Zirda
[[Zirda, the Dawnwaker]] leads a Boros [[symbol:w]][[symbol:r]] artifact combo deck. Zirda reduces the generic mana in your nonmana activated abilities by up to [[symbol:2]], leaving at least one mana in a reduced cost. It does not add a mana cost to a free ability. That turns [[Basalt Monolith]] or [[Grim Monolith]] into infinite colorless mana. The deck finds a Monolith and kills the table with [[Walking Ballista]].
Core Gameplan
Develop artifact mana and card draw, using stax to buy time when it does not block your own hand. Cast [[Zirda, the Dawnwaker]] when you can use the discount, ideally with a Monolith or another useful activation ready.
Find access to a payoff as well as the mana engine. Artifact recursion can recover a destroyed Monolith, but a tutor spent on redundant mana does not find Ballista. Check that your own Bauble or Canonist permits the spells you plan to cast.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
Two-Card Combo: Zirda plus either Monolith is infinite mana, and [[Walking Ballista]] turns that mana into a win.
Lots of Tutors: [[Moonsilver Key]] finds a Monolith; [[Tezzeret, Cruel Captain]] finds Ballista. [[Enlightened Tutor]] puts either on top, while [[Goblin Engineer]] puts it into the graveyard for recursion.
Protected Turns: [[Silence]], [[Grand Abolisher]] and [[Voice of Victory]] stop opponents from casting spells on your combo turn. [[Orim's Chant]] stops one opponent, and sacrificing [[Ranger-Captain of Eos]] stops their noncreature spells.
Artifact-Friendly Stax: [[Ethersworn Canonist]] and [[Vexing Bauble]] slow down storm and free spells, while your combo is artifacts and abilities.
Weaknesses
Commander Dependent: Zirda is a 3/3 with no protection of its own, and almost every line needs it.
Artifact Hate: [[Collector Ouphe]], [[Null Rod]] and [[Stony Silence]] stop the Monolith untaps, [[Walking Ballista]] and most of your fast mana. Lists run only a few answers, such as [[Touch the Spirit Realm]] for Null Rod or Ouphe.
Narrow Countermagic: [[Pyroblast]] and [[Red Elemental Blast]] counter blue spells. They do not answer nonblue spells or abilities, so you often need to stop those plans with removal or stax.
Core Combos
Infinite Mana Combos
[[Zirda, the Dawnwaker]] + [[Basalt Monolith]]
Requirements: Zirda on the battlefield, and an untapped Basalt Monolith on the battlefield, or Basalt Monolith in hand with [[symbol:3]] to cast it in your main phase.
Cast [[Basalt Monolith]] ([[symbol:3]]) if it isn't already out.
Tap Basalt Monolith for [[symbol:3]].
Pay [[symbol:1]] to activate its untap ability (normally [[symbol:3]]), then let it resolve. This leaves [[symbol:2]] floating; opponents can respond to the untap.
Repeat steps 2 - 3 to create [[symbol:infinity-c]].
See Win Conditions below.
[[Zirda, the Dawnwaker]] + [[Grim Monolith]]
Requirements: Zirda on the battlefield, and an untapped Grim Monolith on the battlefield, or Grim Monolith in hand with [[symbol:2]] to cast it in your main phase.
Cast [[Grim Monolith]] ([[symbol:2]]) if it isn't already out.
Tap Grim Monolith for [[symbol:3]].
Pay [[symbol:2]] to activate its untap ability (normally [[symbol:4]]), then let it resolve. This leaves [[symbol:1]] floating; opponents can respond to the untap.
Repeat steps 2 - 3 to create [[symbol:infinity-c]].
See Win Conditions below.
[[Staff of Domination]] + [[Metalworker]] + [[Zirda, the Dawnwaker]]
Requirements: Zirda, an untapped Staff of Domination and an untapped Metalworker on the battlefield, Metalworker continuously under your control since your turn began or with haste, and two artifact cards to keep in hand.
Tap Metalworker, revealing the two artifact cards, for [[symbol:4]].
Pay [[symbol:1]] and tap Staff targeting Metalworker (normally [[symbol:3]]). Let the ability resolve to untap it.
