EDH Optimizer
Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher
Legendary Creature — Vampire Soldier · 3WB
Color identity: Black · White · Orzhov
Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher is Orzhov (black and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Flying
Whenever a player sacrifices a permanent, put a +1/+1 counter on Carmen and you gain 1 life.
Whenever Carmen attacks, return up to one target permanent card with mana value less than or equal to Carmen's power from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Reference price of the card: €2.28
Comes in the precon Blood Rites
Average lands in decks for Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher: 36
AristocratsSacrificeVampiresLifegainReanimator+1/+1 CountersVoltronTokens
Build your Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher 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)
- Consistency53
- Speed65
- Interaction57
- Resilience77
- Closing55
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (26 nonbasic, 4 Plains, 6 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Elenda, the Dusk Rose · Blood Artist · Talisman of Hierarchy · Swords to Plowshares · Swiftfoot Boots · Orzhov Signet · Elenda's Hierophant · Bartolomé del Presidio · Viscera Seer · Accursed Marauder · Charismatic Conqueror · Cruel Celebrant · Plaguecrafter · Village Rites · Yahenni, Undying Partisan · Braids, Arisen Nightmare · Mind Stone · Butcher of Malakir · Cordial Vampire · Deadly Dispute · Blade of the Bloodchief · Fleshbag Marauder · Pitiless Plunderer · Lightning Greaves · Welcoming Vampire · Commander's Sphere · Master of Dark Rites · Bloodghast · Damn · Path to Exile · Selfless Spirit · Demon's Disciple · Ashnod's Altar · Grave Pact · Victimize · Black Market Connections · Exquisite Blood · Morbid Opportunist · Wayfarer's Bauble · Anguished Unmaking · Dark Ritual · Merciless Executioner · Smothering Tithe · Twilight Prophet · Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle · Tragic Arrogance · Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff · March of the Canonized · Redemption Choir · Clavileño, First of the Blessed · Indulgent Aristocrat · Pawn of Ulamog · Skullclamp · Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose · Phyrexian Arena · Teysa Karlov · Warren Soultrader · Cataclysmic Gearhulk · Cathar Commando · Flare of Malice · Austere Command · Command Tower · Isolated Chapel · Tainted Field · Bojuka Bog · Shineshadow Snarl · Godless Shrine · Vault of the Archangel · Caves of Koilos · Rogue's Passage · Orzhov Basilica · Path of Ancestry · Temple of Silence · Myriad Landscape · Evolving Wilds · Marsh Flats · Vault of Champions · Phyrexian Tower · Shattered Sanctum · Terramorphic Expanse · Fetid Heath · Voldaren Estate · Shadowy Backstreet · Fabled Passage · Secluded Courtyard · High Market · Unclaimed Territory
🃏 Recommended cards for Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Elenda, the Dusk Rose | 68% | +50% |
| Elenda's Hierophant | 56% | +46% |
| Plaguecrafter | 49% | +45% |
| Accursed Marauder | 51% | +44% |
| Bartolomé del Presidio | 54% | +39% |
| Yahenni, Undying Partisan | 48% | +39% |
| Charismatic Conqueror | 50% | +38% |
| Fleshbag Marauder | 41% | +38% |
| Butcher of Malakir | 43% | +37% |
| Blade of the Bloodchief | 41% | +36% |
| Braids, Arisen Nightmare | 47% | +36% |
| Cordial Vampire | 42% | +35% |
| Viscera Seer | 54% | +35% |
| Swiftfoot Boots | 59% | +34% |
| Master of Dark Rites | 39% | +34% |
| Demon's Disciple | 35% | +33% |
| Bloodghast | 38% | +31% |
| Blood Artist | 61% | +31% |
| Merciless Executioner | 31% | +29% |
| Tragic Arrogance | 30% | +28% |
| Rogue's Passage | 47% | +28% |
| Grave Pact | 34% | +26% |
| Village Rites | 48% | +26% |
| Welcoming Vampire | 40% | +26% |
💰 The best cards for your Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher 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.
- Plaguecrafter
- Accursed Marauder
- Bartolomé del Presidio
- Yahenni, Undying Partisan
- Fleshbag Marauder
- Butcher of Malakir
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Elenda, the Dusk Rose
- Elenda's Hierophant
- Blade of the Bloodchief
- Braids, Arisen Nightmare
- Master of Dark Rites
- Blood Artist
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Charismatic Conqueror
- Grave Pact
- Warren Soultrader
- Exquisite Blood
- Phyrexian Tower
- Dictate of Erebos
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
- Sanguine Bond + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Exquisite Blood + Enduring Tenacity → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher's color identity?
Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher is Orzhov (black and white): 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 Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.3 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 98 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 15 % of the time and floods 20 %. Deck health: C+ (61/100).
How many lands should a Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher deck run?
Real Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher 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 Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher?
The three highest-synergy cards are Elenda, the Dusk Rose, Elenda's Hierophant, Plaguecrafter. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher decks.
What combos does Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher have?
Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood. 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 Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher deck cost?
You can start cheap: Plaguecrafter, Accursed Marauder, Bartolomé del Presidio 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.