EDH Optimizer
The Infamous Cruelclaw
Legendary Creature — Weasel Mercenary · 1BR
Color identity: Black · Red · Rakdos
The Infamous Cruelclaw is Rakdos (black and red): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Menace
Whenever The Infamous Cruelclaw deals combat damage to a player, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card. You may cast that card by discarding a card rather than paying its mana cost.
Reference price of the card: €1.12
Average lands in decks for The Infamous Cruelclaw: 54
Big ManaReanimatorChaosObosh CompanionDiscardAggroExtra CombatsLands Matter
Build your The Infamous Cruelclaw deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for The Infamous Cruelclaw 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average The Infamous Cruelclaw 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: B (66/100)
- Consistency15
- Speed49
- Interaction70
- Resilience83
- Closing100
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 42 lands (25 nonbasic, 7 Swamp, 10 Mountain)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Etali, Primal Storm · Lightning Greaves · Swiftfoot Boots · Hit the Mother Lode · Whispersilk Cloak · Anger · Breach the Multiverse · In Garruk's Wake · Artisan of Kozilek · Brotherhood Regalia · Kaervek the Merciless · Rakdos Signet · Archon of Cruelty · Call Forth the Tempest · Chaos Warp · Combustible Gearhulk · Reanimate · Talisman of Indulgence · Rise of the Dark Realms · Ulamog, the Defiler · Wild-Magic Sorcerer · Blood for the Blood God! · Lizard Blades · Rakdos, Patron of Chaos · Worldfire · Sensei's Divining Top · Blightsteel Colossus · Sheoldred, Whispering One · Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger · Emrakul, the World Anew · Kozilek, the Great Distortion · Portal to Phyrexia · Dark Ritual · Fevered Suspicion · Keeper of Secrets · Valgavoth, Terror Eater · Blasphemous Act · Phyrexian Arena · Trailblazer's Boots · Kozilek, Butcher of Truth · Terminate · Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre · Rise of the Eldrazi · Scroll Rack · Shadowgrange Archfiend · Animate Dead · It That Betrays · Squee, Goblin Nabob · Eldrazi Conscription · Faithless Looting · Improvisation Capstone · Karlach, Fury of Avernus · Overpowering Attack · Passionate Archaeologist · Rakdos Charm · Command Tower · Rogue's Passage · Access Tunnel · Dragonskull Summit · Smoldering Marsh · Blood Crypt · Luxury Suite · Sulfurous Springs · Foreboding Ruins · Arena of Glory · Bloodstained Mire · Temple of Malice · Haunted Ridge · Tainted Peak · Shizo, Death's Storehouse · Raucous Theater · Shadowblood Ridge · Blazemire Verge · Bojuka Bog · Rakdos Carnarium · Mount Doom · Exotic Orchard · Graven Cairns · Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway · The Black Gate
🃏 Recommended cards for The Infamous Cruelclaw
The highest-synergy cards in decks for The Infamous Cruelclaw, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Access Tunnel | 49% | +46% |
| Rogue's Passage | 61% | +41% |
| Hit the Mother Lode | 41% | +37% |
| Etali, Primal Storm | 45% | +37% |
| Whispersilk Cloak | 40% | +35% |
| In Garruk's Wake | 36% | +33% |
| Breach the Multiverse | 36% | +32% |
| Artisan of Kozilek | 34% | +32% |
| Brotherhood Regalia | 33% | +31% |
| Call Forth the Tempest | 31% | +29% |
| Archon of Cruelty | 31% | +28% |
| Ulamog, the Defiler | 29% | +28% |
| Worldfire | 27% | +26% |
| Rise of the Dark Realms | 29% | +25% |
| Wild-Magic Sorcerer | 29% | +25% |
| Lizard Blades | 27% | +24% |
| Combustible Gearhulk | 30% | +24% |
| Kozilek, the Great Distortion | 24% | +24% |
| Arena of Glory | 32% | +23% |
| Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger | 25% | +23% |
| Blightsteel Colossus | 25% | +23% |
| Shizo, Death's Storehouse | 28% | +23% |
| Anger | 36% | +23% |
| Emrakul, the World Anew | 24% | +23% |
💰 The best cards for your The Infamous Cruelclaw 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.
- Access Tunnel
- Rogue's Passage
- Hit the Mother Lode
- Etali, Primal Storm
- Whispersilk Cloak
- In Garruk's Wake
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Breach the Multiverse
- Brotherhood Regalia
- Archon of Cruelty
- Rise of the Dark Realms
- Wild-Magic Sorcerer
- Lizard Blades
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Call Forth the Tempest
- Ulamog, the Defiler
- Worldfire
- Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
- Blightsteel Colossus
- Shizo, Death's Storehouse
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with The Infamous Cruelclaw
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- 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
- 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
- Sensei's Divining Top + Aetherflux Reservoir + Bolas's Citadel → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite damage, Near-infinite lifegain, Near-infinite lifegain triggers, Near-infinite storm count
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is The Infamous Cruelclaw's color identity?
The Infamous Cruelclaw 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 The Infamous Cruelclaw come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average The Infamous Cruelclaw deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 42 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 23 % of the time and floods 37 %. Deck health: B (66/100).
How many lands should a The Infamous Cruelclaw deck run?
Real The Infamous Cruelclaw decks run 54 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 Infamous Cruelclaw?
The three highest-synergy cards are Access Tunnel, Rogue's Passage, Hit the Mother Lode. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in The Infamous Cruelclaw decks.
What combos does The Infamous Cruelclaw have?
The Infamous Cruelclaw 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 The Infamous Cruelclaw deck cost?
You can start cheap: Access Tunnel, Rogue's Passage, Hit the Mother Lode 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.