EDH Optimizer
Vash, Freelance Archaeologist
Legendary Creature — Human Rogue Scientist · 1BG
Color identity: Black · Green · Golgari
Vash, Freelance Archaeologist is Golgari (black and green): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
At the beginning of your upkeep, surveil 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put it into your graveyard.)
Whenever a card leaves your graveyard, draw a card. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Average lands in decks for Vash, Freelance Archaeologist: 31
Build your Vash, Freelance Archaeologist deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Vash, Freelance Archaeologist 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Vash, Freelance Archaeologist 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 (49/100)
- Consistency66
- Speed54
- Interaction27
- Resilience77
- Closing29
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 31 lands (21 nonbasic, 5 Swamp, 5 Forest)
Chalk Outline · Desecrated Tomb · Fang, Fearless l'Cie · Grim Reaper's Scythe · Insidious Roots · Skeleton Crew · Teval's Judgment · Tormod, the Desecrator · Unshakable Tail · Aftermath Analyst · Amzu, Swarm's Hunger · Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary · Bitter Triumph · Boggart Trawler // Boggart Bog · Defiled Crypt // Cadaver Lab · Fell the Profane // Fell Mire · Floral Evoker · Icetill Explorer · Llanowar Mentor · Molt Tender · Old Rutstein · Pharika, God of Affliction · Revitalizing Repast // Old-Growth Grove · Tangled Florahedron // Tangled Vale · Hologram Stalker · Abyssal Harvester · Along the Crooked Way · Barrowgoyf · Beast Within · Blossoming Tortoise · Bog Witch · Bramble Familiar // Fetch Quest · Bridgeworks Battle // Tanglespan Bridgeworks · Broodheart Engine · Corpse Churn · Crawling Infestation · Crawling Sensation · Darkblast · Dig Up the Body · Disciple of Freyalise // Garden of Freyalise · Dogged Detective · Egon, God of Death // Throne of Death · Feed the Cycle · Feral Appetite · Fungal Plots · Grapple with the Past · Grave Researcher // Reanimate · Hagra Mauling // Hagra Broodpit · Haywire Mite · Hedge Shredder · Honest Rutstein · Hua Tuo, Honored Physician · Kagha, Shadow Archdruid · Liliana the Repentant · Midnight Tilling · Mole Man, Moloid Master · Necrogenesis · Night Soil · Rapid Rescue · Ripples of Undeath · Seed of Hope · Shigeki, Jukai Visionary · Six · Skull Prophet · Snarling Gorehound · Steward of the Harvest · Stitcher's Supplier · Tear Asunder · Command Tower · Bojuka Bog · Deathcap Glade · Festering Thicket · Nurturing Peatland · Twilight Mire · Woodland Cemetery · Argoth, Sanctum of Nature · Barren Moor · Dakmor Salvage · Drownyard Temple · Echoing Deeps · Fabled Passage · Great Arashin City · Necroblossom Snarl · Overgrown Tomb · Shifting Woodland · Takenuma, Abandoned Mire · Tranquil Thicket · Underground Mortuary · Vernal Fen
🃏 Recommended cards for Vash, Freelance Archaeologist
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Vash, Freelance Archaeologist, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Unshakable Tail | 100% | +100% |
| Grim Reaper's Scythe | 100% | +100% |
| Chalk Outline | 100% | +99% |
| Skeleton Crew | 100% | +99% |
| Tormod, the Desecrator | 100% | +99% |
| Desecrated Tomb | 100% | +99% |
| Teval's Judgment | 100% | +98% |
| Fang, Fearless l'Cie | 100% | +98% |
| Insidious Roots | 100% | +90% |
| Floral Evoker | 75% | +75% |
| Llanowar Mentor | 75% | +75% |
| Defiled Crypt // Cadaver Lab | 75% | +74% |
| Pharika, God of Affliction | 75% | +74% |
| Tangled Florahedron | 75% | +74% |
| Molt Tender | 75% | +72% |
| Amzu, Swarm's Hunger | 75% | +72% |
| Bitter Triumph | 75% | +72% |
| Boggart Trawler | 75% | +71% |
| Old Rutstein | 75% | +71% |
| Aftermath Analyst | 75% | +68% |
| Icetill Explorer | 75% | +67% |
| Hologram Stalker | 67% | +67% |
| Fell the Profane | 75% | +65% |
| Festering Thicket | 75% | +65% |
💰 The best cards for your Vash, Freelance Archaeologist 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.
- Unshakable Tail
- Grim Reaper's Scythe
- Chalk Outline
- Skeleton Crew
- Tormod, the Desecrator
- Desecrated Tomb
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Teval's Judgment
- Pharika, God of Affliction
- Nurturing Peatland
- Blossoming Tortoise
- Mole Man, Moloid Master
- Twilight Diviner
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Amzu, Swarm's Hunger
- Icetill Explorer
- Barrowgoyf
- Underground Mortuary
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Vash, Freelance Archaeologist
- The Gitrog Monster + Dakmor Salvage → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite self-discard triggers
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Vash, Freelance Archaeologist's color identity?
Vash, Freelance Archaeologist is Golgari (black and green): 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 Vash, Freelance Archaeologist come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Vash, Freelance Archaeologist deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 31 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.2 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 17 % of the time and floods 8 %. Deck health: C (49/100).
How many lands should a Vash, Freelance Archaeologist deck run?
Real Vash, Freelance Archaeologist decks run 31 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 Vash, Freelance Archaeologist?
The three highest-synergy cards are Unshakable Tail, Grim Reaper's Scythe, Chalk Outline. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Vash, Freelance Archaeologist decks.
What combos does Vash, Freelance Archaeologist have?
Vash, Freelance Archaeologist has 1 known combo. The most popular one is The Gitrog Monster + Dakmor Salvage. 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 Vash, Freelance Archaeologist deck cost?
You can start cheap: Unshakable Tail, Grim Reaper's Scythe, Chalk Outline 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.