Helmut Zemo, Mastermind
Whenever Helmut Zemo attacks, you may cast target instant or sorcery card with mana value less than or equal to his power from your graveyard. If that spell would be put into your graveyard, exile it instead. If you cast a spell this way, put a +1/+1 counter on Helmut Zemo.
How Helmut Zemo decks play in EDH
Helmut Zemo, Mastermind is a mono-blue commander costing 2U, and its legendary creature - human noble villain line shapes the whole deck around it. It cares about +1/+1 counters, so counter-doubling effects and creatures that grow on their own carry the deck. It works out of the graveyard, so self-mill and cheap recursion effectively become extra card advantage. The cards below are the ones Helmut Zemo, Mastermind decks actually play most often, grouped by the job they do.
Most-played cards
20 cards · about $20.09Play rates from EDHREC. Prices from Scryfall, refreshed daily.
Card draw (6)
Counterspells (1)
Creatures (3)
Synergy & payoffs (10)
Build the full 100
Grimoire generates a complete, Commander-legal Helmut Zemo, Mastermind decklist with a written strategy, a full mana base and live prices — from the whole card pool, or only from cards you already own.
Start with Helmut ZemoHelmut Zemo deck questions
What colours can I use in a Helmut Zemo, Mastermind deck?
Helmut Zemo, Mastermind has a mono-blue colour identity, so every card in the deck must be blue or colourless. That includes mana symbols in rules text, not just casting cost.
What are the best cards for Helmut Zemo, Mastermind?
The cards played most often in Helmut Zemo, Mastermind decks include Glamdring, Foe-hammer // Gleam of Death, Wizard's Staff, Bilbo, Thief in the Night. The full list of staples above is grouped by the job each card does, so you can see the deck's skeleton rather than just a pile of names.
How much does a Helmut Zemo, Mastermind deck cost?
The 20 most-played cards shown above come to roughly $20.09 at current market prices. A complete 100-card build costs more, and Grimoire can generate a budget version instead if you set a price ceiling.
Can I build a Helmut Zemo, Mastermind deck from cards I already own?
Yes. Import your collection into Grimoire and choose "my cards" when you build. The generator will only use cards you actually own, and the Missing Cards page shows what you would need to buy to finish any list.