EDH Optimizer
The Ancient One
Legendary Creature — Spirit God · UB
Color identity: Black · Blue · Dimir
The Ancient One is Dimir (black and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Descend 8 — The Ancient One can't attack or block unless there are eight or more permanent cards in your graveyard.
{2}{U}{B}: Draw a card, then discard a card. When you discard a card this way, target player mills cards equal to its mana value.
Reference price of the card: €0.78
Average lands in decks for The Ancient One: 34
MillReanimatorSelf-MillGraveyardDiscardComboControlDredge
Build your The Ancient One deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for The Ancient One 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average The Ancient One 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: A (82/100)
- Consistency47
- Speed77
- Interaction82
- Resilience95
- Closing100
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 34 lands (24 nonbasic, 4 Island, 6 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Reanimate · Dimir Signet · Syr Konrad, the Grim · Talisman of Dominance · Training Grounds · Wonder · Stitch Together · Counterspell · Victimize · Cruel Somnophage // Can't Wake Up · Consuming Aberration · Likeness Looter · Singularity Rupture · Animate Dead · Dread Return · Matzalantli, the Great Door // The Core · Breach the Multiverse · Frantic Search · Terror Tide · Drown in the Loch · Windfall · Millikin · Obsessive Stitcher · The Everflowing Well // The Myriad Pools · Rise of the Dark Realms · Wail of the Forgotten · Deranged Assistant · Dreadhound · Laboratory Maniac · Sheoldred, Whispering One · Dark Ritual · The Cauldron of Eternity · Mind Stone · Ripples of Undeath · Sepulchral Primordial · Feed the Swarm · Fleet Swallower · Shadow of Mortality · Souls of the Lost · Starving Revenant · Terisian Mindbreaker · Vohar, Vodalian Desecrator · Extract from Darkness · Kiora, the Rising Tide · Living Death · Fellwar Stone · Grave Researcher // Reanimate · Mesmeric Orb · Negate · The Mindskinner · Persist · Ruin Crab · Stitcher's Supplier · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Entomb · Hullbreaker Horror · Lightning Greaves · Mindcrank · Archon of Cruelty · Dig Through Time · Fraying Sanity · Maddening Cacophony · Treasure Cruise · Command Tower · Sunken Hollow · Drowned Catacomb · Watery Grave · Choked Estuary · Tainted Isle · Shipwreck Marsh · Underground River · Bojuka Bog · Darkwater Catacombs · Dimir Aqueduct · Morphic Pool · Polluted Delta · Undercity Sewers · Nephalia Drownyard · Temple of Deceit · Restless Reef · Rogue's Passage · Evolving Wilds · Exotic Orchard · Gloomlake Verge · Takenuma, Abandoned Mire · Reliquary Tower · Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway
🃏 Recommended cards for The Ancient One
The highest-synergy cards in decks for The Ancient One, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Training Grounds | 52% | +49% |
| Stitch Together | 49% | +45% |
| Wonder | 50% | +44% |
| Matzalantli, the Great Door | 44% | +42% |
| Cruel Somnophage | 46% | +41% |
| Terror Tide | 41% | +39% |
| Syr Konrad, the Grim | 52% | +39% |
| Dread Return | 44% | +38% |
| Likeness Looter | 45% | +38% |
| The Everflowing Well | 36% | +34% |
| Obsessive Stitcher | 36% | +34% |
| Millikin | 37% | +34% |
| Wail of the Forgotten | 34% | +33% |
| Animate Dead | 44% | +33% |
| Singularity Rupture | 45% | +33% |
| Victimize | 47% | +32% |
| Breach the Multiverse | 41% | +32% |
| Dreadhound | 32% | +31% |
| The Cauldron of Eternity | 31% | +30% |
| Reanimate | 55% | +30% |
| Consuming Aberration | 45% | +30% |
| Deranged Assistant | 33% | +30% |
| Laboratory Maniac | 32% | +28% |
| Souls of the Lost | 28% | +28% |
💰 The best cards for your The Ancient One 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.
- Stitch Together
- Wonder
- Terror Tide
- Syr Konrad, the Grim
- Dread Return
- Likeness Looter
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Training Grounds
- Animate Dead
- Breach the Multiverse
- Reanimate
- Ripples of Undeath
- Rise of the Dark Realms
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Sheoldred, Whispering One
- Mesmeric Orb
- Phenax, God of Deception
- Valgavoth, Terror Eater
- Crucible of Worlds
- Necromancy
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with The Ancient One
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Demonic Consultation + Thassa's Oracle → Exile your library, Win the game
- Tainted Pact + Thassa's Oracle → Win the game
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
- Hullbreaker Horror + Mana Vault → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Hullbreaker Horror + Mox Amber → Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite colored mana, Infinite storm count
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is The Ancient One's color identity?
The Ancient One is Dimir (black and blue): 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 The Ancient One come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average The Ancient One deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 34 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 2.2 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 21 % of the time and floods 19 %. Deck health: A (82/100).
How many lands should a The Ancient One deck run?
Real The Ancient One 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 The Ancient One?
The three highest-synergy cards are Training Grounds, Stitch Together, Wonder. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in The Ancient One decks.
What combos does The Ancient One have?
The Ancient One has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. 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 The Ancient One deck cost?
You can start cheap: Stitch Together, Wonder, Terror Tide 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.