EDH Optimizer
Captain N'ghathrod
Legendary Creature — Horror Pirate · 3UB
Color identity: Black · Blue · Dimir
Captain N'ghathrod is Dimir (black and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Horrors you control have menace.
Whenever a Horror you control deals combat damage to a player, that player mills that many cards.
At the beginning of your end step, choose target artifact or creature card in an opponent's graveyard that was put there from their library this turn. Put it onto the battlefield under your control.
Reference price of the card: €8.03
Average lands in decks for Captain N'ghathrod: 36
MillHorrorsTheftReanimatorGraveyardControlComboMidrange
Build your Captain N'ghathrod deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Captain N'ghathrod 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Captain N'ghathrod deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play (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+ (60/100)
- Consistency63
- Speed53
- Interaction56
- Resilience88
- Closing54
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (26 nonbasic, 5 Island, 5 Swamp)
Consuming Aberration · Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Nemesis of Reason · Mindcrank · Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar · Zellix, Sanity Flayer · Drown in the Loch · Fractured Sanity · Sludge Monster · Uchuulon · Guiltfeeder · Hullbreaker Horror · Sewer Nemesis · Dimir Signet · Maddening Cacophony · Aboleth Spawn · Mind Flayer · Talisman of Dominance · Nighthowler · Lightning Greaves · Silent Hallcreeper · Ruin Crab · Brainstealer Dragon · Endless Evil · Counterspell · Ravenous Chupacabra · Wharf Infiltrator · Spellskite · Grell Philosopher · Extract from Darkness · The Water Crystal · Herald's Horn · Chasm Skulker · Feed the Swarm · Court of Cunning · Memory Plunder · Ancient Cellarspawn · Bruvac the Grandiloquent · Phyrexian Obliterator · Hunted Horror · Psionic Ritual · Reflections of Littjara · The Mindskinner · Dimir Keyrune · Thought Vessel · Toxrill, the Corrosive · Singularity Rupture · Psychic Corrosion · Overcharged Amalgam · Altar of the Brood · Mind Stone · Dark Ritual · Syr Konrad, the Grim · Breach the Multiverse · Reanimate · Mind Grind · Thing in the Ice // Awoken Horror · Rise of the Dark Realms · Vashta Nerada · Forgotten Creation · Drown in Dreams · Roaming Throne · Command Tower · Sunken Hollow · Tainted Isle · Path of Ancestry · Choked Estuary · Rogue's Passage · Nephalia Drownyard · Darkwater Catacombs · Drowned Catacomb · Exotic Orchard · Dimir Aqueduct · Temple of Deceit · Shipwreck Marsh · Watery Grave · Morphic Pool · Myriad Landscape · River of Tears · Creeping Tar Pit · Underground River · Bojuka Bog · Polluted Delta · Reliquary Tower · Port of Karfell · Jidoor, Aristocratic Capital // Overture · Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway · Gloomlake Verge
🃏 Recommended cards for Captain N'ghathrod
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Captain N'ghathrod, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Consuming Aberration | 95% | +79% |
| Nemesis of Reason | 84% | +76% |
| Zellix, Sanity Flayer | 79% | +73% |
| Mindcrank | 83% | +71% |
| Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar | 80% | +70% |
| Guiltfeeder | 74% | +69% |
| Uchuulon | 74% | +69% |
| Sludge Monster | 74% | +67% |
| Fractured Sanity | 76% | +67% |
| Sewer Nemesis | 71% | +66% |
| Aboleth Spawn | 67% | +62% |
| Mind Flayer | 64% | +59% |
| Drown in the Loch | 76% | +58% |
| Maddening Cacophony | 67% | +56% |
| Nighthowler | 62% | +56% |
| Hullbreaker Horror | 71% | +55% |
| Endless Evil | 59% | +54% |
| Nephalia Drownyard | 62% | +54% |
| Wharf Infiltrator | 58% | +53% |
| Brainstealer Dragon | 59% | +53% |
| Silent Hallcreeper | 60% | +52% |
| Grell Philosopher | 55% | +51% |
| Ravenous Chupacabra | 58% | +51% |
| Ruin Crab | 59% | +50% |
💰 The best cards for your Captain N'ghathrod 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.
- Consuming Aberration
- Nemesis of Reason
- Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar
- Guiltfeeder
- Sludge Monster
- Fractured Sanity
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Mindcrank
- Uchuulon
- Aboleth Spawn
- Maddening Cacophony
- Hullbreaker Horror
- Endless Evil
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Zellix, Sanity Flayer
- Bruvac the Grandiloquent
- Toxrill, the Corrosive
- Bloodchief Ascension
- Urza's Incubator
- Roaming Throne
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Captain N'ghathrod
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Hullbreaker Horror + Mana Vault → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Bloodchief Ascension + Mindcrank → Infinite mill, Near-infinite lifegain, Near-infinite lifegain triggers, Near-infinite lifeloss
- Bruvac the Grandiloquent + Maddening Cacophony → Infinite mill
- Maddening Cacophony + Fraying Sanity → Infinite mill for target opponent, Near-infinite mill
- Bruvac the Grandiloquent + Traumatize → Infinite mill for target opponent, Near-infinite self-mill
👥 Community decks with Captain N'ghathrod
Full decklists published by players on EDH Optimizer, with their analysis, bracket and health. Clone them to your account and optimize them for free.
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Captain N'ghathrod's color identity?
Captain N'ghathrod is Dimir (black and blue): 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 Captain N'ghathrod come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Captain N'ghathrod deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.8 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 95 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 27 % of the time and floods 18 %. Deck health: C+ (60/100).
How many lands should a Captain N'ghathrod deck run?
Real Captain N'ghathrod decks run 36 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 Captain N'ghathrod?
The three highest-synergy cards are Consuming Aberration, Nemesis of Reason, Zellix, Sanity Flayer. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Captain N'ghathrod decks.
What combos does Captain N'ghathrod have?
Captain N'ghathrod has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. 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 Captain N'ghathrod deck cost?
You can start cheap: Consuming Aberration, Nemesis of Reason, Grazilaxx, Illithid Scholar 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.