EDH Optimizer
Old Rutstein
Legendary Creature — Human Peasant · 1BG
Color identity: Black · Green · Golgari
Old Rutstein is Golgari (black and green): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
When Old Rutstein enters and at the beginning of your upkeep, mill a card. If a land card is milled this way, create a Treasure token. If a creature card is milled this way, create a 1/1 green Insect creature token. If a noncreature, nonland card is milled this way, create a Blood token.
Reference price of the card: €0.54
Average lands in decks for Old Rutstein: 36
ReanimatorMillGraveyardSelf-MillTokensDredgeAristocratsMidrange
Build your Old Rutstein deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Old Rutstein 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Old Rutstein 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 (49/100)
- Consistency52
- Speed54
- Interaction27
- Resilience64
- Closing49
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (26 nonbasic, 5 Swamp, 5 Forest)
Sol Ring · Victimize · Eternal Witness · Syr Konrad, the Grim · Dread Return · Skull Prophet · Arcane Signet · Assassin's Trophy · Stitcher's Supplier · Old Stickfingers · Reanimate · Crawling Infestation · Nyx Weaver · Sakura-Tribe Elder · Honest Rutstein · Crawling Sensation · Grisly Salvage · Aftermath Analyst · Rise of the Witch-king · Wight of the Reliquary · Izoni, Thousand-Eyed · Llanowar Elves · Splinterfright · Grist, the Hunger Tide · Cauldron of Essence · Hedge Shredder · Kagha, Shadow Archdruid · Icetill Explorer · Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord · Putrefy · Ripples of Undeath · Timeless Witness · Colossal Grave-Reaver · Insidious Roots · Ramunap Excavator · Skullclamp · Living Death · Satyr Wayfinder · Six · Elvish Mystic · Golgari Grave-Troll · Grave Researcher // Reanimate · Mirkwood Bats · Undead Butler · World Shaper · Deadly Dispute · Deathrite Shaman · Squirming Emergence · Beast Within · Lich-Knights' Conquest · Lord of Extinction · Reclamation Sage · Underrealm Lich · Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary · Birds of Paradise · Braids, Arisen Nightmare · Conduit of Worlds · Skyfisher Spider · Animate Dead · Culling Ritual · Grapple with the Past · Shigeki, Jukai Visionary · Deadbridge Chant · Command Tower · Woodland Cemetery · Llanowar Wastes · Overgrown Tomb · Tainted Wood · Deathcap Glade · Golgari Rot Farm · Bojuka Bog · Necroblossom Snarl · Undergrowth Stadium · Temple of Malady · Twilight Mire · Evolving Wilds · Underground Mortuary · Verdant Catacombs · Dakmor Salvage · Takenuma, Abandoned Mire · Exotic Orchard · Shifting Woodland · Terramorphic Expanse · Wastewood Verge · Darkbore Pathway // Slitherbore Pathway · Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth · Blooming Marsh · Boseiju, Who Endures · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
🃏 Recommended cards for Old Rutstein
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Old Rutstein, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Dread Return | 48% | +39% |
| Syr Konrad, the Grim | 50% | +38% |
| Old Stickfingers | 42% | +38% |
| Skull Prophet | 45% | +38% |
| Victimize | 57% | +38% |
| Crawling Infestation | 41% | +36% |
| Stitcher's Supplier | 43% | +35% |
| Splinterfright | 36% | +33% |
| Eternal Witness | 54% | +33% |
| Crawling Sensation | 38% | +33% |
| Nyx Weaver | 40% | +31% |
| Izoni, Thousand-Eyed | 36% | +31% |
| Honest Rutstein | 39% | +31% |
| Aftermath Analyst | 37% | +31% |
| Grisly Salvage | 38% | +29% |
| Kagha, Shadow Archdruid | 31% | +28% |
| Hedge Shredder | 32% | +27% |
| Rise of the Witch-king | 37% | +27% |
| Timeless Witness | 29% | +26% |
| Wight of the Reliquary | 37% | +25% |
| Grist, the Hunger Tide | 34% | +25% |
| Colossal Grave-Reaver | 28% | +25% |
| Undead Butler | 26% | +24% |
| Ramunap Excavator | 28% | +23% |
💰 The best cards for your Old Rutstein 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.
- Dread Return
- Syr Konrad, the Grim
- Old Stickfingers
- Skull Prophet
- Victimize
- Crawling Infestation
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Ramunap Excavator
- Reanimate
- World Shaper
- Ripples of Undeath
- Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
- Six
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Colossal Grave-Reaver
- Icetill Explorer
- Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
- Underground Mortuary
- Sheoldred, Whispering One
- Palantír of Orthanc
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Old Rutstein
- Springheart Nantuko + Tireless Provisioner → Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
- Springheart Nantuko + Tireless Provisioner → Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
- Springheart Nantuko + Lotus Cobra → Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
- Springheart Nantuko + Lotus Cobra → Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite tapped land tokens
- 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
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Old Rutstein's color identity?
Old Rutstein is Golgari (black and green): 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 Old Rutstein come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Old Rutstein deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 2.9 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 27 % of the time and floods 20 %. Deck health: C (49/100).
How many lands should a Old Rutstein deck run?
Real Old Rutstein decks run 36 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 Old Rutstein?
The three highest-synergy cards are Dread Return, Syr Konrad, the Grim, Old Stickfingers. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Old Rutstein decks.
What combos does Old Rutstein have?
Old Rutstein has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Springheart Nantuko + Tireless Provisioner. 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 Old Rutstein deck cost?
You can start cheap: Dread Return, Syr Konrad, the Grim, Old Stickfingers 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.