Anthem
Haughty Djinn
1UUCreature — Djinn
huge evasive beater that discounts instants and sorceries
Tolarian Terror
6UCreature — Serpent
cheap massive threat fueled by a full graveyard
Hullbreaker Horror
5UUCreature — Kraken Horror
devastating control finisher whenever spells are cast
Docent of Perfection // Final Iteration
3UUCreature — Insect Horror // Creature — Eldrazi Insect
creates wizard tokens and buffs your board
Metallurgic Summonings
3UUEnchantment
makes construct tokens and can recur all spells
Octavia, Living Thesis
8UULegendary Creature — Elemental Octopus
turns small creatures or Zemo into an 8/8
Baral, Chief of Compliance
1ULegendary Creature — Human Wizard
discounts spells and loots when countering
Archmage Emeritus
2UUCreature — Human Wizard
draws cards on every instant or sorcery cast or copy
Lier, Disciple of the Drowned
3UULegendary Creature — Human Wizard
gives all instants and sorceries flashback
Jin-Gitaxias // The Great Synthesis
3UULegendary Creature — Phyrexian Praetor // Enchantment — Saga
spellslinger value engine that transforms into a saga
Deekah, Fractal Theorist
4ULegendary Creature — Human Wizard
creates growing fractal tokens from cast spells
Wavebreak Hippocamp
2UEnchantment Creature — Horse Fish
draws cards when casting spells on opponent turns
Rise from the Tides
5USorcery
creates an army of zombies from a stocked graveyard
Candlekeep Inspiration
4USorcery
finishes games by massively buffing the entire board
Temporal Trespass
8UUUSorcery
extra turn spell that can be cast free when Zemo grows
Karn's Temporal Sundering
4UULegendary Sorcery
bounces a problem permanent and grants an extra turn
Cryptic Serpent
5UUCreature — Serpent
two-mana 6/5 beater fueled by the graveyard
Utility
8
Lightning Greaves
2Artifact — Equipment
gives Zemo haste and shroud to attack safely
Swiftfoot Boots
2Artifact — Equipment
grants haste and hexproof to protect the commander
Whispersilk Cloak
3Artifact — Equipment
makes Zemo unblockable to ensure attack triggers
Aqueous Form
UEnchantment — Aura
cheap aura that makes Zemo unblockable and scries
Blackblade Reforged
2Legendary Artifact — Equipment
drastically boosts Zemo's power to cast giant spells
Slip Out the Back
UInstant
phases Zemo out for protection and adds a +1/+1 counter
Winged Boots
1UArtifact — Equipment
grants flying and ward 4 for evasion and protection
Sword of Feast and Famine
3Artifact — Equipment
boosts power, provides evasion, and untaps all lands
