Wilds of Eldraine Releases Incredible Rat Support Cards!

EDH is a beloved MTG format, in part because it encourages players to think outside the box. Players can build decks with cool and amusing cards that otherwise might not find a good home. Some of the more popular types of decks that players enjoy building and playing with are Creature-centric decks that focus on a specific Creature type. For example, some of the most played mono-colored Commanders include Krenko, Mob Boss Krenko, Mob Boss {T}: Create X 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens, where X is the number of Goblins you control. and Ezuri, Renegade Leader Ezuri, Renegade Leader {G}: Regenerate another target Elf.
{2}{G}{G}{G}: Elf creatures you control get +3/+3 and gain trample until end of turn. , which encourage building around Goblins and Elves, respectively.

Of course, some players enjoy building around Creature types that are less abundant or otherwise less heavily supported. This adds an element of uniqueness to deckbuilding that many players find very appealing. Another one of the most played mono-red Commanders, for example, is Magda, Brazen Outlaw Magda, Brazen Outlaw Other Dwarves you control get +1/+0.
Whenever a Dwarf you control becomes tapped, create a Treasure token.
Sacrifice five Treasures: Search your library for an artifact or Dragon card, put that card onto the battlefield, then shuffle. . Magda is very strong, but it encourages you to play other Dwarves, which is an infrequently utilized Creature type in most MTG sets.

Whenever one of these less abundant Creature types gets featured in an MTG set, it’s safe to assume that plenty of EDH enthusiasts look forward to their opportunity to build around these new cards. Well, for any players that have been waiting for more support around the Rat Creature type, Wilds of Eldraine is packed with new toys. Plenty of strong Rat cards have been spoiled, and they are ready to help you grow your Rat EDH army. Let’s take a look at some of the best Rats from the upcoming set, starting with a cool new Commander!

Totentanz, Swarm Piper

Totentanz, Swarm Piper is an interesting Commander option for a deck that is heavily centered around the Rat Creature type. Similar to other top Rat Commanders, such as Marrow-Gnawer 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. and Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm 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.) , this card very much incentivizes you to go as wide as possible with Rats. However, this card does have some unique traits that other Rat Commanders don’t.

First of all, this card heavily protects your Rat army from opposing board wipes. The ability to leave behind a ton of Rat tokens means it can be difficult for your opponents to effectively deal with your massive board. Even though the Rat tokens left behind only have one power, there are plenty of ways to pump your Creatures, such as with Coat of Arms Coat of Arms Each creature gets +1/+1 for each other creature on the battlefield that shares at least one creature type with it. (For example, if two Goblin Warriors and a Goblin Shaman are on the battlefield, each gets +2/+2.) or Obelisk of Urd Obelisk of Urd Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for {1} or one mana of that creature's color.)
As this artifact enters, choose a creature type.
Creatures you control of the chosen type get +2/+2. .

Of course, Totentanz doesn’t care how your Creatures die, so another avenue to take this Commander would be to utilize a sacrifice theme. Repeatable sacrifice outlets such as Ashnod’s Alter can net you a lot of mana, and there are plenty of payoffs like Grave Pact Grave Pact Whenever a creature you control dies, each other player sacrifices a creature of their choice. for sacrificing lots of Creatures.

Perhaps one of the coolest features of this card, however, is that it is specifically a Rakdos Rat payoff. While many Rat Commanders force you to stay mono-black, this Commander opens up a whole range of cards to use, including excellent typal payoffs like Shared Animosity Shared Animosity Whenever a creature you control attacks, it gets +1/+0 until end of turn for each other attacking creature that shares a creature type with it. and Mana Echoes Mana Echoes Whenever a creature enters, you may add an amount of {C} equal to the number of creatures you control that share a creature type with it. .

Read More: MTG’s Rarest Cards Aren’t As Expensive as You Thought

New “Go Wide” Elements

Beyond the printing of new Commander options, one of the biggest things that a deck built around going wide with Rats needs is simply redundancy. It’s perfectly fine to fill out your deck with a bunch of copies of Rat Colony Rat Colony This creature gets +1/+0 for each other Rat you control.
A deck can have any number of cards named Rat Colony. , but the card isn’t particularly strong. While not every Rat in Wilds of Eldraine is overly exciting, they do collectively help add additional ways to build out your board.

Take a card like Lord Skitter’s Butcher, for example. The card isn’t anything outrageously special, but at minimum, it gives you two Rats in one card. If you are looking to attack with a wide board already assembled, it can make your Creatures more difficult to block. It also gives you the option of sacrificing a Creature to get some value, which can be strong with Totentanz.

Speaking of value, this card has some very high upside. On the surface, you get a two-mana three-power Rat Creature that creates more Rats when it’s dealt damage and dies. While this can give you some Rat tokens if it dies in combat, there are also some ways to ensure you are left with an army. In mono-black, your options are a bit slim, but Crypt Rats Crypt Rats {X}: This creature deals X damage to each creature and each player. Spend only black mana on X. can help both wipe the board and leave you with a bunch of Rat tokens if you have a lot of mana. With access to red, however, you also get to combine this with cards like Blasphemous Act Blasphemous Act This spell costs {1} less to cast for each creature on the battlefield.
Blasphemous Act deals 13 damage to each creature. that can leave you with a boatload of Rats. Combine them with Totentanz and The Meathook Massacre The Meathook Massacre When The Meathook Massacre enters, each creature gets -X/-X until end of turn.
Whenever a creature you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life.
Whenever a creature an opponent controls dies, you gain 1 life. , and you’ve got a gameplan!

Lord Skitter is another decent option if you are looking to flood the board with Rats. Every turn cycle, you get to add another Rat to your battalion. You even get a small bonus of exiling a card from an opponent’s graveyard every time a Rat enters the battlefield under your control. This card is a natural fit in an Ashcoat or Marrow-Gnawer EDH deck by acting as an army in a can, even if it is a little slow. The more Rats, the merrier, and so far, Wilds of Eldraine is giving us some goodies.

Read More: Wilds of Eldraine Brings Back Manlands With Spicy Rare Cycle

Additional Payoffs

Beyond ways to flood the board with Rats, this set also provides some additional payoffs for doing so. One of the better payoffs is Twisted Sewer-Witch. Twisted Sewer-Witch gifts you a Rat token when it enters the battlefield, but it then provides every Rat you control with a Wicked Role token. Not only does each Wicked Role token pump your Rats, but they also cause each of your opponents to lose life whenever one of the Auras goes to the graveyard, such as by your Rats dying. Pair this with a wide board and a sacrifice outlet, and it’s not unreasonable to win the game right then and there.

While not specifically a Rat payoff, this card also works quite well with Totentanz and a sacrifice outlet. Totentanz provides you with a bunch of Rat tokens whenever your non-token Rats die. Lich-Knights’ Conquest then lets you sacrifice those Rat tokens alongside any other Artifacts, Enchantments, or tokens to bring back a bunch of Creatures from your graveyard to the battlefield. Add a sacrifice payoff like the Meathook Massacre or Mayhem Devil Mayhem Devil Whenever a player sacrifices a permanent, this creature deals 1 damage to any target. , and you can win the game in short order.

Rats as an overall Creature type may not have the largest supply of payoffs. Still, there are plenty of ways to build a successful EDH deck around the Creature type. Wilds of Eldraine has already showcased a plethora of solid Rats to add to your decks, so if you’re looking to strengthen your rodent squad, this set’s got you covered. There’s likely even more Rat support that we haven’t even seen yet.

Read More: New EDH Decks Cause Multiple MTG Cards to Double in Price!