EDH Optimizer
Xira, the Golden Sting
Legendary Creature — Insect Assassin · 1BRG
Color identity: Black · Green · Red · Jund
Xira, the Golden Sting is Jund (black, green and red): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Flying, haste
Whenever Xira attacks, put an egg counter on another target creature without an egg counter on it. When that creature dies, if it has an egg counter on it, draw a card and create a 1/1 black Insect creature token with flying.
Reference price of the card: €0.36
Average lands in decks for Xira, the Golden Sting: 37
AristocratsInsectsTokens-1/-1 CountersSacrificeEggsAggro+1/+1 Counters
Build your Xira, the Golden Sting deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Xira, the Golden Sting 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Xira, the Golden Sting 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)
- Consistency80
- Speed63
- Interaction31
- Resilience72
- Closing100
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 37 lands (27 nonbasic, 4 Swamp, 1 Mountain, 5 Forest)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Skullclamp · Farseek · Cultivate · Hornet Queen · Hornet Nest · Blasphemous Act · Ignoble Hierarch · Assassin's Trophy · Dragonlair Spider · Rampant Growth · Scute Swarm · Fumulus, the Infestation · Haywire Mite · Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest · Village Rites · Sakura-Tribe Elder · Caustic Caterpillar · Terminate · Grist, the Hunger Tide · Beast Within · Deadly Dispute · The Swarmweaver · Goblin Bombardment · Nature's Lore · Aatchik, Emerald Radian · Blood Artist · Moldervine Reclamation · Impact Tremors · Victimize · Putrefy · Zask, Skittering Swarmlord · Mirkwood Bats · Radiant Performer · Giant Adephage · Mahadi, Emporium Master · Zulaport Cutthroat · Amzu, Swarm's Hunger · Ant Queen · Ashnod's Altar · Corrupted Conviction · Cauldron of Essence · Generous Patron · Morbid Opportunist · Braids, Arisen Nightmare · Kodama's Reach · Three Visits · Broodhatch Nantuko · Swarmyard Massacre · Viscera Seer · Bastion of Remembrance · Blex, Vexing Pest // Search for Blex · Heroic Intervention · Living Hive · Parallel Lives · Pitiless Plunderer · Deathreap Ritual · Doubling Season · Kulrath Knight · Izoni, Thousand-Eyed · Mayhem Devil · Command Tower · Savage Lands · Swarmyard · Ziatora's Proving Ground · Exotic Orchard · Woodland Cemetery · Cinder Glade · Overgrown Tomb · Smoldering Marsh · Stomping Ground · Blood Crypt · Bojuka Bog · Dragonskull Summit · Undergrowth Stadium · Path of Ancestry · Reliquary Tower · Rootbound Crag · Rockfall Vale · Spire Garden · Evolving Wilds · Luxury Suite · Bloodstained Mire · Llanowar Wastes · Verdant Catacombs · Wooded Foothills · Rogue's Passage · Twisted Landscape
🃏 Recommended cards for Xira, the Golden Sting
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Xira, the Golden Sting, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Swarmyard | 55% | +53% |
| Hornet Queen | 50% | +48% |
| Hornet Nest | 48% | +46% |
| Skullclamp | 59% | +45% |
| Fumulus, the Infestation | 45% | +45% |
| Dragonlair Spider | 46% | +44% |
| Caustic Caterpillar | 43% | +42% |
| The Swarmweaver | 40% | +39% |
| Haywire Mite | 45% | +39% |
| Aatchik, Emerald Radian | 38% | +37% |
| Village Rites | 45% | +37% |
| Grist, the Hunger Tide | 41% | +35% |
| Zask, Skittering Swarmlord | 35% | +34% |
| Radiant Performer | 34% | +34% |
| Scute Swarm | 46% | +34% |
| Amzu, Swarm's Hunger | 32% | +32% |
| Ant Queen | 32% | +32% |
| Moldervine Reclamation | 38% | +31% |
| Impact Tremors | 37% | +30% |
| Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest | 45% | +30% |
| Giant Adephage | 33% | +30% |
| Goblin Bombardment | 39% | +29% |
| Corrupted Conviction | 32% | +28% |
| Broodhatch Nantuko | 28% | +28% |
💰 The best cards for your Xira, the Golden Sting 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.
- Hornet Queen
- Hornet Nest
- Dragonlair Spider
- Caustic Caterpillar
- The Swarmweaver
- Haywire Mite
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Swarmyard
- Skullclamp
- Fumulus, the Infestation
- Scute Swarm
- Impact Tremors
- Goblin Bombardment
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Zask, Skittering Swarmlord
- Amzu, Swarm's Hunger
- Parallel Lives
- Doubling Season
- Canoptek Scarab Swarm
- Phyrexian Tower
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Xira, the Golden Sting
- Chatterfang, Squirrel General + Pitiless Plunderer → Infinite colored mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite sacrifice triggers, Infinite Treasure tokens, Reduce the toughness of creatures opponents control to 0
- Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar + Reassembling Skeleton → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite sacrifice triggers
- Pitiless Plunderer + Reassembling Skeleton + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite sacrifice triggers
- Blowfly Infestation + Nest of Scarabs → Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB
- Blowfly Infestation + Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons → Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB
- Blowfly Infestation + Flourishing Defenses → Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite death triggers
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Xira, the Golden Sting's color identity?
Xira, the Golden Sting is Jund (black, green and red): 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 Xira, the Golden Sting come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Xira, the Golden Sting deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 37 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.0 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 97 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 20 % of the time and floods 9 %. Deck health: B (70/100).
How many lands should a Xira, the Golden Sting deck run?
Real Xira, the Golden Sting decks run 37 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 Xira, the Golden Sting?
The three highest-synergy cards are Swarmyard, Hornet Queen, Hornet Nest. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Xira, the Golden Sting decks.
What combos does Xira, the Golden Sting have?
Xira, the Golden Sting has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Chatterfang, Squirrel General + Pitiless Plunderer. 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 Xira, the Golden Sting deck cost?
You can start cheap: Hornet Queen, Hornet Nest, Dragonlair Spider 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.