895
3/8/2025
Swarm of the Black Death
Deck Size: 101
Commander
Est deck cost: $708.13
Salt sum: 43.91
895
3/8/2025
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Commander

Qty: 1 Price: $0.69
Karumonix, the Rat King

Toxic 1 (Players dealt combat damage by this creature also get a poison counter.) Other Rats you control have toxic 1. When Karumonix enters, look at the top five cards of your library. You may reveal any number of Rat cards from among them and put the revealed cards into your hand. Put the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.

Creature
Karumonix, the Rat King (one) 98

Commander

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Board Wipes

Qty: 2 Price: $12.98
Swarmyard Massacre

Create two 1/1 green Squirrel creature tokens. Then each creature that isn't an Insect, Rat, Spider, or Squirrel gets -1/-1 until end of turn for each creature you control that's an Insect, Rat, Spider, or Squirrel.

Sorcery
Swarmyard Massacre (blc) 20
Toxic Deluge

As an additional cost to cast this spell, pay X life. All creatures get -X/-X until end of turn.

Sorcery
Toxic Deluge (cmm) 191

Board Wipes

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Card Draw

Qty: 9 Price: $8.93
Corrupted Conviction

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature. Draw two cards.

Instant
Corrupted Conviction (mom) 98
Costly Plunder

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice an artifact or creature. Draw two cards.

Instant
Costly Plunder (2xm) 80
Deadly Dispute

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice an artifact or creature. Draw two cards and create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.")

Instant
Deadly Dispute (clb) 124
Infectious Inquiry

You draw two cards and you lose 2 life. Each opponent gets a poison counter.

Sorcery
Infectious Inquiry (one) 97
Night's Whisper

You draw two cards and you lose 2 life.

Sorcery
Night's Whisper (onc) 94
Reckoner's Bargain

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice an artifact or creature. You gain life equal to the sacrificed permanent's mana value. Draw two cards.

Instant
Reckoner's Bargain (neo) 120
Sign in Blood

Target player draws two cards and loses 2 life.

Sorcery
Sign in Blood (scd) 107
Vampiric Rites

{1}{B}, Sacrifice a creature: You gain 1 life and draw a card.

Enchantment
Vampiric Rites (wot) 37
Village Rites

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature. Draw two cards.

Instant
Village Rites (j22) 486

Card Draw

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Graveyard Recursion

Qty: 1 Price: $6.99
Haunting Voyage

Choose a creature type. Return up to two creature cards of that type from your graveyard to the battlefield. If this spell was foretold, return all creature cards of that type from your graveyard to the battlefield instead. Foretell {5}{B}{B} (During your turn, you may pay {2} and exile this card from your hand face down. Cast it on a later turn for its foretell cost.)

Sorcery
Haunting Voyage (khm) 98

Graveyard Recursion

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Land

Qty: 31 (32 w/ MDFC)Price: $274.33
Cabal Coffers

{2}, {T}: Add {B} for each Swamp you control.

Land
Cabal Coffers (mh2) 301
Cabal Stronghold

{T}: Add {C}. {3}, {T}: Add {B} for each basic Swamp you control.

Land
Cabal Stronghold (dom) 238
Cavern of Souls

As this land enters, choose a creature type. {T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast a creature spell of the chosen type, and that spell can't be countered.

Land
Cavern of Souls (2x2) 320
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx

{T}: Add {C}. {2}, {T}: Choose a color. Add an amount of mana of that color equal to your devotion to that color. (Your devotion to a color is the number of mana symbols of that color in the mana costs of permanents you control.)

Land
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx (plst) THS-223
Phyrexian Tower

{T}: Add {C}. {T}, Sacrifice a creature: Add {B}{B}.

Land
Phyrexian Tower (plst) USG-322
Swamp

({T}: Add {B}.)

Land
Swamp (scd) 343
Three Tree City

As Three Tree City enters, choose a creature type. {T}: Add {C}. {2}, {T}: Choose a color. Add an amount of mana of that color equal to the number of creatures you control of the chosen type.

Land
Three Tree City (blb) 260
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

Each land is a Swamp in addition to its other land types.

