EDH Optimizer
The Thing
Legendary Creature — Human Hero · 5G
Color identity: Green · Red · Blue · White · Ink-Treader
The Thing is Ink-Treader (green, red, blue and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Trample
At the beginning of combat on your turn, if you've cast a noncreature spell this turn, put four +1/+1 counters on The Thing.
Whenever The Thing attacks, you may pay {R}{G}{W}{U}. When you do, double the number of each kind of counter on any number of target permanents you control.
Reference price of the card: €0.02
Comes in the precon The Fantastic Four
Average lands in decks for The Thing: 35
+1/+1 CountersPlaneswalkersLegendsVoltronHistoricRampHeroesProliferate
Build your The Thing deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for The Thing 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average The Thing 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 (70/100)
- Consistency65
- Speed53
- Interaction49
- Resilience80
- Closing100
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (25 nonbasic, 2 Plains, 3 Island, 1 Mountain, 4 Forest)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Farseek · Three Visits · Path to Exile · Cultivate · Nature's Lore · Swords to Plowshares · Chromatic Lantern · Doubling Season · Birds of Paradise · Ripples of Potential · Tamiyo, Field Researcher · Heroic Intervention · Mister Fantastic · Bloom Tender · Flux Channeler · Faeburrow Elder · Mutational Advantage · Evolution Sage · Lightning Greaves · Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider · Ajani Steadfast · Deepglow Skate · Valeria Richards, Precocious · Terrasymbiosis · Wrenn and Realmbreaker · Annie Joins Up · Brokers Ascendancy · Crystal, Inhuman Princess · Ichormoon Gauntlet · It's Clobberin' Time! · Oath of Teferi · All Will Be One · Beast Within · Blasphemous Act · Branching Evolution · Counterspell · Delighted Halfling · Fellwar Stone · Invisible Woman · Swiftfoot Boots · Chandra, Torch of Defiance · Commodore Guff · Hardened Scales · Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion · Rampant Growth · Teferi, Temporal Archmage · Kodama's Reach · The Ozolith · Cosmic Crucible · Invisible Force Field · Dreamtide Whale · Human Torch · Innkeeper's Talent · Kami of Whispered Hopes · Patrolling Peacemaker · Thrummingbird · Lockjaw, Slobbering Teleporter · Noble Hierarch · Teferi, Master of Time · The Chain Veil · The Earth Crystal · Damning Verdict · Command Tower · Exotic Orchard · Breeding Pool · Stomping Ground · Temple Garden · Hallowed Fountain · Rejuvenating Springs · Steam Vents · Sacred Foundry · Spara's Headquarters · Ketria Triome · Jetmir's Garden · Baxter Building · Misty Rainforest · Windswept Heath · Flooded Strand · Raugrin Triome · Wooded Foothills · Bountiful Promenade · Karn's Bastion · Reliquary Tower · Hinterland Harbor · Path of Ancestry · Arid Mesa · Scalding Tarn
🃏 Recommended cards for The Thing
The highest-synergy cards in decks for The Thing, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Doubling Season | 51% | +47% |
| Ripples of Potential | 44% | +43% |
| Tamiyo, Field Researcher | 44% | +42% |
| Flux Channeler | 39% | +38% |
| Mutational Advantage | 36% | +35% |
| Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider | 35% | +34% |
| Mister Fantastic | 41% | +34% |
| Evolution Sage | 35% | +33% |
| Deepglow Skate | 34% | +33% |
| Ajani Steadfast | 34% | +33% |
| Terrasymbiosis | 33% | +32% |
| Karn's Bastion | 33% | +31% |
| Oath of Teferi | 31% | +30% |
| Ichormoon Gauntlet | 31% | +30% |
| Three Visits | 61% | +30% |
| Wrenn and Realmbreaker | 32% | +29% |
| All Will Be One | 30% | +29% |
| Branching Evolution | 30% | +29% |
| Chandra, Torch of Defiance | 28% | +28% |
| Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion | 28% | +27% |
| Commodore Guff | 28% | +27% |
| Teferi, Temporal Archmage | 28% | +27% |
| Hardened Scales | 28% | +26% |
| The Ozolith | 27% | +26% |
💰 The best cards for your The Thing 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.
- Tamiyo, Field Researcher
- Flux Channeler
- Mister Fantastic
- Evolution Sage
- Deepglow Skate
- Ajani Steadfast
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Ripples of Potential
- Mutational Advantage
- Ichormoon Gauntlet
- Three Visits
- Wrenn and Realmbreaker
- Branching Evolution
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Doubling Season
- Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider
- Terrasymbiosis
- All Will Be One
- The Ozolith
- Bloom Tender
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with The Thing
- Teferi, Temporal Archmage + The Chain Veil → Infinite card draw, Infinite colored mana, Infinite colorless mana, Infinite planeswalker activations
- Aggravated Assault + Bear Umbra → Infinite combat phases
- Teferi, Master of Time + Ichormoon Gauntlet + The Chain Veil → Infinite turns, Lock
- Teferi, Master of Time + Ichormoon Gauntlet + Oath of Teferi → Infinite turns, Lock
- Teferi, Who Slows the Sunset + The Chain Veil → Infinite activations of most planeswalkers, Infinite lifegain, Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite mana permanents you control can produce
- Magistrate's Scepter + Resourceful Defense → Infinite turns, Lock
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is The Thing's color identity?
The Thing is Ink-Treader (green, red, blue and white): 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 Thing come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average The Thing deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 5.6 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 89 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 24 % of the time and floods 16 %. Deck health: B (70/100).
How many lands should a The Thing deck run?
Real The Thing decks run 35 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 Thing?
The three highest-synergy cards are Doubling Season, Ripples of Potential, Tamiyo, Field Researcher. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in The Thing decks.
What combos does The Thing have?
The Thing has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Teferi, Temporal Archmage + The Chain Veil. 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 Thing deck cost?
You can start cheap: Tamiyo, Field Researcher, Flux Channeler, Mister Fantastic 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.