EDH Optimizer
Excava, the Risen Past
Legendary Creature — Spirit Horse · 2RW
Color identity: Red · White · Boros
Excava, the Risen Past is Boros (red and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Flying, haste
Whenever Excava attacks, return up to one target artifact, creature, or non-Aura enchantment card with mana value 3 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield with a finality counter on it. It's a 1/1 Spirit creature with flying in addition to its other types. (If a creature with a finality counter on it would die, exile it instead.)
Reference price of the card: €0.36
Comes in the precon Lorehold Spirit
Average lands in decks for Excava, the Risen Past: 35
ReanimatorGraveyardDiscardSpiritsAggroTokensSelf-MillEnchantress
Build your Excava, the Risen Past deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Excava, the Risen Past 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Excava, the Risen Past 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: B (68/100)
- Consistency91
- Speed71
- Interaction32
- Resilience80
- Closing61
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (25 nonbasic, 6 Plains, 4 Mountain)
Faithless Looting · Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Tocasia's Welcome · Swords to Plowshares · Selfless Spirit · Quintorius, History Chaser · Path to Exile · Sevinne's Reclamation · Windcrag Siege · Skyclave Apparition · Fear of Missing Out · Relic Retriever · Hardened Academic · Joshua, Phoenix's Dominant // Phoenix, Warden of Fire · Vanguard of the Restless · Enduring Innocence · Talisman of Conviction · Brass's Tunnel-Grinder // Tecutlan, the Searing Rift · Currency Converter · Millikin · Archaeomancer's Map · Scholar of New Horizons · Ark of Hunger · Loran of the Third Path · Sun Titan · Mind Stone · Thrilling Discovery · Warleader's Call · Bitter Reunion · Lorehold Charm · Quintorius, Field Historian · Spirit of Resilience · Tersa Lightshatter · Welcoming Vampire · Hofri Ghostforge · Anger · Boros Signet · Ceaseless Conflict · Fellwar Stone · Venerable Warsinger · Inti, Seneschal of the Sun · Patchwork Banner · Claim Jumper · Moonshaker Cavalry · Grasp of Fate · Guardian of Faith · Monument to Endurance · Pursue the Past · Cool but Rude · Professional Face-Breaker · Seize the Spoils · Thrill of Possibility · Banon, the Returners' Leader · Conspiracy Theorist · Primary Research · Blasphemous Act · Demand Answers · Perpetual Timepiece · Advanced Reconstruction · Boros Charm · Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki · Laelia, the Blade Reforged · Augusta, Order Returned · Command Tower · Clifftop Retreat · Battlefield Forge · Radiant Summit · Rugged Prairie · Turbulent Steppe · Sacred Foundry · Sundown Pass · Furycalm Snarl · Exotic Orchard · Fabled Passage · Elegant Parlor · Sunscorched Divide · Nesting Grounds · Spectator Seating · Glittering Massif · Sunbillow Verge · Emeria, the Sky Ruin · Temple of Triumph · Ancient Den · Arid Mesa · Great Furnace · Mistveil Plains · Darksteel Citadel · Rustvale Bridge
🃏 Recommended cards for Excava, the Risen Past
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Excava, the Risen Past, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Faithless Looting | 82% | +64% |
| Tocasia's Welcome | 74% | +64% |
| Quintorius, History Chaser | 59% | +58% |
| Selfless Spirit | 67% | +56% |
| Fear of Missing Out | 55% | +53% |
| Skyclave Apparition | 56% | +50% |
| Hardened Academic | 53% | +49% |
| Joshua, Phoenix's Dominant | 52% | +48% |
| Relic Retriever | 54% | +48% |
| Windcrag Siege | 57% | +47% |
| Vanguard of the Restless | 52% | +47% |
| Scholar of New Horizons | 46% | +45% |
| Currency Converter | 48% | +45% |
| Millikin | 47% | +44% |
| Brass's Tunnel-Grinder | 48% | +44% |
| Sevinne's Reclamation | 57% | +43% |
| Nesting Grounds | 42% | +41% |
| Radiant Summit | 67% | +41% |
| Turbulent Steppe | 57% | +40% |
| Enduring Innocence | 49% | +39% |
| Bitter Reunion | 39% | +37% |
| Tersa Lightshatter | 39% | +37% |
| Ark of Hunger | 44% | +37% |
| Archaeomancer's Map | 46% | +37% |
💰 The best cards for your Excava, the Risen Past 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.
- Faithless Looting
- Quintorius, History Chaser
- Selfless Spirit
- Skyclave Apparition
- Hardened Academic
- Relic Retriever
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Tocasia's Welcome
- Fear of Missing Out
- Turbulent Steppe
- Enduring Innocence
- Loran of the Third Path
- Emeria, the Sky Ruin
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Excava, the Risen Past
- Underworld Breach + Lion's Eye Diamond + Wheel of Fortune → Infinite draw triggers, Infinite looting, Infinite looting for opponents, Near-infinite storm count
- Dualcaster Mage + Twinflame → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature tokens with haste, Infinite magecraft triggers
- Heliod, Sun-Crowned + Walking Ballista → Infinite damage, Infinite lifegain, Infinite lifegain triggers
- The Reaver Cleaver + Aggravated Assault → Infinite artifact ETB, Infinite artifact LTB, Infinite artifact sacrifice triggers, Infinite artifact tokens, Infinite colored mana, Infinite combat damage, Infinite combat phases, Infinite mana creatures you control can produce, Infinite Treasure tokens, Infinite untap of creatures you control
- Underworld Breach + Grinding Station → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite storm count, Near-infinite mana among colors of legendary creatures and planeswalkers you control
- Sword of Feast and Famine + Aggravated Assault → Infinite combat phases
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Excava, the Risen Past's color identity?
Excava, the Risen Past is Boros (red 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 Excava, the Risen Past come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Excava, the Risen Past deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.7 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 100 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 21 % of the time and floods 3 %. Deck health: B (68/100).
How many lands should a Excava, the Risen Past deck run?
Real Excava, the Risen Past decks run 35 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 Excava, the Risen Past?
The three highest-synergy cards are Faithless Looting, Tocasia's Welcome, Quintorius, History Chaser. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Excava, the Risen Past decks.
What combos does Excava, the Risen Past have?
Excava, the Risen Past has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Underworld Breach + Lion's Eye Diamond + Wheel of Fortune. 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 Excava, the Risen Past deck cost?
You can start cheap: Faithless Looting, Quintorius, History Chaser, Selfless Spirit 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.