EDH Optimizer
Nikara, Lair Scavenger
Legendary Creature — Human Cleric · 2B
Color identity: Black
Nikara, Lair Scavenger is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Partner with Yannik, Scavenging Sentinel (When this creature enters, target player may put Yannik into their hand from their library, then shuffle.)
Menace
Whenever another creature you control leaves the battlefield, if it had one or more counters on it, you draw a card and you lose 1 life.
Reference price of the card: €0.85
Average lands in decks for Nikara, Lair Scavenger: 35
+1/+1 CountersReanimator-1/-1 CountersSelf-Damage
Build your Nikara, Lair Scavenger deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Nikara, Lair Scavenger 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Nikara, Lair Scavenger 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: C (50/100)
- Consistency38
- Speed56
- Interaction37
- Resilience71
- Closing50
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (18 nonbasic, 17 Swamp)
Fain, the Broker · Drana, Liberator of Malakir · Feast on the Fallen · Feed the Swarm · Fire Nation Salvagers · Retrofitted Transmogrant · Sol Ring · Sinkhole Surveyor · Yathan Tombguard · Call of the Death-Dweller · Illicit Masquerade · Victimize · Buzzard-Wasp Colony · Dimension X Pizzasaur · Exploding Barrel · Fire Nation Sentinels · Pox Plague · Black Sun's Zenith · Cauldron of Souls · Feign Death · Scorn-Blade Berserker · Skyclave Shadowcat · Tenured Inkcaster · Unspeakable Symbol · Spider-Man Noir · Ayara's Oathsworn · Bogslither's Embrace · Carrion Feeder · Dark Ritual · Darkness Descends · Dawnhand Dissident · Gix's Command · Heirloom Auntie · Infernal Grasp · Lethal Scheme · Nine-Lives Familiar · Sign in Blood · Tetzimoc, Primal Death · Unforgiving One · Qarsi Revenant · Vincent Valentine // Galian Beast · Blood Artist · Canonized in Blood · Damnation · Drana, the Last Bloodchief · Emperor of Bones · Fetid Gargantua · Grave Betrayal · Gurgling Anointer · Iron Apprentice · Lethal Throwdown · Makeshift Mannequin · Mer-Ek Nightblade · Persist · Pirate Peddlers · Power Conduit · Skyclave Shade · Soldevi Adnate · Viscera Seer · Archenemy's Charm · High-Society Hunter · Lightless Evangel · Risky Research · Arcane Signet · Cabal Coffers · Nesting Grounds · Barren Moor · Cabal Stronghold · Drannith Ruins · Myriad Landscape · Spymaster's Vault · Bojuka Bog · Phyrexian Tower · Shizo, Death's Storehouse · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Castle Locthwain · Crypt of Agadeem · Mortuary Mire · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Tyrite Sanctum · War Room · Witch's Cottage
🃏 Recommended cards for Nikara, Lair Scavenger
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Nikara, Lair Scavenger, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Fain, the Broker | 73% | +72% |
| Fire Nation Salvagers | 67% | +66% |
| Feast on the Fallen | 67% | +66% |
| Retrofitted Transmogrant | 67% | +65% |
| Drana, Liberator of Malakir | 67% | +64% |
| Yathan Tombguard | 63% | +62% |
| Sinkhole Surveyor | 63% | +62% |
| Call of the Death-Dweller | 60% | +59% |
| Nesting Grounds | 60% | +59% |
| Illicit Masquerade | 53% | +53% |
| Exploding Barrel | 50% | +50% |
| Buzzard-Wasp Colony | 50% | +50% |
| Fire Nation Sentinels | 50% | +50% |
| Dimension X Pizzasaur | 50% | +50% |
| Skyclave Shadowcat | 47% | +47% |
| Tenured Inkcaster | 47% | +47% |
| Scorn-Blade Berserker | 47% | +46% |
| Unspeakable Symbol | 47% | +46% |
| Cauldron of Souls | 47% | +45% |
| Pox Plague | 50% | +45% |
| Spider-Man Noir | 43% | +42% |
| Black Sun's Zenith | 47% | +41% |
| Unforgiving One | 40% | +40% |
| Heirloom Auntie | 40% | +40% |
💰 The best cards for your Nikara, Lair Scavenger 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.
- Fain, the Broker
- Fire Nation Salvagers
- Feast on the Fallen
- Retrofitted Transmogrant
- Drana, Liberator of Malakir
- Yathan Tombguard
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Cauldron of Souls
- Power Conduit
- Emperor of Bones
- Grave Betrayal
- Carrion Feeder
- Blade of the Bloodchief
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Nikara, Lair Scavenger
- Blowfly Infestation + Nest of Scarabs → Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB
- Walking Ballista + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed → Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB
- Putrid Goblin + Thran Vigil → Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite sacrifice triggers
- Viscera Seer + Putrid Goblin + Thran Vigil → Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite death triggers, Infinite sacrifice triggers, Infinite scry 1
- Putrid Goblin + Thran Vigil + Carrion Feeder → Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite death triggers, Infinite sacrifice triggers
- Fain, the Broker + Puppeteer Clique + Ashnod's Altar → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite sacrifice triggers
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Nikara, Lair Scavenger's color identity?
Nikara, Lair Scavenger 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 Nikara, Lair Scavenger come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Nikara, Lair Scavenger deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.1 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 37 % of the time and floods 16 %. Deck health: C (50/100).
How many lands should a Nikara, Lair Scavenger deck run?
Real Nikara, Lair Scavenger 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 Nikara, Lair Scavenger?
The three highest-synergy cards are Fain, the Broker, Fire Nation Salvagers, Feast on the Fallen. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Nikara, Lair Scavenger decks.
What combos does Nikara, Lair Scavenger have?
Nikara, Lair Scavenger has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Blowfly Infestation + Nest of Scarabs. 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 Nikara, Lair Scavenger deck cost?
You can start cheap: Fain, the Broker, Fire Nation Salvagers, Feast on the Fallen 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.