EDH Optimizer
Amzu, Swarm's Hunger
Legendary Creature — Insect Shaman · 3BG
Color identity: Black · Green · Golgari
Amzu, Swarm's Hunger is Golgari (black and green): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Flying, menace
Other Insects you control have menace.
Whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard, you may create a 1/1 black and green Insect creature token, then put a number of +1/+1 counters on it equal to the greatest mana value among those cards. Do this only once each turn.
Reference price of the card: €12.57
Average lands in decks for Amzu, Swarm's Hunger: 34
InsectsReanimatorGraveyardMillTokens+1/+1 CountersSelf-MillDredge
Build your Amzu, Swarm's Hunger deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Amzu, Swarm's Hunger 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Amzu, Swarm's Hunger deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: C+ (61/100)
- Consistency62
- Speed59
- Interaction32
- Resilience65
- Closing84
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 34 lands (24 nonbasic, 3 Swamp, 7 Forest)
Sol Ring · Insidious Roots · Zask, Skittering Swarmlord · Arcane Signet · Grist, the Hunger Tide · Aatchik, Emerald Radian · Hornet Queen · Crawling Infestation · Icetill Explorer · Giant Adephage · Cultivate · Grist, Voracious Larva // Grist, the Plague Swarm · Scute Swarm · Assassin's Trophy · Grapple with the Past · Iridescent Hornbeetle · Tortured Existence · Victimize · Fumulus, the Infestation · Crawling Sensation · Ripples of Undeath · The Swarmweaver · Caustic Caterpillar · Reanimate · Duskshell Crawler · Giant Ankheg · Haywire Mite · Spring-Leaf Avenger · Dread Return · Hornet Nest · Rise of the Witch-king · Moldgraf Monstrosity · Molt Tender · Corpse Churn · Skull Prophet · Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest · Rampant Growth · Eternal Witness · Honest Rutstein · Old Rutstein · Scute Mob · Conduit of Worlds · Nature's Lore · Altanak, the Thrice-Called · Deadbridge Chant · Izoni, Thousand-Eyed · Kodama's Reach · Oversold Cemetery · Swarmyard Massacre · Beast Within · Grisly Salvage · Golgari Signet · Huskburster Swarm · Living Hive · Putrefy · Heroic Intervention · Blightbeetle · Doubling Season · Hedge Shredder · Ant Queen · Seedship Broodtender · Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary · Life from the Loam · Teval's Judgment · Canoptek Scarab Swarm · Command Tower · Woodland Cemetery · Swarmyard · Overgrown Tomb · Golgari Rot Farm · Bojuka Bog · Tainted Wood · Undergrowth Stadium · Deathcap Glade · Underground Mortuary · Llanowar Wastes · Mortuary Mire · Necroblossom Snarl · Path of Ancestry · Twilight Mire · Takenuma, Abandoned Mire · Temple of Malady · Verdant Catacombs · Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Evolving Wilds · Vernal Fen · Wastewood Verge · Dakmor Salvage
🃏 Recommended cards for Amzu, Swarm's Hunger
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Amzu, Swarm's Hunger, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Zask, Skittering Swarmlord | 62% | +59% |
| Aatchik, Emerald Radian | 58% | +54% |
| Insidious Roots | 62% | +52% |
| Grist, the Hunger Tide | 60% | +51% |
| Hornet Queen | 57% | +50% |
| Crawling Infestation | 55% | +50% |
| Giant Adephage | 53% | +50% |
| Grist, Voracious Larva | 51% | +47% |
| Tortured Existence | 49% | +47% |
| Icetill Explorer | 54% | +46% |
| Iridescent Hornbeetle | 49% | +46% |
| Grapple with the Past | 49% | +44% |
| Swarmyard | 57% | +43% |
| Fumulus, the Infestation | 47% | +43% |
| The Swarmweaver | 45% | +42% |
| Giant Ankheg | 43% | +41% |
| Crawling Sensation | 45% | +40% |
| Spring-Leaf Avenger | 41% | +39% |
| Ripples of Undeath | 45% | +38% |
| Caustic Caterpillar | 44% | +38% |
| Corpse Churn | 38% | +37% |
| Duskshell Crawler | 43% | +37% |
| Scute Swarm | 51% | +37% |
| Moldgraf Monstrosity | 39% | +37% |
💰 The best cards for your Amzu, Swarm's Hunger deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Aatchik, Emerald Radian
- Insidious Roots
- Grist, the Hunger Tide
- Hornet Queen
- Crawling Infestation
- Giant Adephage
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Tortured Existence
- Swarmyard
- Fumulus, the Infestation
- Ripples of Undeath
- Scute Swarm
- Teval's Judgment
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Zask, Skittering Swarmlord
- Icetill Explorer
- Canoptek Scarab Swarm
- Underground Mortuary
- Terrasymbiosis
- Colossal Grave-Reaver
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Amzu, Swarm's Hunger
- Springheart Nantuko + Lotus Cobra → Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
- Springheart Nantuko + Lotus Cobra → Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
- Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
- The Gitrog Monster + Dakmor Salvage → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite self-discard triggers
- Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Ashnod's Altar → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers
- Springheart Nantuko + Doubling Season → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature tokens, Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Amzu, Swarm's Hunger's color identity?
Amzu, Swarm's Hunger is Golgari (black and green): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Amzu, Swarm's Hunger come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Amzu, Swarm's Hunger deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 34 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.9 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 94 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 36 % of the time and floods 9 %. Deck health: C+ (61/100).
How many lands should a Amzu, Swarm's Hunger deck run?
Real Amzu, Swarm's Hunger decks run 34 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Amzu, Swarm's Hunger?
The three highest-synergy cards are Zask, Skittering Swarmlord, Aatchik, Emerald Radian, Insidious Roots. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Amzu, Swarm's Hunger decks.
What combos does Amzu, Swarm's Hunger have?
Amzu, Swarm's Hunger has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Springheart Nantuko + Lotus Cobra. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Amzu, Swarm's Hunger deck cost?
You can start cheap: Aatchik, Emerald Radian, Insidious Roots, Grist, the Hunger Tide are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.