Land
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (tsr) 287

Land

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Poison / Proliferate

Qty: 6 Price: $55.74
Drown in Ichor

Target creature gets -4/-4 until end of turn. Proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)

Sorcery
Drown in Ichor (one) 91
Karn's Bastion

{T}: Add {C}. {4}, {T}: Proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)

Land
Karn's Bastion (onc) 156
Phyresis Outbreak

Each opponent gets a poison counter. Then each creature your opponents control gets -1/-1 until end of turn for each poison counter its controller has.

Sorcery
Phyresis Outbreak (onc) 12
Staff of Compleation

{T}, Pay 1 life: Destroy target permanent you own. {T}, Pay 2 life: Add one mana of any color. {T}, Pay 3 life: Proliferate. {T}, Pay 4 life: Draw a card. {5}: Untap this artifact.

Artifact
Staff of Compleation (one) 242
Vraska's Fall

Each opponent sacrifices a creature or planeswalker of their choice and gets a poison counter.

Instant
Vraska's Fall (one) 116
Vraska, Betrayal's Sting

Compleated ({B/P} can be paid with {B} or 2 life. If life was paid, this planeswalker enters with two fewer loyalty counters.) 0: You draw a card and you lose 1 life. Proliferate. −2: Target creature becomes a Treasure artifact with "{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color" and loses all other card types and abilities. −9: If target player has fewer than nine poison counters, they get a number of poison counters equal to the difference.

Planeswalker
Vraska, Betrayal's Sting (one) 442

Poison / Proliferate

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Protection

Qty: 9 Price: $69.67
Cover of Darkness

As this enchantment enters, choose a creature type. Creatures of the chosen type have fear. (They can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.)

Enchantment
Cover of Darkness (ons) 133
Feign Death

Until end of turn, target creature gains "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield tapped under its owner's control with a +1/+1 counter on it."

Instant
Feign Death (afr) 103
Filth

Swampwalk (This creature can't be blocked as long as defending player controls a Swamp.) As long as this card is in your graveyard and you control a Swamp, creatures you control have swampwalk.

Creature
Filth (jud) 66
Malakir Rebirth

Instant
Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire (znr) 111Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire (znr) 111
No Mercy

Whenever a creature deals damage to you, destroy it.

Enchantment
No Mercy (dmr) 308
Not Dead After All

Until end of turn, target creature you control gains "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield tapped under its owner's control, then create a Wicked Role token attached to it." (Enchanted creature gets +1/+1. When this token is put into a graveyard, each opponent loses 1 life.)

Instant
Not Dead After All (woe) 101
Supernatural Stamina

Until end of turn, target creature gets +2/+0 and gains "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield tapped under its owner's control."

Instant
Supernatural Stamina (cmm) 188
Swarmyard

{T}: Add {C}. {T}: Regenerate target Insect, Rat, Spider, or Squirrel. (The next time it would be destroyed this turn, instead tap it, remove it from combat, and heal all damage on it.)

Land
Swarmyard (tsr) 284
Undying Malice

Until end of turn, target creature gains "When this creature dies, return it to the battlefield tapped under its owner's control with a +1/+1 counter on it."

Instant
Undying Malice (vow) 134

Protection

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Ramp

Qty: 8 Price: $47.42
Arcane Signet

{T}: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity.

Artifact
Arcane Signet (onc) 125
Bontu's Monument

Black creature spells you cast cost {1} less to cast. Whenever you cast a creature spell, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.

Artifact
Bontu's Monument (dmc) 179
Bubbling Muck

Until end of turn, whenever a player taps a Swamp for mana, that player adds an additional {B}.

Sorcery
Bubbling Muck (uds) 54
Culling the Weak

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature. Add {B}{B}{B}{B}.

Instant
Culling the Weak (exo) 55
Dark Ritual

Add {B}{B}{B}.

Instant
Dark Ritual (plst) DDE-18
Herald's Horn

As this artifact enters, choose a creature type. Creature spells you cast of the chosen type cost {1} less to cast. At the beginning of your upkeep, look at the top card of your library. If it's a creature card of the chosen type, you may reveal it and put it into your hand.

Artifact
Herald's Horn (40k) 241
Jet Medallion

Black spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.

