EDH Optimizer
The Swarmlord
Legendary Creature — Tyranid · 3GUR
Color identity: Green · Red · Blue · Temur
The Swarmlord is Temur (green, red and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Rapid Regeneration — The Swarmlord enters with two +1/+1 counters on it for each time you've cast your commander from the command zone this game.
Xenos Cunning — Whenever a creature you control with a counter on it dies, draw a card.
Reference price of the card: €0.49
Average lands in decks for The Swarmlord: 36
+1/+1 CountersTyranidsX SpellsTokensRampAggroMidrangePhyrexians
Build your The Swarmlord deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for The Swarmlord 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average The Swarmlord 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+ (65/100)
- Consistency92
- Speed56
- Interaction32
- Resilience71
- Closing80
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (25 nonbasic, 2 Island, 2 Mountain, 6 Forest)
Sol Ring · Winged Hive Tyrant · Tyranid Prime · Arcane Signet · Tervigon · Hardened Scales · Termagant Swarm · Cultivate · Inspiring Call · Tyrant Guard · Zoanthrope · Trygon Prime · Biophagus · Old One Eye · Malanthrope · Mawloc · Broodlord · Clamavus · Farseek · Exocrine · Purestrain Genestealer · Bred for the Hunt · Aberrant · Sporocyst · Magus Lucea Kane · The First Tyrannic War · Rampant Growth · Haruspex · Hormagaunt Horde · Hierophant Bio-Titan · Shadow in the Warp · Tyranid Harridan · Ravener · Screamer-Killer · Atalan Jackal · Nexos · Hull Breach · Bone Sabres · Herald's Horn · Gargoyle Flock · Toxicrene · Death's Presence · Venomthrope · Explore · The Red Terror · Aetherize · Rhythm of the Wild · Garruk's Uprising · Genestealer Patriarch · Harrow · Deathleaper, Terror Weapon · Branching Evolution · Icon of Ancestry · Starstorm · Tyranid Invasion · Lictor · The Ozolith · Acolyte Hybrid · Beast Within · Temur Ascendancy · Heroic Intervention · Abundance · Nature's Lore · Overgrowth · Command Tower · Frontier Bivouac · Cinder Glade · Exotic Orchard · Path of Ancestry · Opal Palace · Unclaimed Territory · Game Trail · Temple of Mystery · Temple of Abandon · Temple of Epiphany · Evolving Wilds · Ketria Triome · Terramorphic Expanse · Breeding Pool · Stomping Ground · Thornwood Falls · Rugged Highlands · Steam Vents · Cave of Temptation · Hinterland Harbor · Reliquary Tower · Rejuvenating Springs · Ash Barrens · Rootbound Crag
🃏 Recommended cards for The Swarmlord
The highest-synergy cards in decks for The Swarmlord, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Winged Hive Tyrant | 88% | +83% |
| Tyranid Prime | 83% | +80% |
| Tervigon | 81% | +76% |
| Termagant Swarm | 80% | +76% |
| Trygon Prime | 77% | +75% |
| Tyrant Guard | 78% | +73% |
| Old One Eye | 75% | +73% |
| Inspiring Call | 79% | +73% |
| Zoanthrope | 78% | +72% |
| Malanthrope | 74% | +72% |
| Biophagus | 76% | +71% |
| Clamavus | 72% | +69% |
| Hardened Scales | 81% | +69% |
| Purestrain Genestealer | 71% | +69% |
| Mawloc | 73% | +68% |
| Broodlord | 72% | +68% |
| Bred for the Hunt | 70% | +68% |
| Exocrine | 71% | +67% |
| Magus Lucea Kane | 68% | +66% |
| The First Tyrannic War | 68% | +65% |
| Aberrant | 69% | +64% |
| Sporocyst | 69% | +64% |
| Haruspex | 66% | +64% |
| Hierophant Bio-Titan | 65% | +63% |
💰 The best cards for your The Swarmlord 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.
- Winged Hive Tyrant
- Tyranid Prime
- Termagant Swarm
- Trygon Prime
- Inspiring Call
- Zoanthrope
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Tervigon
- Tyrant Guard
- Old One Eye
- Mawloc
- Magus Lucea Kane
- Aberrant
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Biophagus
- Sporocyst
- Shadow in the Warp
- The Ozolith
- Animar, Soul of Elements
- All Will Be One
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with The Swarmlord
- Squee, the Immortal + Food Chain → Infinite colored mana that can only be spent to cast creature spells, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite storm count
- Goblin Bombardment + Rhythm of the Wild → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite damage, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Ashnod's Altar + Rhythm of the Wild → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Ashnod's Altar + The Great Henge → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Phyrexian Altar + The Great Henge → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite colored mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Herd Baloth + Ivy Lane Denizen → Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature, Infinite creature tokens, Infinite creature ETB
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is The Swarmlord's color identity?
The Swarmlord is Temur (green, red 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 Swarmlord come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average The Swarmlord deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 6.0 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 84 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 27 % of the time and floods 3 %. Deck health: C+ (65/100).
How many lands should a The Swarmlord deck run?
Real The Swarmlord 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 The Swarmlord?
The three highest-synergy cards are Winged Hive Tyrant, Tyranid Prime, Tervigon. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in The Swarmlord decks.
What combos does The Swarmlord have?
The Swarmlord has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Squee, the Immortal + Food Chain. 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 Swarmlord deck cost?
You can start cheap: Winged Hive Tyrant, Tyranid Prime, Termagant Swarm 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.