Amzu, Swarm's Hunger
Legendary Creature — Insect Shaman
Flying, menace
Other Insects you control have menace.
Whenever one or more cards leave your graveyard, you may create a 1/1 black and green Insect creature token, then put a number of +1/+1 counters on it equal to the greatest mana value among those cards. Do this only once each turn.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BG
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Ravnica: Clue Edition
- Price
- $17.90
- EDHREC rank
- #7528
Amzu, Swarm's Hunger turns every insect death into a damage trigger and every opponent into a life-drain target, generating board presence and inevitability simultaneously. The rate is real — token-generating insect decks get a payoff that demands an answer, and Zask, Skittering Swarmlord lists in particular run it at over 70% inclusion for exactly that reason.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Zask, Skittering Swarmlord
Zask, Skittering Swarmlord and Amzu, Swarm's Hunger are a natural pair — Zask mills insects into the graveyard and recasts them, and every one of those deaths feeds Amzu's drain trigger, turning a value engine into a consistent clock.
Grist, the Hunger Tide
Grist, the Hunger Tide mills and reanimates insects turn after turn, and Amzu, Swarm's Hunger converts that graveyard churn directly into life loss, closing games that Grist's +1 loop would otherwise drag out.
Aatchik, Emerald Radian
Aatchik, Emerald Radian cares about counters and insect tokens, and Amzu, Swarm's Hunger plugs into that go-wide plan as a drain finisher that punishes opponents for letting the swarm grow unchecked.
Xira, the Golden Sting
Xira, the Golden Sting poisons opponents and floods the board with insects, and Amzu, Swarm's Hunger stacks additional life loss on top of the poison pressure, compressing the window opponents have to stabilize.
Grist, Voracious Larva
Grist, Voracious Larva generates insects and sacrifices them for value, and Amzu, Swarm's Hunger makes each sacrifice meaningful beyond the immediate effect by draining every opponent at the table.
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 where Amzu, Swarm's Hunger belongs — the three-opponent drain math is exponentially better in multiplayer, and the insect tribal density required to abuse it exists almost exclusively in EDH builds. In Legacy and Vintage, it's technically legal but competes in formats that have no insect synergy infrastructure and would never spend a card slot on a five-mana creature with no immediate board impact. Oathbreaker is a reasonable secondary home if an insect-focused signature spell exists, since the smaller game size still benefits from the drain trigger hitting multiple opponents.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Poison-Tip Archer covers part of what Amzu, Swarm's Hunger does — draining opponents whenever creatures die — but it caps at one damage per trigger rather than scaling with the board and costs under a dollar. Zulaport Cutthroat and Blood Artist are the classic budget drain pieces in Golgari decks, though neither is insect-specific and neither applies pressure to all opponents simultaneously the way Amzu does.
Price Context
Current price
$17.90 mid tier
At $17.90, Amzu, Swarm's Hunger sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel like a deliberate include, cheap enough that insect tribal decks should just run it. It's a new mythic with a concentrated demand base, so the price reflects a narrow but enthusiastic audience rather than broad staple status.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Zask, Skittering Swarmlord
- Grist, the Hunger Tide
- Aatchik, Emerald Radian
- Xira, the Golden Sting
- Grist, Voracious Larva
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.