---
name: "Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer"
mana_cost: "{1}{B}{B}"
cmc: 3
type_line: "Legendary Planeswalker — Ral"
colors: []
color_identity: ["B"]
keywords: ["Surveil"]
set: "PSOS"
set_name: "Secrets of Strixhaven Promos"
collector_number: "97p"
rarity: "mythic"
artist: "Billy Christian"
oracle_id: "0dc76b7f-6405-44a1-8c55-31fa480ff70b"
printings_count: 3
canonical_url: "https://avascry.com/printing/ral-zarek-guest-lecturer-psos"
legalities:
  commander: "legal"
  standard: "legal"
  modern: "legal"
  pioneer: "legal"
  legacy: "legal"
  vintage: "legal"
  pauper: "not_legal"
  penny: "not_legal"
---

# Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer
- **Mana Cost:** `{1}{B}{B}` (CMC: 3)
- **Type:** Legendary Planeswalker — Ral
- **Keywords:** Surveil

## Oracle Text
+1: Surveil 2.
−1: Any number of target players each discard a card.
−2: Return target creature card with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
−7: Flip five coins. Target opponent skips their next X turns, where X is the number of coins that came up heads.

## Top 4096-Dim Neural Synergies
1. [Ral Zarek](/printing/ral-zarek-rvr.md) — Legendary Planeswalker — Ral
2. [Ral, Izzet Viceroy](/printing/ral-izzet-viceroy-grn.md) — Legendary Planeswalker — Ral
3. [Ral, Caller of Storms](/printing/ral-caller-of-storms-grn.md) — Legendary Planeswalker — Ral
4. [Ral, Crackling Wit](/printing/ral-crackling-wit-blb.md) — Legendary Planeswalker — Ral
5. [Ral, Storm Conduit](/printing/ral-storm-conduit-war.md) — Legendary Planeswalker — Ral
6. [Dakkon, Shadow Slayer](/printing/dakkon-shadow-slayer-mh2.md) — Legendary Planeswalker — Dakkon

## Printing Details
- **Set:** Secrets of Strixhaven Promos (PSOS) #97p
- **Rarity:** Mythic
- **Artist:** Billy Christian
- **Total Printings:** 3 across all historical editions

## Format Legalities
Commander: `legal` | Standard: `legal` | Modern: `legal` | Pioneer: `legal` | Legacy: `legal` | Vintage: `legal` | Pauper: `not_legal` | Penny: `not_legal`

## Official Rulings
- *(2026-03-20)* If a card in a graveyard has {X} in its mana cost, X is 0 for the purpose of determining its mana value.
- *(2026-03-20)* When Ral Zarek's second ability resolves, the next target player in turn order (or, if it's a target player's turn, that player) chooses a card in hand without revealing it, then each other target player in turn order (if any) does the same. All chosen cards are then discarded at the same time.