Akuta, Born of Ash
Legendary Creature — Spirit
Haste
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have more cards in hand than each opponent, you may sacrifice a Swamp. If you do, return Akuta from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Saviors of Kamigawa
- Price
- $0.32
- EDHREC rank
- #23174
Akuta, Born of Ash is a recursive 3/2 that returns itself from the graveyard every upkeep as long as you discard a Swamp — free recursion stapled to a body that never stays dead. The catch is the discard cost, which makes it a fit only in decks that actively want lands in the graveyard or treat hand size as a resource to burn.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Akuta, Born of Ash slots into black discard-matters and sacrifice loops — Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker gets nothing here since Akuta's power is 3, but Kaervek the Spiteful, Tinybones Conjurer, and Chainer, Nightmare Adept all give it a real home. Legacy and Vintage have no interest: a 3/2 with an upkeep recursion trigger is far too slow and conditional against those format's threats. Modern technically allows it but the card sees zero competitive play there.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.32 bulk tier
At $0.32, Akuta, Born of Ash is deep bulk — easy to acquire and easy to cut without regret. It won't climb in price; casual demand for niche legendary creatures keeps it right at this floor.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.