EDH Optimizer
The War Doctor
Legendary Creature — Time Lord Doctor · 2RW
Color identity: Red · White · Boros
The War Doctor is Boros (red and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Whenever one or more other permanents phase out and whenever one or more other cards are put into exile from anywhere, put a time counter on The War Doctor.
Whenever The War Doctor attacks, it deals damage equal to the number of time counters on it to any target. If a creature dealt damage this way would die this turn, exile it instead.
Reference price of the card: €0.23
Average lands in decks for The War Doctor: 36
ExileBlinkControlAggroCascadeChaosDiscoverAirbending
Build your The War Doctor deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for The War Doctor 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average The War Doctor 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: C+ (58/100)
- Consistency51
- Speed43
- Interaction81
- Resilience79
- Closing48
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (22 nonbasic, 7 Plains, 7 Mountain)
Arcane Signet · Sol Ring · Swords to Plowshares · Path to Exile · Laelia, the Blade Reforged · Lightning Greaves · Talisman of Conviction · The Day of the Doctor · Swiftfoot Boots · Etali, Primal Storm · Farewell · Ephemerate · Grasp of Fate · Into the Time Vortex · Gallifrey Falls // No More · Rest in Peace · Ensnared by the Mara · Ryan Sinclair · Boros Signet · Wild-Magic Sorcerer · Plargg and Nassari · Cloudshift · Solemn Simulacrum · The Ozolith · The Pandorica · Ecstatic Beauty · Blasphemous Act · Boros Charm · Professional Face-Breaker · Guardian of Faith · Jeska's Will · Mind Stone · TARDIS · Teferi's Protection · Felidar Guardian · Chaos Warp · Passionate Archaeologist · The Flux · Norin the Wary · Outpost Siege · Quintorius Kand · Throes of Chaos · Urabrask, Heretic Praetor · Return to Dust · Tibalt's Trickery · Flicker of Fate · River Song's Diary · The Wedding of River Song · Thought Vessel · Yasmin Khan · Clara Oswald · Conjurer's Closet · Divine Smite · The Moment · Valakut Exploration · Avatar's Wrath · Basilisk Collar · Calamity's Wake · Eerie Interlude · Fiend Hunter · Lion Sash · Restoration Angel · Teleportation Circle · Command Tower · Clifftop Retreat · Battlefield Forge · Rogue's Passage · Furycalm Snarl · Spectator Seating · Sundown Pass · Exotic Orchard · Rugged Prairie · Sacred Foundry · Boros Garrison · Temple of Triumph · Sunbaked Canyon · Arid Mesa · Spinerock Knoll · Reliquary Tower · Myriad Landscape · Path of Ancestry · Radiant Summit · Windbrisk Heights · Evolving Wilds · Scavenger Grounds
🃏 Recommended cards for The War Doctor
The highest-synergy cards in decks for The War Doctor, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| The Day of the Doctor | 52% | +51% |
| Laelia, the Blade Reforged | 55% | +50% |
| Into the Time Vortex | 45% | +45% |
| Etali, Primal Storm | 47% | +44% |
| Grasp of Fate | 45% | +44% |
| Gallifrey Falls // No More | 44% | +43% |
| Rest in Peace | 42% | +41% |
| Ryan Sinclair | 40% | +40% |
| Ephemerate | 45% | +40% |
| Ensnared by the Mara | 40% | +39% |
| Wild-Magic Sorcerer | 39% | +38% |
| Plargg and Nassari | 38% | +37% |
| Farewell | 46% | +36% |
| The Pandorica | 36% | +36% |
| Ecstatic Beauty | 35% | +35% |
| The Ozolith | 36% | +33% |
| TARDIS | 33% | +32% |
| Cloudshift | 36% | +32% |
| Guardian of Faith | 33% | +29% |
| The Flux | 28% | +28% |
| Felidar Guardian | 29% | +27% |
| Passionate Archaeologist | 28% | +27% |
| Throes of Chaos | 27% | +27% |
| Urabrask, Heretic Praetor | 27% | +27% |
💰 The best cards for your The War Doctor 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.
- The Day of the Doctor
- Laelia, the Blade Reforged
- Into the Time Vortex
- Etali, Primal Storm
- Grasp of Fate
- Gallifrey Falls // No More
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Ephemerate
- Ensnared by the Mara
- Wild-Magic Sorcerer
- Farewell
- Lightning Greaves
- Norin the Wary
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- The Ozolith
- Passionate Archaeologist
- Jeska's Will
- Delayed Blast Fireball
- Bonehoard Dracosaur
- Teferi's Protection
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with The War Doctor
- Restoration Angel + Felidar Guardian → Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB
- Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward + Restoration Angel + Ephemerate → Infinite creature tokens, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite blinking of nonland permanents
- Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward + Felidar Guardian + Ephemerate → Infinite creature tokens, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite blinking of nonland permanents
- Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward + Restoration Angel + Cloudshift → Infinite creature tokens, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite blinking of nonland permanents
- Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward + Felidar Guardian + Cloudshift → Infinite creature tokens, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite blinking of nonland permanents
- Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Felidar Guardian → Infinite creature tokens with haste, Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite sacrifice triggers
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is The War Doctor's color identity?
The War Doctor is Boros (red 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 War Doctor come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average The War Doctor deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.9 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 99 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 30 % of the time and floods 20 %. Deck health: C+ (58/100).
How many lands should a The War Doctor deck run?
Real The War Doctor 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 War Doctor?
The three highest-synergy cards are The Day of the Doctor, Laelia, the Blade Reforged, Into the Time Vortex. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in The War Doctor decks.
What combos does The War Doctor have?
The War Doctor has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Restoration Angel + Felidar Guardian. 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 War Doctor deck cost?
You can start cheap: The Day of the Doctor, Laelia, the Blade Reforged, Into the Time Vortex 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.