EDH Optimizer
Shadow, Mysterious Assassin
Legendary Creature — Human Assassin · 2B
Color identity: Black
Shadow, Mysterious Assassin is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Deathtouch
Throw — Whenever Shadow deals combat damage to a player, you may sacrifice another nonland permanent. If you do, draw two cards and each opponent loses life equal to the mana value of the sacrificed permanent.
Reference price of the card: €0.28
Comes in the precon Revival Trance
Average lands in decks for Shadow, Mysterious Assassin: 34
ReanimatorBurnSacrificeAristocratsGraveyardAggroVoltronGroup Slug
Build your Shadow, Mysterious Assassin deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Shadow, Mysterious Assassin 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Shadow, Mysterious Assassin 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 (69/100)
- Consistency64
- Speed57
- Interaction42
- Resilience84
- Closing96
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 34 lands (14 nonbasic, 20 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Interceptor, Shadow's Hound · Shadow of Mortality · Solemn Simulacrum · Arcane Signet · Jet Medallion · Junji, the Midnight Sky · Dark Ritual · Swiftfoot Boots · Gray Merchant of Asphodel · Bygone Colossus · Key to the City · Reanimate · Hollow Marauder · Huskburster Swarm · Feed the Swarm · Brotherhood Regalia · Whispersilk Cloak · Avatar of Woe · Crypt Ghast · Morbid Opportunist · Victimize · Withering Torment · Chitin Gravestalker · Restart Sequence · Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist · Nine-Lives Familiar · Anticausal Vestige · Gorex, the Tombshell · Thieves' Tools · Bloodghast · Lightning Greaves · Metamorphosis Fanatic · Ninja's Blades · Kokusho, the Evening Star · Not Dead After All · Animate Dead · Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire · Writhing Necromass · Archpriest of Shadows · The Darkness Crystal · Silver Shroud Costume · Stitcher's Supplier · Undying Malice · K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth · The Cauldron of Eternity · Persist · Stitch Together · Defile · Mind Stone · Toxic Deluge · Reassembling Skeleton · Supernatural Stamina · Ravenous Chupacabra · Bloodletter of Aclazotz · Charcoal Diamond · Feign Death · Noxious Gearhulk · Perigee Beckoner · Trailblazer's Boots · Ichor Wellspring · Imp's Mischief · Phyrexian Arena · Sepulchral Primordial · Wound Reflection · Rogue's Passage · Access Tunnel · Bojuka Bog · Cabal Coffers · Shizo, Death's Storehouse · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Minas Morgul, Dark Fortress · Myriad Landscape · Reliquary Tower · Witch's Cottage · The Black Gate · Cabal Stronghold · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
🃏 Recommended cards for Shadow, Mysterious Assassin
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Shadow, Mysterious Assassin, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Interceptor, Shadow's Hound | 79% | +78% |
| Shadow of Mortality | 74% | +73% |
| Access Tunnel | 63% | +60% |
| Junji, the Midnight Sky | 65% | +60% |
| Bygone Colossus | 58% | +57% |
| Key to the City | 58% | +57% |
| Rogue's Passage | 74% | +55% |
| Huskburster Swarm | 55% | +54% |
| Hollow Marauder | 55% | +54% |
| Brotherhood Regalia | 53% | +50% |
| Solemn Simulacrum | 70% | +49% |
| Avatar of Woe | 49% | +47% |
| Chitin Gravestalker | 46% | +46% |
| Whispersilk Cloak | 51% | +45% |
| Restart Sequence | 45% | +44% |
| Xu-Ifit, Osteoharmonist | 45% | +43% |
| Gorex, the Tombshell | 43% | +42% |
| Thieves' Tools | 43% | +42% |
| Anticausal Vestige | 43% | +42% |
| Ninja's Blades | 42% | +41% |
| Metamorphosis Fanatic | 42% | +41% |
| Writhing Necromass | 39% | +39% |
| Archpriest of Shadows | 38% | +37% |
| Kokusho, the Evening Star | 40% | +36% |
💰 The best cards for your Shadow, Mysterious Assassin 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.
- Interceptor, Shadow's Hound
- Shadow of Mortality
- Access Tunnel
- Junji, the Midnight Sky
- Bygone Colossus
- Key to the City
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Brotherhood Regalia
- Avatar of Woe
- Metamorphosis Fanatic
- Silver Shroud Costume
- Wound Reflection
- Genji Glove
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Kokusho, the Evening Star
- Minas Morgul, Dark Fortress
- Shizo, Death's Storehouse
- The Black Gate
- Bloodletter of Aclazotz
- Excalibur, Sword of Eden
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Shadow, Mysterious Assassin
- Sanguine Bond + 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
- Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
- Exquisite Blood + Enduring Tenacity → 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
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Shadow, Mysterious Assassin's color identity?
Shadow, Mysterious Assassin 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 Shadow, Mysterious Assassin come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Shadow, Mysterious Assassin 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 24 % of the time and floods 0 %. Deck health: B (69/100).
How many lands should a Shadow, Mysterious Assassin deck run?
Real Shadow, Mysterious Assassin 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 Shadow, Mysterious Assassin?
The three highest-synergy cards are Interceptor, Shadow's Hound, Shadow of Mortality, Access Tunnel. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Shadow, Mysterious Assassin decks.
What combos does Shadow, Mysterious Assassin have?
Shadow, Mysterious Assassin 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 Shadow, Mysterious Assassin deck cost?
You can start cheap: Interceptor, Shadow's Hound, Shadow of Mortality, Access Tunnel 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.