Alpha Deathclaw
Creature — Lizard Mutant
Menace, trample
When this creature enters or becomes monstrous, destroy target permanent.
: Monstrosity 4. (If this creature isn't monstrous, put four +1/+1 counters on it and it becomes monstrous.)
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BG
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Fallout
- Price
- $3.47
- EDHREC rank
- #4962
Alpha Deathclaw lands as a 10/10 trampler with ward 2 for six mana — that's a threat that demands an answer immediately or ends games in two swings. Jenova, Ancient Calamity cheats it into play ahead of schedule, which makes the cost irrelevant; in any other shell, you're paying fair and getting fair value.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Jenova, Ancient Calamity
Jenova, Ancient Calamity's ability to put high-power creatures directly onto the battlefield turns Alpha Deathclaw into a turn-three or four 10/10 trampler, which is exactly the kind of free threat that closes games before interaction lines up.
Agent Frank Horrigan
Agent Frank Horrigan rewards stacking the board with big, threatening bodies, and Alpha Deathclaw's combination of power, trample, and ward 2 makes it one of the hardest creatures in that shell to cleanly answer.
The Wise Mothman
The Wise Mothman distributes -1/-1 counters across the table, and Alpha Deathclaw's sheer size means it survives the Mothman's own effects while grinding down everything else that doesn't.
The Master, Transcendent
The Master, Transcendent's Supermuant tribal synergies slot Alpha Deathclaw in as a premium beatdown threat — ward 2 keeps it on the battlefield long enough to pay off the curve investment.
Indominus Rex, Alpha
Indominus Rex, Alpha copies keyword abilities from other creatures, and Alpha Deathclaw's trample makes it an attractive target to ensure the Rex's attacks punch through blockers for full damage.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is the natural home for Alpha Deathclaw — six mana is unremarkable in a 40-life format with dedicated ramp, and a 10/10 trampler with ward 2 is a legitimate finisher that demands interaction rather than just being ignored. In Oathbreaker, the faster clock makes six mana a steeper ask, but the raw size still closes games quickly once it lands. Legacy and Vintage are legal but irrelevant — neither format has any interest in a vanilla-adjacent six-drop creature when faster, cheaper threats dominate.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$3.47 cheap tier
At $3.47, Alpha Deathclaw sits at the low end of Fallout set rares — cheap enough to slot in without hesitation and priced in line with its niche appeal rather than format-breaking demand. It's stable budget territory: not a card that spikes, but one that delivers its mana's worth on board.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.