RATAS by jesus2403

Format: Commander

Commander: Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm

Bracket: 3

DeckCheck Threat Index: 28

Deck overview

Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm leads a Rat tribal deck that wins through repeated attacks rather than a compact combo. The list uses 21 Rat Colony cards as its main redundant threat, then adds token makers such as Lord Skitter, Sewer King, Piper of the Swarm, and Marrow-Gnawer. Ashcoat's attack trigger turns a modest Rat board into a large combat force, while its end-step mill ability returns up to two Rats from the graveyard to hand. Skullclamp, Dark Prophecy, Black Market Connections, The One Ring, and Vanquisher's Banner help sustain the hand. Sacrifice cards such as Ashnod's Altar, Culling the Weak, and Dictate of Erebos offer mana and creature attrition, but they are secondary to the combat plan. The deck has strong creature redundancy and respectable recovery, but it normally needs turn 6 or 7 to assemble a threatening board and several attacks to defeat the table. Its main weaknesses are sweepers, exile, limited stack interaction, and dependence on the commander for both scaling and graveyard access.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Agadeem's Awakening // Agadeem, the Undercrypt
  • 1 Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm
  • 1 Ashnod's Altar
  • 1 Ayara, First of Locthwain
  • 1 Black Market Connections
  • 1 Bojuka Bog
  • 1 Cabal Coffers
  • 1 Cabal Ritual
  • 1 Cavern of Souls
  • 1 Coat of Arms
  • 1 Commander's Plate
  • 1 Cover of Darkness
  • 1 Crypt Ghast
  • 1 Culling the Weak
  • 1 Dark Prophecy
  • 1 Dark Ritual
  • 1 Deadly Rollick
  • 1 Dictate of Erebos
  • 1 Dolmen Gate
  • 1 Echoing Return
  • 1 Eldrazi Monument
  • 1 Imp's Mischief
  • 1 Jet Medallion
  • 1 Lake of the Dead
  • 1 Lightning Greaves
  • 1 Lord Skitter, Sewer King
  • 1 Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire
  • 1 Marrow-Gnawer
  • 1 Mudflat Village
  • 1 Necropotence
  • 1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
  • 1 Ogre Slumlord
  • 1 Phyrexian Tower
  • 1 Piper of the Swarm
  • 21 Rat Colony
  • 1 Rat King, Verminister
  • 1 Reanimate
  • 1 Revenge of the Rats
  • 1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
  • 1 Skullclamp
  • 1 Snuff Out
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Splinter's Technique
  • 21 Swamp
  • 1 Swarmyard
  • 1 Swarmyard Massacre
  • 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
  • 1 The One Ring
  • 1 Three Tree City
  • 1 Throne of the God-Pharaoh
  • 1 Thrumming Stone
  • 1 Toxic Deluge
  • 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
  • 1 Valley Rotcaller
  • 1 Vampiric Tutor
  • 1 Vanquisher's Banner
  • 1 Volrath's Stronghold
  • 1 Whip of Erebos
  • 1 Withering Torment
  • 1 Yawgmoth's Will