Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm

Legendary Creature — Rat Warlock

Whenever this 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.)

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Freeform	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (9)

legendofa on Universes Beyond and Secret Lair …

2 months ago

theNeroTurtle If I may ask, what do you consider "pure" fantasy? In my weird-take-y opinion, Bloomburrow is just about one urbanization and Omenpath away from being the New York City presented by Spider-Man and TMNT. It's not that much different from old Kamigawa compared to Neon Kamigawa. It sounds like the core of your dislike is basically how recognizable the characters are. Arabian Nights and Portal Three Kingdoms already got mentioned. Is Frankenstein's Monster a problem? If you've been playing since Tempest, do you remember the hatred many people had for original Innistrad?

I do have one major problem that I have with some Secret Lairs that's been looked at but not really addressed here: mechanically unique SLs. I don't really care that Lara Croft, Tomb Raider and Super State are Universes Beyond. I care about how limited and poorly implemented the releases are--if you don't buy them directly from WotC within a very narrow window of time, or one of the restricted supply from a WPN store, you probably aren't going to get one easily. Limiting access to functionally unique and useful material like this is one of the more predatory, FOMO-y things an entertainment company can do, and it's frustrating that it's happening here. I understand they're trying to reduce the impact by selling through the WPN. I also understand that most cards in the game are unlikely to be reprinted. But you don't have to drop everything, make a special appointment, and pray you're not ten minutes late to get Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm the same way you do for Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima.

HeavenlyAxe on

2 years ago

Hey Indie,

First off I really like the lands you have assembled and the suggestions from SufferFromEDHD are all good.

You are definitely going to want an artifact ramp package.

Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Arcane Signet, Fellwar Stone, Gilded Lotus, Thran Dynamo

Special Mention to Nyx Lotus, it could be good being in mono black. and Jeweled Lotus, pays for your commander for free on turn 1 even.

Sword of the Animist is not bad ramp at all and buffs yours rats

Commander's Plate might be cute.

Liliana of the Dark Realms, makes sure you always get a land drop and could make your swamps tap for four.

Chittering Witch if your playing with more opponents.

Crypt Ghast is sort of ramp, but doubles your swamps. Very good in mono black.

Dauthi Voidwalker is not on theme at all but is just sooo much value in a two cost card I have to recommend it.

God-Eternal Bontu is excellent draw power in the right situation.

Dont forget you can run any number of Relentless Rats

Gray Merchant of Asphodel will heal you up a lot and hurt your opponents

Krav, the Unredeemed is also great card draw.

Yawgmoth, Thran Physician, has card draw, removal, and proliferate all on one card

Deadly Rollick, potentially free removal

Defile, cheap good removal

Thrilling Encore saves you from a board wipe or lets you bring everything back after sacrificing it all to like God-Eternal Bontu

Phyrexian Arena some ok card draw.

Bojuka Bog if you are worried about graveyards

Mutilate, a good board wipe in mono black

Night's Whisper, Read the Bones, Sign in Blood, are a great draw package for mono black

Toxic Deluge a great board wipe for when things need resetting, and you could follow with Thrilling Encore and get it all back

Syphon Mind is great draw if your playing with more players

Victimize - is really really strong, get rid of one weak thing for two of your best things

Yawgmoth's Will - lets you treat your graveyard like your hand for a turn

Lord Skitter, Sewer King makes rats

Marrow-Gnawer - lets you make lots of rats

Infectious Inquiry - good draw and gives poison

Ogre Slumlord - makes rats when your creatures or your opponents creatures die.

Tangled Colony - if your opponent has to block it or it dies to like Blasphemous Act will make you rats

Vraska's Fall removal and poison counter

Drown in Ichor removal and poison

Bontu's Monument all your creatures cost less

Rat Colony can have any number and they buff themselves, and cost less mana than Relentless Rats

Typhoid Rats deathtouch rat opponents wont want to block

Crypt Rats can board wipe but can also win the game if you give it infect, doesnt work with your commander because toxic specifies combat damage but does work if you give it infect and deal damage with it's ability.

Ratcatcher tutors rats, and gives you card advantage

Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm - buffs your rats and lets you get rats back

Wave of Rats has blitz and reanimates itself

Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni rat that steals opponents stuff

Nashi, Moon Sage's Scion rat that steals opponents stuff

Adaptive Automaton is a rat and buffs rats

Okiba-Gang Shinobi rat makes opponents discard and has ninjutsu

Filth gives all your rats swampwalk pairs well with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

Dark Ritual lets your get a head start or some extra mana a turn you need it

Tainted Strike instant speed infect, funny in multiplayer because you can use it on anyone's creatures.