Artifact
Jet Medallion (plst) TMP-292
Sol Ring

{T}: Add {C}{C}.

Artifact
Sol Ring (onc) 140

Ramp

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Rat Swarm

Qty: 21 Price: $124.75
Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm

Whenever Ashcoat attacks or blocks, other Rats you control get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of Rats you control. At the beginning of your end step, you may mill four cards. If you do, return up to two Rat creature cards from your graveyard to your hand. (To mill a card, put the top card of your library into your graveyard.)

Creature
Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm (j22) 19
Blightbelly Rat

Toxic 1 (Players dealt combat damage by this creature also get a poison counter.) When this creature dies, proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)

Creature
Blightbelly Rat (one) 85
Gnat Miser

Each opponent's maximum hand size is reduced by one.

Creature
Gnat Miser (sok) 70
Ichor Rats

Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.) When this creature enters, each player gets a poison counter.

Creature
Ichor Rats (onc) 93
Lord Skitter's Butcher

When this creature enters, choose one — • Create a 1/1 black Rat creature token with "This token can't block." • You may sacrifice another creature. If you do, scry 2, then draw a card. • Creatures you control gain menace until end of turn.

Creature
Lord Skitter's Butcher (woe) 99
Mukotai Ambusher

Ninjutsu {1}{B} ({1}{B}, Return an unblocked attacker you control to hand: Put this card onto the battlefield from your hand tapped and attacking.) Lifelink

Creature Artifact
Mukotai Ambusher (neo) 112
Nashi, Moon Sage's Scion

Ninjutsu {3}{B} ({3}{B}, Return an unblocked attacker you control to hand: Put this card onto the battlefield from your hand tapped and attacking.) Whenever Nashi deals combat damage to a player, exile the top card of each player's library. Until end of turn, you may play one of those cards. If you cast a spell this way, pay life equal to its mana value rather than paying its mana cost.

Creature
Nashi, Moon Sage's Scion (otc) 143
Ogre Slumlord

Whenever another nontoken creature dies, you may create a 1/1 black Rat creature token. Rats you control have deathtouch.

Creature
Ogre Slumlord (j22) 71
Pack Rat

Pack Rat's power and toughness are each equal to the number of Rats you control. {2}{B}, Discard a card: Create a token that's a copy of this creature.

Creature
Pack Rat (rtr) 73
Piper of the Swarm

Rats you control have menace. {1}{B}, {T}: Create a 1/1 black Rat creature token. {2}{B}{B}, {T}, Sacrifice three Rats: Gain control of target creature.

Creature
Piper of the Swarm (afc) 106
Rancid Rats

Skulk (This creature can't be blocked by creatures with greater power.) Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)

Creature
Rancid Rats (soi) 130
Rat Colony

This creature gets +1/+0 for each other Rat you control. A deck can have any number of cards named Rat Colony.

Creature
Rat Colony (plst) DOM-101
Razortooth Rats

Fear (This creature can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.)

Creature
Razortooth Rats (9ed) 158
Septic Rats

Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.) Whenever this creature attacks, if defending player is poisoned, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

Creature
Septic Rats (mbs) 55
Stronghold Rats

Shadow (This creature can block or be blocked by only creatures with shadow.) Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, each player discards a card.

Creature
Stronghold Rats (tsr) 142
Tangled Colony

This creature can't block. When this creature dies, create X 1/1 black Rat creature tokens with "This token can't block," where X is the amount of damage dealt to it this turn.

Creature
Tangled Colony (woe) 113
Typhoid Rats

Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)

Creature
Typhoid Rats (j22) 480
Voracious Vermin

When this creature enters, create a 1/1 black Rat creature token with "This token can't block." Whenever another creature you control dies, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.

Creature
Voracious Vermin (woe) 116
Zodiac Rat

Swampwalk (This creature can't be blocked as long as defending player controls a Swamp.)

Creature
Zodiac Rat (ptk) 98

Rat Swarm

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Spot Removal

Qty: 4 Price: $5.22
Bone Shards

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature or discard a card. Destroy target creature or planeswalker.

Sorcery
Bone Shards (mh2) 76
Feed the Swarm

Destroy target creature or enchantment an opponent controls. You lose life equal to that permanent's mana value.

