Zulaport Cutthroat is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Whenever this creature or another creature you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
Complete guide
Zulaport Cutthroat is a cornerstone of sacrifice-based strategies, providing a steady drain of life every time your board shrinks. As a Human Rogue Ally, it turns every creature death into a direct swing in life totals. Whether you are sacrificing creatures for value or losing them in combat, this card ensures your opponents pay the price.
Understanding the Trigger
The ability of Zulaport Cutthroat is a triggered ability that begins with 'Whenever.' It monitors the battlefield for any creature you control—including itself—moving from the battlefield to the graveyard. Unlike many other similar effects, this ability does not target a specific opponent; it affects each opponent simultaneously, making it particularly potent in multiplayer games like Commander.
Board Wipes and Simultaneous Deaths
A common point of confusion is what happens when Zulaport Cutthroat dies at the exact same time as other creatures, such as during a board wipe. Because the game looks back in time to determine triggers, Zulaport Cutthroat will 'see' itself and every other creature you control dying. If you control Zulaport Cutthroat and three other creatures and all four are destroyed, you will get four separate triggers, resulting in each opponent losing 4 life and you gaining 4 life.
Strategic Timing
To maximize this card, you should play it when you have a way to reliably send your creatures to the graveyard. It serves as both a deterrent for your opponent to attack or block and a finisher when you have a high volume of small creatures. Since it doesn't target, it bypasses keywords like Hexproof or Shroud on your opponents.
Interaction examples
Blood ArtistIf you have both on the battlefield and another creature you control dies, both will trigger. With Blood Artist, you must choose a target player to lose 1 life. With Zulaport Cutthroat, no targeting is required; every opponent loses 1 life automatically. If an opponent has Hexproof, Blood Artist cannot target them, but Zulaport Cutthroat will still cause them to lose life.
Ornithopter of ParadiseIf you control both and decide to sacrifice Ornithopter of Paradise to an external effect, Zulaport Cutthroat immediately triggers. The Ornithopter of Paradise moves to the graveyard, the trigger is put on the stack, and when it resolves, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. This transforms your utility creatures into sources of direct damage.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Zulaport Cutthroat
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If another creature you control dies at the same time as Zulaport Cutthroat, its ability triggers for that creature.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Warren Soultrader + Gravecrawler + Zulaport Cutthroat
- 1Activate Warren Soultrader by paying 1 life and sacrificing Gravecrawler.
- 2When Gravecrawler dies, Zulaport Cutthroat triggers, causing you to gain 1 life and target opponent to lose 1 life.
- 3Resolve the Warren Soultrader ability, creating a Treasure token.
- 4Activate the Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding
. - 5Cast Gravecrawler from your graveyard by paying .
- 6Repeat.
Warren Soultrader + Pitiless Plunderer + Zulaport Cutthroat + Reassembling Skeleton
- 1Activate Warren Soultrader by paying 1 life and sacrificing Reassembling Skeleton.
- 2When Reassembling Skeleton dies, Zulaport Cutthroat and Pitiless Plunderer trigger.
- 3Resolve the Zulaport Cutthroat trigger, causing you to gain 1 life and each opponent to lose 1 life.
- 4Resolve the Pitiless Plunderer trigger, creating a Treasure token.
- 5Resolve the Warren Soultrader ability, creating a Treasure token.
- 6Activate the Treasures by tapping and sacrificing them, adding
. - 7Activate Reassembling Skeleton by paying , returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 8Repeat.
Warren Soultrader + Zulaport Cutthroat + Chatterfang, Squirrel General
- 1Activate Warren Soultrader by paying 1 life and sacrificing another creature.
- 2When the creature dies, Zulaport Cutthroat triggers, causing you to gain 1 life and each opponent to lose 1 life.
- 3Resolve the Warren Soultrader ability, creating a Treasure token and a 1/1 Squirrel creature token.
- 4Repeat.
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician + Zulaport Cutthroat + Pawn of Ulamog
- 1Activate Yawgmoth by paying 1 life and sacrificing the undying creature.
- 2When the creature dies, Zulaport Cutthroat, Pawn of Ulamog and the undying creature's undying ability trigger.
- 3Resolve the Zulaport Cutthroat trigger, causing you to gain 1 life and each opponent to lose 1 life.
- 4Resolve the Pawn of Ulamog ability, creating a 0/1 Eldrazi Spawn creature token.
- 5Resolve the undying trigger, returning the creature from your graveyard to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
- 6Resolve the Yawgmoth ability, putting a -1/-1 counter on any creature and drawing a card.
- 7Activate Yawgmoth by paying 1 life and sacrificing another creature.
- 8When the creature dies, Zulaport Cutthroat triggers, causing you to gain 1 life and each opponent to lose 1 life
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician + Zulaport Cutthroat + Nest of Scarabs
- 1Activate Yawgmoth by paying 1 life and sacrificing a creature, targeting any creature an opponent controls.
- 2When the sacrificed creature dies, Zulaport Cutthroat triggers, causing you to gain 1 life and each opponent to lose 1 life
- 3Resolve the Yawgmoth ability, putting a -1/-1 counter on a creature an opponent controls, and causing you to draw a card.
- 4Nest of Scarabs triggers, creating a creature token.
- 5Repeat.
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician + Zulaport Cutthroat + Sifter of Skulls
- 1Activate Yawgmoth by paying 1 life and sacrificing the undying creature.
- 2When the creature dies, Zulaport Cutthroat, Sifter of Skulls and the undying creature's undying ability trigger.
- 3Resolve the Zulaport Cutthroat trigger, causing you to gain 1 life and each opponent to lose 1 life.
- 4Resolve the Sifter of Skulls ability, creating a 1/1 Eldrazi Scion creature token.
- 5Resolve the undying trigger, returning the creature from your graveyard to the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it.
- 6Resolve the Yawgmoth ability, putting a -1/-1 counter on any creature and drawing a card.
- 7Activate Yawgmoth by paying 1 life and sacrificing another creature.
- 8When the creature dies, Zulaport Cutthroat triggers, causing you to gain 1 life and each opponent to lose 1 life
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician + Zulaport Cutthroat + Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons
- 1Activate Yawgmoth by paying 1 life and sacrificing a creature, targeting any creature an opponent controls.
- 2When the sacrificed creature dies, Zulaport Cutthroat triggers, causing you to gain 1 life and each opponent to lose 1 life
- 3Resolve the Yawgmoth ability, putting a -1/-1 counter on a creature an opponent controls, and causing you to draw a card.
- 4Hapatra triggers, creating a creature token.
- 5Repeat.
Warren Soultrader + Pitiless Plunderer + Bloodsoaked Champion + Zulaport Cutthroat
- 1Activate Warren Soultrader by paying 1 life and sacrificing Bloodsoaked Champion.
- 2When Bloodsoaked Champion dies, Zulaport Cutthroat and Pitiless Plunderer trigger.
- 3Resolve the Zulaport Cutthroat trigger, causing you to gain 1 life and each opponent to lose 1 life.
- 4Resolve the Pitiless Plunderer trigger, creating a Treasure token.
- 5Resolve the Warren Soultrader ability, creating a Treasure token.
- 6Activate the Treasures by tapping and sacrificing them, adding .
- 7Activate Bloodsoaked Champion by paying , returning it from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 8Repeat.
Legal formats
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