Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir: Data-Driven Mana Efficiency Analysis

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Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir MTG card art

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Data-driven insights into Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir's mana efficiency

Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir isn’t just another legendary creature in a busy tri-color world—she’s a case study in how a carefully crafted mana base and a powerful Eminence trigger can turn a four-mana investment into sustained value. Released as part of March of the Machine Commander, this legendary Human Knight takes you into a space where tempo, card selection, and graveyard recursion collide. With a mana cost of 1{W}{U}{B}, she sits at a shallow initial curve for a three-color identity, yet her true power emerges once you lean into Knights as a coherent tribe. 🧙‍♂️🔥

From a data perspective, Sidar Jabari’s stat line—4/3 with Flying and First Strike—gives her immediate press in combat: a resilient body that can threaten life totals while dodging many early blockers. But the real signal lies in her Eminence ability—“Whenever you attack with one or more Knights, if Sidar Jabari is in the command zone or on the battlefield, draw a card, then discard a card.” That is a built-in card-draw engine that scales with the number of Knights you commit to the board. When you pair it with Knight synergy, you’re not just playing for raw power; you’re executing a data-driven cadence of draw, filter, and payoff. 🧠💡

Data doesn’t lie: when you attack with multiple Knights, your opportunities to trigger Eminence multiply, creating a cycle where every combat step potentially refuels your hand while thinning it of weaker cards you don’t plan to keep.

Mana curve and color fixing in a tri-color shell

Sidar Jabari’s mana cost sits at a crucible point for mana-fixing strategies. In a Yargar-leaning Command Zone deck, you’ll want to ensure you can reliably produce {W}, {U}, and {B} by turn three or four. The card’s three-color identity encourages a mana base that pairs fetch lands, shock lands, or multi-color shocks with utility lands that smooth the path to your late-game engine. In practice, this means prioritizing sources that aren’t color-screwed by early disruption—think flexible duals or tri-color lands that align with your actual Knight-tribe needs. The data here suggests that late-game value is not merely about activating a big spell; it’s about consistently delivering the Eminence payoff while keeping pressure on the opponent. ⚔️

Beyond simply hitting color requirements, Sidar Jabari rewards a combat rhythm that invites careful sequencing. You don’t want to ram your knights into open tides of removal without ensuring you’ll draw into your next threat. Instead, plot a path where your early turns set up a canvas for the Eminence draw to function as a ladder—each rung drawing you deeper into a deck’s core engine. In this sense, your mana efficiency isn’t just about casting Sidar on time; it’s about how you sustain value across the entire combat phase, turning each swing into a potential two-card gain when you consider the discard alongside the drawn card. 🧩🎲

Eminence, card selection, and graveyard recursion

The real data point here is the cadence of draws and discards that Eminence enables. In a Knight-focused shell, you’ll want to curate a library of knights and knight-enabling spells that pair well with recurring value. The second line of Jabari’s text—“Whenever Sidar Jabari deals combat damage to a player, return target Knight creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield”—amplifies this dynamic. It turns the graveyard into a second hand of options, letting you recycle just-reconditioned threats at the moment you need them most. This is not just a gimmick; it’s a robust, data-supported engine for maintaining pressure while gradually rebuilding your battlefield presence. The synergy with graveyard recursion is particularly potent in formats that encourage longer games where every resolved Knight matters. 💎

For modern deck builders, the key takeaway is to pair Jabari with knights that create favorable attack conditions. Knights with enter-the-battlefield effects, evasive threats, or seasonal buffs can all contribute to reliable Eminence triggers. And because Jabari’s abilities function in both the command zone and on the battlefield, you gain flexibility in how you deploy her—whether as a consistent value engine or as a late-game finisher that keeps the pressure steady. 🧙‍♂️

Practical deck-building tips

  • Prioritize mana-fixing that supports a three-color identity without overpaying in the early turns.
  • Stock a mix of Knight-focused creatures and Knight-support spells to maximize Eminence triggers.
  • Include recursion-friendly knights to take advantage of the combat-damage-to-graveyard mechanic.
  • Protect Sidar Jabari with countermagic or disruption, so the Eminence engine can run uninterrupted during your combat steps.
  • Consider price and value dynamics: Jabari is a mythic from a Commander set, and while foils exist, the card price data suggests a stable, accessible entry point for many players. In this build, the emphasis should be on synergy and long-term value rather than raw board presence alone. 🧪

From an art and lore perspective, Jabari’s presence in March of the Machine Commander captures the crossover appeal of a Knight-tribe figure stepping into a broader multiverse conflict. The artwork by Simon Dominic exudes a ceremonial gravitas that resonates with veteran players and new recruits alike. If you’re a collector who appreciates both gameplay and aesthetics, Jabari’s foil and non-foil variants offer authentic touches for any display shelf. 🎨

And if you’re curious about how this kind of data-driven analysis translates to real-world value, consider the card’s printed context: a mythic rarity with a tri-color identity, supported by a strong command-zone engine. While the current market places Sidar Jabari within reach for many players, the card’s real allure lies in how you design your mana base and rhythm of play to maximize each Eminence draw and each graveyard recapture. The numbers behind the scenes—CMC 4, power/toughness 4/3, and the strategic mix of flying and first strike—point toward a deck that rewards careful sequencing and persistent, Knight-led aggression. ⚔️

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Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir

Sidar Jabari of Zhalfir

{1}{W}{U}{B}
Legendary Creature — Human Knight

Eminence — Whenever you attack with one or more Knights, if Sidar Jabari is in the command zone or on the battlefield, draw a card, then discard a card.

Flying, first strike

Whenever Sidar Jabari deals combat damage to a player, return target Knight creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

ID: 5fc707be-9286-4ba1-90f6-475265d19ed2

Oracle ID: b229f314-a5e5-41a3-a8c6-217a3c5a61c3

Multiverse IDs: 612008

TCGPlayer ID: 490354

Cardmarket ID: 705441

Colors: B, U, W

Color Identity: B, U, W

Keywords: Flying, First strike, Eminence

Rarity: Mythic

Released: 2023-04-21

Artist: Simon Dominic

Frame: 2015

Border: black

EDHRec Rank: 6267

Set: March of the Machine Commander (moc)

Collector #: 5

Legalities

  • Standard — not_legal
  • Future — not_legal
  • Historic — not_legal
  • Timeless — not_legal
  • Gladiator — not_legal
  • Pioneer — not_legal
  • Modern — not_legal
  • Legacy — legal
  • Pauper — not_legal
  • Vintage — legal
  • Penny — not_legal
  • Commander — legal
  • Oathbreaker — legal
  • Standardbrawl — not_legal
  • Brawl — not_legal
  • Alchemy — not_legal
  • Paupercommander — not_legal
  • Duel — legal
  • Oldschool — not_legal
  • Premodern — not_legal
  • Predh — not_legal

Prices

  • USD: 0.32
  • USD_FOIL: 0.46
  • EUR: 0.20
  • EUR_FOIL: 0.45
  • TIX: 2.00
Last updated: 2025-11-15