Phyresis Outbreak gives poison and might kill opponents creatures

Feed the Swarm enchantment removal in black

Vat Emergence gets a creature back and proliferates

Spread the Sickness destroys a creatures and proliferates

Pact of the Serpent strong tribal card draw

Living Death swap graveyards with battlefields, great after sacrificing your whole board to draw cards

Skullclamp sack small rats for card draw

Thrumming Stone if you go the Relentless Rats or Rat Colony route

Coat of Arms your rats will be huge

Bolas's Citadel this card is dumb lol, lots of casting power and then you hit Gray Merchant of Asphodel and keep going lol

Icon of Ancestry kinda draw buffs rats...is ok

Contagion Engine proliferate twice each time you activate

Eldrazi Monument gives creatures flying indestructible and +1/+1

Grafted Exoskeleton gives a creature infect, great with Crypt Rats

Sword of Truth and Justice proliferate sword

Bad Moon buff all black creatures, opponents too

Phyresis gives infect again good with Crypt Rats

Greed card draw

Vraska, Betrayal's Sting proliferate planes walker

I know that's a lot but hopefully gave you some ideas to work with!

legendofa on Mono Black Rats Deck (First Deck Ever)

2 years ago

I'll give some good general-use options for several budget levels.

$20+ Thornbite Staff, Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm

$10-$20 Contamination, Liliana of the Veil

$1-$10 Capital Punishment, Ratcatcher

Less than $1 Feed the Swarm, Fraying Omnipotence, Hex

legendofa on Mono Black Rats Deck (First Deck Ever)

2 years ago

Welcome to the club, Lardex!

If you're on Cockatrice and budget isn't a concern, Thornbite Staff allows you to create an infinite number of Rat tokens with Marrow-Gnawer. Ratcatcher and Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm are more good utility and aggro options. (If you're pulling this together in paper and budget is a concern, then it's safe to skip these suggestions.)

I'm not sure Spine of Ish Sah and Scour from Existence are pulling their weight here. Sure, they can get rid of anything, but {7} is a huge investment to get rid of a single permanent, and you're in a color that has a lot of removal options for just about about everything.

Above all, have fun!

Quicksilver2785 on Toes in Jams

2 years ago

I know you are going more budget with this but figured I could suggest a few Rats or cards that help a chosen creature type: Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm, Lord Skitter, Sewer King, Ratcatcher, Karumonix, the Rat King, Twisted Sewer-Witch, Skemfar Shadowsage, Kindred Dominance, Haunting Voyage, Crippling Fear, Aphetto Dredging.

griffstick on infinite rats

2 years ago

Put in that card Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm of you can get you hands on one.

legendofa on infinite rats

2 years ago

Pulling from my own Rat tribal deck (Modern-ish casual, not EDH):

Karumonix, the Rat King gives you an out against lifegain-heavy decks. I don't recommend going deeper than that with poison (i.e. don't add Ichor Rats or Septic Rats), but Karumonix adds a layer to your attacks and keeps rats coming.

I haven't gotten Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm yet, but I want to. It looks amazing. If your budget can handle it, I'm recommending it just in theoretical grounds.

I personally am not impressed with Swarm of Rats (Rat Colony is pretty much all-around better) and Pestilence Rats, but they might work better in EDH, where you always have access to a fear-granting effect. How have they worked for you?

Ratcatcher is a free tutor for a rat every turn. Highly recommended.

Memoricide is a little odd, since it can only hit one card that isn't in play. Is this a meta choice? Do you have a specific target for it that you know you'll see?

Unless you see a bunch of Voltron, Battlecruiser, or other decks with one big creature, I would diversify the removal a little bit. You have a lot of single-target creature removal. I'm a big fan of discard, so I'm recommending based on what I like at this point. Cabal Therapist, Mind Slash, and Sadistic Hypnotist turn your rats into hand removal. Feed the Swarm offers enchantment removal with a very evocative name for this deck. Try some of these in place of Cast Down or Ultimate Price or something. Also, Despise isn't great if you're just fishing. If you want a T1 discard effect, Thoughtseize is best, Inquisition of Kozilek and Blackmail are solid, and Dread Fugue is pretty good.

Following up on that, I see a good set of mass removal and graveyard recursion, and Marrow-Gnawer lets you rebuild quickly. This part looks solid.

uk232 on Swarm Piper

2 years ago

Added Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm