Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Statistical Insights into Ferocious Zheng's MTG Card-Synergy Network
In the sprawling, data-driven landscape of MTG analytics, Ferocious Zheng stands as a compelling case study for how a single green beater can anchor a larger web of synergies. This vanilla but imposing 4/4 for {2}{G}{G} is a creature that invites players to ask bigger questions about how one card can influence board state, tempo, and the local color economy of a green-centric strategy. By examining Zheng through a statistical lens, we can map how green decks leverage its presence—both as a reliable drop and as a signal for the types of cards that tend to cluster around it in actual play. 🧙♂️🔥
Ferocious Zheng: a quick profile
- Name: Ferocious Zheng
- Mana cost: {2}{G}{G}
- Type: Creature — Cat Beast
- Power/Toughness: 4 / 4
- Rarity: Common
- Set: Global Series Jiang Yanggu & Mu Yanling (gs1)
- Colors: Green
- Legal formats: Commander, Legacy and others where green midrange is allowed
- Flavor text: Known for their glowing horn and stone-rattling roar, zheng are the fiercest predators in the forest. Few survived before Jiang Yanggu came.
What makes Zheng stand out in a data-driven analysis is less what it does on a single turn and more how its presence reconfigures a typical green mana curve. At 4 mana, it sits squarely in the midrange window—heavy enough to threaten, but light enough to recast with a few ramp spells. Its rarity as a common belies the fact that it often appears in decks where green becomes the backbone of a strategy: ramp, board presence, and a willingness to grind through the midgame with a behemoth body. The card’s EDHREC rank of 19,291 suggests it’s not the most popular centerpiece, but it remains a dependable engine in budget-friendly green shells. ⚔️
Unpacking the green web: how Zheng anchors card-synergy networks
To visualize Zheng’s network, imagine a web where nodes are cards that commonly co-occur in decks that also contain Zheng. On the green side, the strongest edges tend to connect to mana acceleration, removal redundancy, and resilient attackers. Common ramp cards—Llanowar Elves, Cultivate, and Wild Growth variants—form the backbone of Zheng-driven decks, enabling a reliable turn-4 drop that can apply pressure immediately. In data terms, Zheng’s edges to ramp spells boost its centrality in any green midrange cluster, making it a reliable hub for tempo and inevitability. 🧙♂️
Beyond ramp, Zheng often aligns with board-states where a single 4/4 creature can turn the tide. Anthem effects (Overrun, Triumph of the Hordes vibes in green tempo), creature tokens, and combat tricks elevate Zheng from a sturdy beater to a strategic pivot. In practical terms, a Zheng deck tends to look for synergy cards that either double its impact in combat or smooth its path to the midgame with card draw and terrain control. Think of edges to Crater Hoof Behemoth-style enrollment, or creature-based card draw like Beasts that reward a crowded board with extra value. The net effect is a network with Zheng as a green-axis that pulls in multiple green subgraphs—ramp, card advantage, and large-board pressure. 🎲
“In the forest, a Zheng roar is not just a warning; it’s a signal to the rest of the green web that the storm is rising.”
Flavor, design, and what the art tells us about networked play
Yutaka Li’s illustration captures Zheng’s hunter’s poise—the horned predator poised between leaf and shadow. The art communicates the dual nature of green: seen and unseen growth, the patient ramp, and the raw power when the moment arrives. Design-wise, Zheng is a classic example of a midrange beatstick: reliable, cost-effective, and easy to slot into various green strategies without demanding specific support. In network terms, its simplicity makes it a high-degree node—someone who can connect to many other cards without forcing the deck into a narrow archetype. The art and flavor reinforce the idea that in green, the most memorable synergy often hides in plain sight behind a big, stomping body. 💎🎨
Collector relevance and practical play notes
As a nonfoil common with a modest USD price point around 0.13, Ferocious Zheng is accessible for budget builds and command-zone experimentation. Its presence in a deck signals a preference for sturdy midgame activity, while its legal status in Commander invites players to explore green-centric ballistics on a crowded battlefield. For collectors, Zheng’s status as a nonfoil from a popular set makes it a nice “value add” card in trade pools, especially for players building 60-card or 100-card green shells who want a dependable 4/4 that can be slotted alongside a spectrum of ramp and pump spells.
From a data-analytic standpoint, Zheng offers a clean test case: a solid, low-maintenance body whose network effects are more pronounced with the right supporting cast. In practice, you’ll see Zheng paired with draw engines, mana acceleration, and a few +1/+1 counter or anthem effects to maximize its impact over multiple turns. The beauty of this approach is that it mirrors real-world deckbuilding: start with a reliable core, then let the synergy graph expand as you add pieces that generate value in multiple directions. 🧙♂️🔥
How this cross-promotes learning across MTG content
The statistical lens applied to Ferocious Zheng isn’t just about one card; it’s about how consistent green modules knit together to form resilient game plans. As you explore the five related articles in our network, you’ll notice recurring themes: mana efficiency, data-driven analysis of archetypes, NFT and data culture crossovers, and strategic guides for PC setups and digital play. Each piece helps illuminate how MTG concepts translate into broader knowledge networks—perfect for players who love the math as much as the mayhem. 🧙♂️💎
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Ferocious Zheng
ID: 7a6d1184-15e0-4b41-ba2d-4f68e91c61d4
Oracle ID: a45e0854-28c7-41f5-a9fe-5b76a8070c5b
Multiverse IDs: 447076
TCGPlayer ID: 168317
Cardmarket ID: 359412
Colors: G
Color Identity: G
Keywords:
Rarity: Common
Released: 2018-06-22
Artist: Yutaka Li
Frame: 2015
Border: black
EDHRec Rank: 19291
Set: Global Series Jiang Yanggu & Mu Yanling (gs1)
Collector #: 28
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 — legal
- Vintage — legal
- Penny — not_legal
- Commander — legal
- Oathbreaker — legal
- Standardbrawl — not_legal
- Brawl — not_legal
- Alchemy — not_legal
- Paupercommander — legal
- Duel — legal
- Oldschool — not_legal
- Premodern — not_legal
- Predh — not_legal
Prices
- USD: 0.13
- EUR: 0.35
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