Is Tezzeret, Cruel Captain legal in Standard, Modern, and Commander?

Tezzeret, Cruel Captain is legal in: Standard, Modern, Pioneer, Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Historic.

Tezzeret, Cruel Captain

Q: What type of card is Tezzeret, Cruel Captain?

Tezzeret, Cruel Captain is a Legendary Planeswalker — Tezzeret. Its oracle text reads: "Whenever an artifact you control enters, put a loyalty counter on Tezzeret. 0: Untap target artifact or creature. If it's an artifact creature, put a +1/+1 counter on it. −3: Search your library for an artifact card with mana value 1 or less, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. −7: You get an emblem with "At the beginning of combat on your turn, put three +1/+1 counters on target artifact you control. If it's not a creature, it becomes a 0/0 Robot artifact creature.""

Legendary Planeswalker — Tezzeret

Whenever an artifact you control enters, put a loyalty counter on Tezzeret.

0: Untap target artifact or creature. If it's an artifact creature, put a +1/+1 counter on it.

−3: Search your library for an artifact card with mana value 1 or less, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.

−7: You get an emblem with "At the beginning of combat on your turn, put three +1/+1 counters on target artifact you control. If it's not a creature, it becomes a 0/0 Robot artifact creature."

Set Edge of Eternities

Rarity Mythic Rare

Mana Value 3

Artist Chris Rahn

Collector # 2

Scryfall

Standard	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Modern	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Commander	Legal
Pauper	Not legal
Historic	Legal

Why Play Tezzeret, Cruel Captain

At three mana, this planeswalker offers incredible value in artifact-heavy decks by growing loyalty counters naturally as you deploy your gameplan. The zero-cost ability provides immediate utility by untapping key artifacts like mana rocks or equipment while growing your artifact creatures, making it an excellent midgame threat that protects itself through versatility. Deploy Tezzeret when you have multiple cheap artifacts to trigger the passive ability, ensuring he can immediately use his minus abilities or survive combat.

Format Notes

Commander sees the most play for this card, where artifact strategies thrive and the political nature allows planeswalkers more time to generate value. In sixty-card formats, it fits best in artifact-centric decks in Pioneer and Modern, though it faces more immediate pressure from aggressive strategies. The current Standard environment offers some artifact support, but Tezzeret requires more dedicated build-around commitment than most current competitive decks provide.

Combos & Synergies

Pairs exceptionally well with zero-mana artifacts like Ornithopter and Memnite, which provide immediate loyalty while enabling explosive starts when combined with the untap ability. Treasure tokens and other artifact token generators create consistent loyalty growth while fueling the ultimate emblem's devastating effect. The tutoring ability becomes particularly powerful with utility artifacts like Sensei's Divining Top or defensive pieces like Pithing Needle, giving you toolbox flexibility while building toward the game-ending emblem.