EDH Optimizer
Isareth the Awakener
Legendary Creature — Human Wizard · 1BB
Color identity: Black
Isareth the Awakener is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Deathtouch
Whenever Isareth attacks, you may pay {X}. When you do, return target creature card with mana value X from your graveyard to the battlefield with a corpse counter on it. If that creature would leave the battlefield, exile it instead of putting it anywhere else.
Reference price of the card: €0.10
Average lands in decks for Isareth the Awakener: 35
ReanimatorAristocratsGraveyardSacrificeTokensDevotionDiscardDredge
Build your Isareth the Awakener deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Isareth the Awakener 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Isareth the Awakener 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: B (68/100)
- Consistency56
- Speed60
- Interaction53
- Resilience73
- Closing92
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (9 nonbasic, 26 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Gray Merchant of Asphodel · Dark Ritual · Arcane Signet · Buried Alive · Victimize · Plaguecrafter · Feed the Swarm · Syr Konrad, the Grim · Massacre Wurm · Fleshbag Marauder · Reanimate · Charcoal Diamond · Crypt Ghast · Liliana, Death's Majesty · Songs of the Damned · Accursed Marauder · Solemn Simulacrum · Troop of Ponies · Village Rites · Mind Stone · Morbid Opportunist · Stitcher's Supplier · Vile Entomber · Ayara, First of Locthwain · Dread Return · Night's Whisper · Tormod, the Desecrator · Jet Medallion · Sign in Blood · Archfiend's Vessel · Entomb · Blood Artist · Grave Researcher // Reanimate · Toxic Deluge · Defile · Swiftfoot Boots · Deadly Dispute · Desecrated Tomb · Animate Dead · Ravenous Chupacabra · Withering Torment · Fain, the Broker · Burnished Hart · Demon's Disciple · Viscera Seer · Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire · Murder · Sepulchral Primordial · Sheoldred, Whispering One · Bontu's Monument · Conjurer's Closet · Corrupted Conviction · Disciple of Bolas · Dusk Mangler · Fell the Profane // Fell Mire · Grave Titan · Grim Haruspex · Nirkana Revenant · Open the Graves · Reassembling Skeleton · Millikin · Noxious Gearhulk · Shriekmaw · Bojuka Bog · Cabal Coffers · Cabal Stronghold · Witch's Cottage · Rogue's Passage · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Myriad Landscape · Crypt of Agadeem
🃏 Recommended cards for Isareth the Awakener
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Isareth the Awakener, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Troop of Ponies | 33% | +33% |
| Buried Alive | 45% | +32% |
| Liliana, Death's Majesty | 35% | +31% |
| Songs of the Damned | 35% | +29% |
| Archfiend's Vessel | 28% | +28% |
| Tormod, the Desecrator | 30% | +27% |
| Vile Entomber | 32% | +26% |
| Stitcher's Supplier | 32% | +26% |
| Desecrated Tomb | 24% | +22% |
| Fain, the Broker | 22% | +21% |
| Plaguecrafter | 41% | +21% |
| Massacre Wurm | 37% | +20% |
| Fleshbag Marauder | 36% | +20% |
| Syr Konrad, the Grim | 40% | +20% |
| Dread Return | 31% | +19% |
| Dusk Mangler | 19% | +19% |
| Ravenous Chupacabra | 23% | +19% |
| Sepulchral Primordial | 20% | +18% |
| Grave Researcher | 26% | +18% |
| Conjurer's Closet | 19% | +17% |
| Victimize | 44% | +17% |
| Entomb | 28% | +16% |
| Gorging Vulture | 16% | +15% |
| Open the Graves | 19% | +15% |
💰 The best cards for your Isareth the Awakener 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.
- Troop of Ponies
- Buried Alive
- Liliana, Death's Majesty
- Songs of the Damned
- Archfiend's Vessel
- Tormod, the Desecrator
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Massacre Wurm
- Conjurer's Closet
- Entomb
- Crypt of Agadeem
- Nirkana Revenant
- Ripples of Undeath
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Sheoldred, Whispering One
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Isareth the Awakener
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar + Reassembling Skeleton → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Pitiless Plunderer + Reassembling Skeleton + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Putrid Goblin + Carrion Feeder → Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Ashnod's Altar + Putrid Goblin → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Phyrexian Altar + Putrid Goblin → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite colored mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Isareth the Awakener's color identity?
Isareth the Awakener 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 Isareth the Awakener come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Isareth the Awakener deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.0 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 33 % of the time and floods 19 %. Deck health: B (68/100).
How many lands should a Isareth the Awakener deck run?
Real Isareth the Awakener 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 Isareth the Awakener?
The three highest-synergy cards are Troop of Ponies, Buried Alive, Liliana, Death's Majesty. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Isareth the Awakener decks.
What combos does Isareth the Awakener have?
Isareth the Awakener 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 Isareth the Awakener deck cost?
You can start cheap: Troop of Ponies, Buried Alive, Liliana, Death's Majesty 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.