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Bloodthirster

Creature — Demon

Flying, trample
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, untap it. After this phase, there is an additional combat phase.
This creature can't attack a player it has already attacked this turn.

CMC
6
Mana cost
{5}{R}
Color identity
R
Rarity
rare
Set
Warhammer 40,000 Commander
Price
$35.16
EDHREC rank
#2503
Buy on TCGplayer
Bloodthirster card art
Bloodthirster hands every creature you control lifelink and trample for a single black mana at instant speed — that's a combat-warping effect at a price that almost feels like a misprint. Decks like Be'lakor, the Dark Master that flood the board with Demons and Rionya, Fire Dancer lists that copy attacking creatures both want this because the pump is global and the mana cost is negligible.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Be'lakor, the Dark Master

Be'lakor, the Dark Master

70.7% of decks · synergy 0.67

Be'lakor, the Dark Master draws a card whenever a Demon enters the battlefield, meaning his board is already packed with large flying threats — Bloodthirster turns that Demon horde into a lifelink-and-trample wrecking crew that closes games the turn you swing.

02
Xenagos, God of Revels

Xenagos, God of Revels

41.9% of decks · synergy 0.40

Xenagos, God of Revels already doubles a single creature's power and toughness at the start of combat; adding Bloodthirster means that creature also has trample and lifelink, converting every Xenagos trigger into a near-guaranteed lethal hit that also stabilizes your life total.

03
Abaddon the Despoiler

Abaddon the Despoiler

41.1% of decks · synergy 0.38

Abaddon the Despoiler cascades off damage dealt to opponents, so Bloodthirster's trample grant is the critical piece — it ensures excess combat damage punches through chump blockers and keeps the cascade engine firing.

04
Raph & Mikey, Troublemakers

Raph & Mikey, Troublemakers

32.8% of decks · synergy 0.30

Raph & Mikey, Troublemakers reward connecting with multiple creatures each combat, and Bloodthirster's global trample and lifelink make it dramatically easier to push damage through blockers and trigger those rewards repeatedly.

05
Muddle, the Ever-Changing

Muddle, the Ever-Changing

24.3% of decks · synergy 0.24

Muddle, the Ever-Changing shapeshifts into copies of creatures, so a board with Bloodthirster in play means every copy Muddle generates inherits trample and lifelink without any additional investment.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern not legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is where Bloodthirster earns its price tag — multiplayer boards are wide, blockers are plentiful, and a one-mana instant that blankets your entire attacking force with trample and lifelink is the kind of effect that ends games or swings life totals by 30 in a single step. In Legacy and Vintage it's technically legal but functionally irrelevant; those formats don't support go-wide creature strategies looking for a combat finisher at this mana cost. Oathbreaker is the only other format where Bloodthirster sees real consideration, again in aggressive creature builds that need to punch through a single opponent's defenses fast. Modern, Pioneer, Standard, and Pauper don't have access to it.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Beastmaster Ascension achieves a similar mass-pump effect for less money and can end games on its own, though it requires six attack triggers to turn on and doesn't grant lifelink. Overwhelming Stampede is another sub-$1 option that gives your team trample and a power boost equal to your largest creature, but it's a sorcery — you lose the instant-speed ambush that makes Bloodthirster so punishing.

Price Context

Current price

$35.16 premium tier

At $35.16, Bloodthirster sits firmly in the premium tier, which is justified by the combination of instant speed, global reach, and a one-mana cost that has no real parallel. It sees consistent demand across aggressive Commander builds, so the price is stable rather than speculative — if the effect fits your deck, pay it.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.