EDH Optimizer
Magar of the Magic Strings
Legendary Creature — Minotaur Performer · 1BR
Color identity: Black · Red · Rakdos
Magar of the Magic Strings is Rakdos (black and red): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
{1}{B}{R}: Note the name of target instant or sorcery card in your graveyard and put it onto the battlefield face down. It's a 3/3 creature with "Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, you may create a copy of the card with the noted name. You may cast the copy without paying its mana cost" and "If this creature would leave the battlefield, exile it instead of putting it anywhere else."
Reference price of the card: €1.21
Average lands in decks for Magar of the Magic Strings: 34
SpellslingerTreasureReanimatorDiscardCard DrawChaosBurnGraveyard
Build your Magar of the Magic Strings deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Magar of the Magic Strings 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Magar of the Magic Strings 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+ (74/100)
- Consistency88
- Speed69
- Interaction41
- Resilience84
- Closing79
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 34 lands (24 nonbasic, 5 Swamp, 5 Mountain)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Faithless Looting · Key to the City · Anger · Big Score · Thrill of Possibility · Cathartic Reunion · Thieves' Tools · Unexpected Windfall · Rakdos Signet · In Garruk's Wake · Blood for the Blood God! · Brass's Bounty · Hit the Mother Lode · Talisman of Indulgence · Lightning Greaves · Breach the Multiverse · Demand Answers · Army of the Damned · Chaos Warp · Oriq Loremage · Whispersilk Cloak · Fevered Suspicion · Disrupt Decorum · Seize the Spoils · Bedevil · Storm-Kiln Artist · Entomb · Terminate · Unmarked Grave · Call Forth the Tempest · Savage Beating · Dark Ritual · Filth · Rakdos Charm · Worst Fears · Swiftfoot Boots · Pirate's Pillage · Fellwar Stone · Bedlam · Chainer, Nightmare Adept · Grab the Prize · Trailblazer's Boots · Rise of the Eldrazi · Wake the Dragon · Rise of the Dark Realms · Azra Oddsmaker · Cathartic Pyre · Feed the Swarm · Plague Wind · Abrade · Bitter Reunion · Dragon's Rage Channeler · Final Parting · Sorin's Vengeance · Tormenting Voice · Mind Stone · Twinferno · Prowler's Helm · Berserkers' Onslaught · Guttersnipe · Silver Shroud Costume · Dauthi Trapper · The Infamous Cruelclaw · Command Tower · Access Tunnel · Dragonskull Summit · Rogue's Passage · Smoldering Marsh · Sulfurous Springs · Blood Crypt · Foreboding Ruins · Tainted Peak · Luxury Suite · Haunted Ridge · Geier Reach Sanitarium · Raucous Theater · Shadowblood Ridge · Rakdos Carnarium · Graven Cairns · Bloodstained Mire · Exotic Orchard · The Black Gate · Blazemire Verge · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Bojuka Bog · Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway · Temple of Malice
🃏 Recommended cards for Magar of the Magic Strings
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Magar of the Magic Strings, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Key to the City | 78% | +75% |
| Access Tunnel | 78% | +75% |
| Thieves' Tools | 67% | +65% |
| Anger | 76% | +63% |
| Cathartic Reunion | 68% | +63% |
| In Garruk's Wake | 64% | +61% |
| Brass's Bounty | 62% | +59% |
| Blood for the Blood God! | 63% | +56% |
| Hit the Mother Lode | 60% | +56% |
| Faithless Looting | 83% | +56% |
| Oriq Loremage | 55% | +54% |
| Army of the Damned | 56% | +54% |
| Thrill of Possibility | 72% | +54% |
| Breach the Multiverse | 57% | +54% |
| Unexpected Windfall | 67% | +52% |
| Big Score | 73% | +51% |
| Rogue's Passage | 70% | +50% |
| Whispersilk Cloak | 54% | +49% |
| Fevered Suspicion | 53% | +49% |
| Demand Answers | 57% | +45% |
| Seize the Spoils | 51% | +44% |
| Savage Beating | 45% | +44% |
| Unmarked Grave | 46% | +44% |
| Call Forth the Tempest | 45% | +42% |
💰 The best cards for your Magar of the Magic Strings 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.
- Key to the City
- Access Tunnel
- Thieves' Tools
- Anger
- Cathartic Reunion
- In Garruk's Wake
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Blood for the Blood God!
- Breach the Multiverse
- Unexpected Windfall
- Fevered Suspicion
- Savage Beating
- Unmarked Grave
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Call Forth the Tempest
- Entomb
- Rise of the Eldrazi
- The Black Gate
- Minas Morgul, Dark Fortress
- Raucous Theater
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Magar of the Magic Strings
- Underworld Breach + Wheel of Fortune + Jeska's Will → Infinite draw triggers for all players, Infinite looting for all players, Near-infinite magecraft triggers, Near-infinite storm count
- 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
- Sheoldred, the Apocalypse + Peer into the Abyss → Near-infinite card draw for target opponent, Near-infinite draw triggers for target opponent, Near-infinite lifeloss for target opponent, Target opponent loses the game
- Dualcaster Mage + Molten Duplication → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature tokens with haste, Infinite magecraft triggers
- Orcish Bowmasters + Peer into the Abyss → Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature, Near-infinite card draw for target opponent, Near-infinite damage, Near-infinite draw triggers for target opponent, Target opponent loses the game
👥 Community decks with Magar of the Magic Strings
Full decklists published by players on EDH Optimizer, with their analysis, bracket and health. Clone them to your account and optimize them for free.
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Magar of the Magic Strings's color identity?
Magar of the Magic Strings is Rakdos (black and red): 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 Magar of the Magic Strings come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Magar of the Magic Strings deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 34 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 28 % of the time and floods 3 %. Deck health: B+ (74/100).
How many lands should a Magar of the Magic Strings deck run?
Real Magar of the Magic Strings decks run 34 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 Magar of the Magic Strings?
The three highest-synergy cards are Key to the City, Access Tunnel, Thieves' Tools. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Magar of the Magic Strings decks.
What combos does Magar of the Magic Strings have?
Magar of the Magic Strings has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Underworld Breach + Wheel of Fortune + Jeska's Will. 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 Magar of the Magic Strings deck cost?
You can start cheap: Key to the City, Access Tunnel, Thieves' Tools 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.