EDH Optimizer
Vren, the Relentless
Legendary Creature — Rat Rogue · 2UB
Color identity: Black · Blue · Dimir
Vren, the Relentless is Dimir (black and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Ward {2}
If a creature an opponent controls would die, exile it instead.
At the beginning of each end step, create X 1/1 black Rat creature tokens with "This token gets +1/+1 for each other Rat you control," where X is the number of creatures that were exiled under your opponents' control this turn.
Reference price of the card: €0.44
Average lands in decks for Vren, the Relentless: 35
RatsTokensControlRat ColonySacrificeAristocratsExileAggro
Build your Vren, the Relentless deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Vren, the Relentless 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Vren, the Relentless 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+ (62/100)
- Consistency57
- Speed63
- Interaction100
- Resilience82
- Closing42
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (23 nonbasic, 2 Island, 10 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Piper of the Swarm · Marrow-Gnawer · Lord Skitter, Sewer King · Counterspell · Ogre Slumlord · Sheoldred's Edict · Dimir Signet · Karumonix, the Rat King · Talisman of Dominance · Accursed Marauder · Valley Rotcaller · Feed the Swarm · Pack Rat · Azure Beastbinder · Negate · Plaguecrafter · Soul Shatter · Shoreline Looter · Kindred Discovery · Swarmyard Massacre · Persistent Marshstalker · Dark Ritual · Crippling Fear · Vona's Hunger · Fleshbag Marauder · Braids, Arisen Nightmare · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Pongify · Grave Pact · Innocent Blood · Patchwork Banner · Liliana's Triumph · Lord Skitter's Butcher · Rapid Hybridization · Kindred Dominance · Jet Medallion · Fellwar Stone · Distant Melody · Toxic Deluge · Go for the Throat · Phyrexian Arena · Flare of Malice · Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm · Tangled Colony · Infernal Grasp · Arcane Denial · Mind Stone · Lightning Greaves · Demon's Disciple · Mindwhisker · Merciless Executioner · Season of Loss · Swiftfoot Boots · Voracious Vermin · Thought Vessel · Cover of Darkness · Force of Despair · Ayara, First of Locthwain · Typhoid Rats · Withering Torment · Rankle, Master of Pranks · Crypt Rats · Command Tower · Sunken Hollow · Swarmyard · Drowned Catacomb · Tainted Isle · Choked Estuary · Bojuka Bog · Watery Grave · Underground River · Shipwreck Marsh · Mudflat Village · Darkwater Catacombs · Path of Ancestry · Three Tree City · Morphic Pool · Dimir Aqueduct · Reliquary Tower · Exotic Orchard · Temple of Deceit · Gloomlake Verge · Polluted Delta · Lilypad Village · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
🃏 Recommended cards for Vren, the Relentless
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Vren, the Relentless, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Piper of the Swarm | 72% | +70% |
| Marrow-Gnawer | 68% | +65% |
| Lord Skitter, Sewer King | 64% | +62% |
| Ogre Slumlord | 61% | +59% |
| Swarmyard | 60% | +58% |
| Sheoldred's Edict | 58% | +53% |
| Karumonix, the Rat King | 55% | +53% |
| Valley Rotcaller | 53% | +52% |
| Pack Rat | 50% | +48% |
| Azure Beastbinder | 49% | +46% |
| Accursed Marauder | 53% | +45% |
| Plaguecrafter | 48% | +45% |
| Persistent Marshstalker | 46% | +45% |
| Swarmyard Massacre | 46% | +45% |
| Shoreline Looter | 47% | +44% |
| Soul Shatter | 47% | +43% |
| Vona's Hunger | 42% | +40% |
| Mudflat Village | 39% | +38% |
| Innocent Blood | 38% | +36% |
| Braids, Arisen Nightmare | 40% | +36% |
| Crippling Fear | 42% | +35% |
| Lord Skitter's Butcher | 36% | +35% |
| Liliana's Triumph | 36% | +34% |
| Grave Pact | 38% | +33% |
💰 The best cards for your Vren, the Relentless 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.
- Piper of the Swarm
- Ogre Slumlord
- Sheoldred's Edict
- Karumonix, the Rat King
- Valley Rotcaller
- Pack Rat
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Lord Skitter, Sewer King
- Swarmyard
- Swarmyard Massacre
- Soul Shatter
- Vona's Hunger
- Braids, Arisen Nightmare
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Marrow-Gnawer
- Grave Pact
- Three Tree City
- Dictate of Erebos
- Make an Example
- Black Market Connections
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Vren, the Relentless
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Demonic Consultation + Thassa's Oracle → Exile your library, Win the game
- Tainted Pact + Thassa's Oracle → Win the game
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
👥 Community decks with Vren, the Relentless
Full decklists published by players on EDH Optimizer, with their analysis, bracket and health. Clone them to your account and optimize them for free.
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Vren, the Relentless's color identity?
Vren, the Relentless is Dimir (black 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 Vren, the Relentless come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Vren, the Relentless deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.6 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 26 % of the time and floods 30 %. Deck health: C+ (62/100).
How many lands should a Vren, the Relentless deck run?
Real Vren, the Relentless 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 Vren, the Relentless?
The three highest-synergy cards are Piper of the Swarm, Marrow-Gnawer, Lord Skitter, Sewer King. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Vren, the Relentless decks.
What combos does Vren, the Relentless have?
Vren, the Relentless has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. 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 Vren, the Relentless deck cost?
You can start cheap: Piper of the Swarm, Ogre Slumlord, Sheoldred's Edict 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.