Deadly Recluse
Creature — Spider
Reach (This creature can block creatures with flying.)
Deathtouch (Any amount of damage this deals to a creature is enough to destroy it.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Magic 2014
- Price
- $0.23
- EDHREC rank
- #4811
Deadly Recluse puts a hard stop on ground and air attackers simultaneously — reach plus deathtouch means almost nothing profitable swings into it. At two mana, that combination of evasion coverage is the whole reason Tadeas, Juniper Ascendant decks treat it as a near-auto-include.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Tadeas, Juniper Ascendant
Tadeas, Juniper Ascendant rewards creatures with reach by untapping lands when they deal combat damage, and Deadly Recluse's deathtouch makes connecting through blockers trivially safe — you attack, they don't block, you generate mana.
Fynn, the Fangbearer
Fynn, the Fangbearer wins by dealing combat damage with deathtouch creatures, and Deadly Recluse covers both ground and air lanes, giving opponents almost no clean block to deny the poison counter.
Shelob, Child of Ungoliant
Shelob, Child of Ungoliant grants all your spiders deathtouch and ward, and Deadly Recluse enters already carrying deathtouch — it becomes a two-mana threat that demands a non-combat answer the moment Shelob hits the table.
Thantis, the Warweaver
Thantis, the Warweaver forces all creatures to attack each combat, which means your opponents will be throwing their board into Deadly Recluse's reach and deathtouch again and again — it functions as a cheap, repeatable board-control piece in that forced-attack chaos.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Deadly Recluse fills a specific niche: a two-mana blocker that demands respect from both ground threats and fliers, relevant in any green deck that needs early defense without spending removal. Pauper is where it sees the most competitive daylight — reach plus deathtouch at common is a real rate, and it shows up in green-based control and spider tribal shells. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer, it's outclassed by cheaper or more proactive threats, so it rarely makes the cut outside of dedicated creature-type strategies. Vintage doesn't want it. The card belongs in Commander and Pauper; everywhere else it's a curiosity.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.23 bulk tier
Deadly Recluse sits at $0.23 — bulk, full stop. That price is stable by definition: a common with narrow competitive play doesn't spike, but it also doesn't disappear, so grabbing copies out of bulk bins remains the right call.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.