EDH Optimizer
Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire
Legendary Creature — Human Villain · 3B
Color identity: Black
Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Whenever Grim Reaper attacks, you may pay {3}{B}. When you do, return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped and attacking with a finality counter on it. (If a creature with a finality counter on it would die, exile it instead.)
Reference price of the card: €0.08
Average lands in decks for Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire: 38
ReanimatorGraveyardVillains+1/+1 CountersAggroDredgeFlashbackHistoric
Build your Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire 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+ (59/100)
- Consistency97
- Speed63
- Interaction47
- Resilience82
- Closing27
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 38 lands (15 nonbasic, 23 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Buried Alive · Reanimate · Archon of Cruelty · Gray Merchant of Asphodel · Jet Medallion · Lightning Greaves · Mind Stone · Animate Dead · Entomb · Toxic Deluge · Bitter Triumph · Feed the Swarm · Noxious Gearhulk · Stitcher's Supplier · Swiftfoot Boots · Thought Vessel · Armaggon, Future Shark · Black Market Connections · Charcoal Diamond · Defile · Demonic Tutor · Massacre Wurm · Night's Whisper · Victimize · Wayfarer's Bauble · Bontu's Monument · Dark Ritual · Power Conduit · Sepulchral Primordial · Sheoldred, Whispering One · Accursed Marauder · Baron Helmut Zemo · Black Market · Crypt Ghast · Deadly Rollick · Doom's Servo-Guards · Doombot Harbinger · Dread Return · Fain, the Broker · Fake Your Own Death · Fellwar Stone · Hex Parasite · Mire Triton · Thrull Parasite · Tome of Legends · Ultimo, Civilization's End · Vampiric Tutor · Vile Entomber · Arbiter of Woe · Baleful Force · Bone Shards · Burning-Rune Demon · Conjurer's Closet · Crow of Dark Tidings · Exhume · Final Parting · Key to the City · Living Death · Millikin · Bojuka Bog · Cabal Coffers · Nesting Grounds · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Myriad Landscape · Castle Locthwain · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Takenuma, Abandoned Mire · Urza's Cave · Volrath's Stronghold · Ancient Tomb · Cabal Stronghold · Crypt of Agadeem · Phyrexian Tower · Reliquary Tower
🃏 Recommended cards for Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Buried Alive | 64% | +51% |
| Nesting Grounds | 45% | +45% |
| Archon of Cruelty | 50% | +44% |
| Armaggon, Future Shark | 36% | +35% |
| Stitcher's Supplier | 41% | +35% |
| Noxious Gearhulk | 41% | +34% |
| Entomb | 45% | +33% |
| Power Conduit | 32% | +32% |
| Bitter Triumph | 41% | +31% |
| Sepulchral Primordial | 32% | +29% |
| Animate Dead | 45% | +28% |
| Tome of Legends | 27% | +27% |
| Ultimo, Civilization's End | 27% | +27% |
| Doom's Servo-Guards | 27% | +27% |
| Hex Parasite | 27% | +26% |
| Fain, the Broker | 27% | +26% |
| Baron Helmut Zemo | 27% | +26% |
| Doombot Harbinger | 27% | +26% |
| Thrull Parasite | 27% | +26% |
| Mire Triton | 27% | +25% |
| Volrath's Stronghold | 27% | +24% |
| Mind Stone | 50% | +22% |
| Yellowjacket, Heartless Marauder | 23% | +22% |
| Wayfarer's Bauble | 36% | +22% |
💰 The best cards for your Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire 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.
- Buried Alive
- Nesting Grounds
- Armaggon, Future Shark
- Stitcher's Supplier
- Noxious Gearhulk
- Bitter Triumph
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Archon of Cruelty
- Power Conduit
- Animate Dead
- Hex Parasite
- Burning-Rune Demon
- Exhume
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Entomb
- Volrath's Stronghold
- Sheoldred, Whispering One
- Summon: Bahamut
- Ancient Brass Dragon
- Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire
- 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
- Sanguine Bond + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Exquisite Blood + Enduring Tenacity → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Enduring Tenacity + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire's color identity?
Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire 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 Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 38 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.5 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 18 %. Deck health: C+ (59/100).
How many lands should a Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire deck run?
Real Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire decks run 38 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 Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire?
The three highest-synergy cards are Buried Alive, Nesting Grounds, Archon of Cruelty. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire decks.
What combos does Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire have?
Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire 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 Grim Reaper, Lethal Legionnaire deck cost?
You can start cheap: Buried Alive, Nesting Grounds, Armaggon, Future Shark 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.