RATS! by Serein

Format: Commander

Commander: Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm

Bracket: 3

DeckCheck Threat Index: 33

Deck overview

This mono-black swarm deck leverages Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm at the helm of a 23-card Relentless Rats shell. The strategy curves low-cost Rats into Ashcoat by Turn 4 to establish an engine that mills and reclaims creatures every end step. Beginning on Turn 5, Ashcoat converts your Rat count into an explosive combat boost, pumping each attacking Rat by +X/+X where X equals your total Rat count. Backed by tribal payoffs such as Marrow-Gnawer, Thrumming Stone, and Karumonix, the Rat King, the deck generates immense board presence and can overwhelm standard life totals over two to three attack steps. Although vulnerable to mass sweepers and enchantment threats, its dense redundancy and graveyard recursion allow it to rebuild quickly.

Decklist (100 cards)

• 1 Adaptive Automaton
• 1 Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm
• 1 Ayara, First of Locthwain
• 1 Caged Sun
• 1 Castle Locthwain
• 1 Diabolic Tutor
• 1 Doom Blade
• 1 Door of Destinies
• 1 Epic Downfall
• 1 Helm of the Host
• 1 Heraldic Banner
• 1 In Garruk's Wake
• 1 Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni
• 1 Investigator's Journal
• 1 Jet Medallion
• 1 Karumonix, the Rat King
• 1 Letter of Acceptance
• 1 Liliana of the Dark Realms
• 1 Marrow-Gnawer
• 1 Metallic Mimic
• 1 Necromantic Selection
• 1 Nezumi Graverobber // Nighteyes the Desecrator
• 1 Night Dealings
• 1 Ogre Slumlord
• 1 Oversold Cemetery
• 1 Pack Rat
• 1 Phyrexian Reclamation
• 1 Piper of the Swarm
• 1 Rat Colony
• 1 Rat King, Verminister
• 1 Ratcatcher
• 1 Reiver Demon
• 23 Relentless Rats
• 1 Rend Flesh
• 1 Rogue's Passage
• 1 Species Specialist
• 1 Swallowing Plague
• 31 Swamp
• 1 Swarmyard
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots
• 1 Tendrils of Corruption
• 1 The Dross Pits
• 1 Throat Slitter
• 1 Thrumming Stone
• 1 Trailblazer's Boots
• 1 Vanquisher's Banner
• 1 Whispersilk Cloak
• 1 Witch's Cottage