Sorcery
Feed the Swarm (scd) 77
Final Vengeance

As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice a creature or enchantment. Exile target creature.

Sorcery
Final Vengeance (dsk) 99
Withering Torment

Destroy target creature or enchantment. You lose 2 life.

Instant
Withering Torment (dsk) 124

Spot Removal

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Tutors

Qty: 2 Price: $27.98
Entomb

Search your library for a card, put that card into your graveyard, then shuffle.

Instant
Entomb (dmr) 304
Ratcatcher

Fear (This creature can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.) At the beginning of your upkeep, you may search your library for a Rat card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.

Creature
Ratcatcher (a25) 103

Tutors

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Win Con - Crypt Rats

Qty: 3 Price: $5.47
Crypt Rats

{X}: This creature deals X damage to each creature and each player. Spend only black mana on X.

Creature
Crypt Rats (j22) 392
Phyresis

Enchant creature Enchanted creature has infect. (It deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)

Enchantment
Phyresis (plst) MBS-49
Tainted Strike

Target creature gets +1/+0 and gains infect until end of turn. (It deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)

Instant
Tainted Strike (som) 80

Win Con - Crypt Rats

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Win Con - Infinite Rats

Qty: 2 Price: $43.98
Marrow-Gnawer

All Rats have fear. {T}, Sacrifice a Rat: Create X 1/1 black Rat creature tokens, where X is the number of Rats you control.

Creature
Marrow-Gnawer (chk) 124
Thornbite Staff

Equipped creature has "{2}, {T}: This creature deals 1 damage to any target" and "Whenever a creature dies, untap this creature." Whenever a Shaman creature enters, you may attach this Equipment to it. Equip {4}

Artifact Kindred
Thornbite Staff (mor) 145

Win Con - Infinite Rats

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Win Con - Plague Crash

Qty: 2 Price: $23.98
Crashing Drawbridge

Defender {T}: Creatures you control gain haste until end of turn.

Creature Artifact
Crashing Drawbridge (cmm) 944
Plague of Vermin

Starting with you, each player may pay any amount of life. Repeat this process until no one pays life. Each player creates a 1/1 black Rat creature token for each 1 life they paid this way.

Sorcery
Plague of Vermin (shm) 73

Win Con - Plague Crash

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CONSIDERING

Qty: 1 Price: $2.79
Endless Atlas

{2}, {T}: Draw a card. Activate only if you control three or more lands with the same name.

Artifact
Endless Atlas (cmm) 947

CONSIDERING

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Deck Info

Deck stats

0 pips - 0 cards
0 mana - 5 cards
0 pips - 0 cards
0 mana - 5 cards
72 pips - 60 cards
41 mana - 35 cards
0 pips - 0 cards
0 mana - 5 cards
0 pips - 0 cards
0 mana - 5 cards
0 pips - 0 cards
9 mana - 8 cards
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Description

{"ops":[{"insert":"Swarm of the Black Death is a flavorful low-power casual mono-black rat tribal deck focused on pumping out a swarm of rats, giving them toxic with the commander "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Karumonix, the Rat King"}},{"insert":" and sending them at opponents. Several strong cards are in this deck to pump up the rats and ensure that they land hits on the opponents. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Marrow-Gnawer"}},{"insert":" will give rats fear to keep many opponents from being able to block at all, and those that do will have to deal with cards like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ogre Slumlord"}},{"insert":" giving all of the rats Deathtouch. There are a few rat token generators in the deck aside from "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Marrow-Gnawer"}},{"insert":" also, most notably "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Plague of Vermin"}},{"insert":" which will make tons of rat tokens at the cost of life, but in combination with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Marrow-Gnawer"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Plague of Vermin"}},{"insert":" can very quickly grow an army massive enough that opponents may be killed with raw damage at the same time they die from poison. In addition to purely attacking to give poison counters to opponents, this deck has made use of cards like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Ichor Rats"}},{"insert":" which directly give opponents poison counters, allowing for the use of powerful proliferate cards like "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Karn's Bastion"}},{"insert":" and the planeswalker "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Vraska, Betrayal's Sting"}},{"insert":" to kill opponents without even advancing your massive rat army.\n"}]}
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