EDH Optimizer
Gisa, the Hellraiser
Legendary Creature — Human Warlock · 3BB
Color identity: Black
Gisa, the Hellraiser is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Ward—{2}, Pay 2 life.
Skeletons and Zombies you control get +1/+1 and have menace.
Whenever you commit a crime, create two tapped 2/2 blue and black Zombie Rogue creature tokens. This ability triggers only once each turn. (Targeting opponents, anything they control, and/or cards in their graveyards is a crime.)
Reference price of the card: €5.82
Average lands in decks for Gisa, the Hellraiser: 35
ZombiesTokensCrimeAristocratsReanimatorControlMidrangeGraveyard
Build your Gisa, the Hellraiser deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Gisa, the Hellraiser 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Gisa, the Hellraiser 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 (67/100)
- Consistency66
- Speed66
- Interaction43
- Resilience83
- Closing67
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (12 nonbasic, 23 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Death Baron · Arcane Signet · Cemetery Reaper · Jet Medallion · Undead Augur · Feed the Swarm · Dark Ritual · Gray Merchant of Asphodel · Blood Artist · Defile · Withered Wretch · Endless Ranks of the Dead · Ayara, First of Locthwain · Gravecrawler · Tragic Slip · Withering Torment · Infernal Grasp · Go for the Throat · Lord of the Accursed · Champion of the Perished · Deadly Dispute · Priest of Forgotten Gods · Crypt Ghast · Village Rites · Phyrexian Arena · Morbid Opportunist · Liquimetal Torque · Zombie Trailblazer · Reanimate · Ghoulcaller Gisa · Sign in Blood · Cryptbreaker · Kaervek, the Punisher · Consuming Corruption · Corrupted Conviction · Murderous Rider // Swift End · Undead Warchief · Lord of the Undead · Imp's Mischief · Liliana, Dreadhorde General · Forsaken Miner · Mirkwood Bats · Persistent Constrictor · Patchwork Banner · Zul Ashur, Lich Lord · Altar of Dementia · Blasting Station · Toxic Deluge · Mind Stone · Fell the Profane // Fell Mire · Zombie Master · Diregraf Colossus · Lightning Greaves · Victimize · Deadly Rollick · Black Market Connections · Attrition · Embalmer's Tools · Scrabbling Claws · Night's Whisper · Charcoal Diamond · Yawgmoth, Thran Physician · Grave Titan · Bojuka Bog · Cabal Coffers · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Cabal Stronghold · Phyrexian Tower · Witch's Cottage · Myriad Landscape · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Unholy Grotto · War Room · Three Tree City · Castle Locthwain
🃏 Recommended cards for Gisa, the Hellraiser
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Gisa, the Hellraiser, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Death Baron | 73% | +68% |
| Cemetery Reaper | 67% | +63% |
| Undead Augur | 65% | +60% |
| Withered Wretch | 55% | +54% |
| Endless Ranks of the Dead | 53% | +49% |
| Champion of the Perished | 50% | +46% |
| Lord of the Accursed | 50% | +46% |
| Zombie Trailblazer | 44% | +43% |
| Liquimetal Torque | 44% | +41% |
| Priest of Forgotten Gods | 47% | +38% |
| Gravecrawler | 52% | +37% |
| Kaervek, the Punisher | 39% | +37% |
| Cryptbreaker | 39% | +35% |
| Lord of the Undead | 38% | +35% |
| Ghoulcaller Gisa | 40% | +35% |
| Undead Warchief | 38% | +35% |
| Murderous Rider | 38% | +32% |
| Tragic Slip | 51% | +32% |
| Persistent Constrictor | 34% | +31% |
| Blasting Station | 32% | +30% |
| Zul Ashur, Lich Lord | 33% | +30% |
| Forsaken Miner | 37% | +28% |
| Patchwork Banner | 33% | +28% |
| Scrabbling Claws | 28% | +28% |
💰 The best cards for your Gisa, the Hellraiser 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.
- Death Baron
- Cemetery Reaper
- Undead Augur
- Withered Wretch
- Endless Ranks of the Dead
- Champion of the Perished
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Liquimetal Torque
- Lord of the Undead
- Undead Warchief
- Blasting Station
- Ayara, First of Locthwain
- Blood Artist
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Persistent Constrictor
- Altar of Dementia
- Attrition
- Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
- Three Tree City
- Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Gisa, the Hellraiser
- Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
- Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar + Reassembling Skeleton → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Warren Soultrader + Gravecrawler + Blood Artist → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
- Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Ashnod's Altar → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers
- Warren Soultrader + Gravecrawler + Zulaport Cutthroat → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers, Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite storm count
- Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite colored mana, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Gisa, the Hellraiser's color identity?
Gisa, the Hellraiser is black: its deck can only run cards of that color 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 Gisa, the Hellraiser come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Gisa, the Hellraiser deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.5 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 21 % of the time and floods 18 %. Deck health: B (67/100).
How many lands should a Gisa, the Hellraiser deck run?
Real Gisa, the Hellraiser 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 Gisa, the Hellraiser?
The three highest-synergy cards are Death Baron, Cemetery Reaper, Undead Augur. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Gisa, the Hellraiser decks.
What combos does Gisa, the Hellraiser have?
Gisa, the Hellraiser has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar. 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 Gisa, the Hellraiser deck cost?
You can start cheap: Death Baron, Cemetery Reaper, Undead Augur 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.