Pay [[symbol:1]] to untap Staff. Zirda can't lower this cost, since it's already one mana.
Repeat steps 1 - 3 to create [[symbol:infinity-c]]. Each loop nets [[symbol:2]].
Use Staff's draw ability ([[symbol:3]] under Zirda, tap Staff) one card at a time, paying [[symbol:1]] to untap Staff between draws, until you draw [[Walking Ballista]]. Stop before drawing from an empty library.
See Win Conditions below.
Note: If Metalworker is new this turn, loop a copy of it that can tap instead. A [[Cogwork Assembler]] token copy has haste ([[symbol:5]] under Zirda), and a [[Mirage Mirror]] you've controlled continuously since your turn began can become a copy of Metalworker for [[symbol:1]].
Underworld Breach Lines
[[Underworld Breach]] lets you cast nonland cards from your graveyard by paying their mana cost and exiling three other cards from your graveyard (escape). That means a discarded Monolith or [[Gamble]] is still live.
[[Underworld Breach]] + [[Lion's Eye Diamond]]: Finding the Combo
Requirements: Zirda on the battlefield, Underworld Breach and [[symbol:1]][[symbol:r]] to cast it in your main phase, [[Lion's Eye Diamond]] (LED) in hand, on the battlefield or in your graveyard, [[Gamble]] in hand or graveyard if you need to search, and enough expendable cards to exile three for every escape in the chosen route. Preserve the Monolith, Gamble and Ballista rather than using them as fuel.
Cast Underworld Breach.
Cast or escape LED ([[symbol:0]]) if needed and let it resolve. Sacrifice it, discarding your hand, for [[symbol:r]][[symbol:r]][[symbol:r]].
If neither Monolith is in your graveyard, escape [[Gamble]] ([[symbol:r]]) to find one. With no other cards in hand, Gamble discards that Monolith.
Before escaping the Monolith, check your mana. Gamble leaves only [[symbol:r]][[symbol:r]] from the first LED, which pays for Grim but not Basalt. If needed, escape LED, let it resolve, then sacrifice it for another [[symbol:r]][[symbol:r]][[symbol:r]].
Escape the Monolith and use its Zirda loop above to build enough colorless mana for the finish.
If [[Walking Ballista]] is already in your graveyard, escape it with that mana. If it is still in your library, preserve [[symbol:r]] for Gamble; escape and sacrifice LED again if necessary, then escape Gamble to find and discard Ballista before escaping it.
See Win Conditions below for choosing and paying X.
Note: With your own [[Ethersworn Canonist]] out, Breach is your one nonartifact spell for the turn, so you can't escape Gamble after it. LED, the Monoliths and Ballista are artifacts, so they still work.
Win Conditions
[[Walking Ballista]]
In your main phase with an empty stack, cast Ballista from hand or escape it, choosing X and paying twice X; Zirda does not reduce that spell cost. Alternatively, start with a Ballista that can survive on the battlefield and add counters for [[symbol:2]] each under Zirda. Build enough counters for the required damage, then remove them and resolve the damage abilities. An unmodified Ballista cast for X=0 dies before you can add a counter.
[[Thran Spider]]: Finding Ballista
With infinite mana, activate Thran Spider over and over ([[symbol:5]] under Zirda, no tap) to find Ballista if it is in your library. Take Ballista when revealed; put unchosen cards on the bottom as instructed.
Tips for Playing Zirda
Mulligan: Keep hands that cast Zirda by turn three and have a Monolith or a way to find one. A Monolith hand still needs the mana to cast Zirda and reach an outlet. Ship hands that can't cast Zirda until turn four unless they have stax to buy time.
Clear Your Own Bauble: [[Vexing Bauble]] also counters your free spells, including moxen and [[Lion's Eye Diamond]], so sacrifice it ([[symbol:1]], tap) before a Breach turn.
Rebuild After Removal: [[Goblin Welder]], [[Goblin Engineer]] and [[Sevinne's Reclamation]] bring back destroyed Monoliths and other artifacts.
Conclusion
Before spending a tutor, check both the mana engine and the outlet. A Monolith can produce all the colorless mana you need while leaving you short of red for Gamble or unable to cast through your own stax.
Updated October 2026.
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