Deathrite Shaman
Creature — Elf Shaman
: Exile target land card from a graveyard. Add one mana of any color.
, : Exile target instant or sorcery card from a graveyard. Each opponent loses 2 life.
, : Exile target creature card from a graveyard. You gain 2 life.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BG
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Ravnica Remastered
- Price
- $9.43
- EDHREC rank
- #588
Deathrite Shaman is a one-mana accelerant, drain engine, and graveyard hate stapled onto a single body — that combination of roles is why Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools // Thrasios, Triton Hero lists run it at nearly 75% inclusion. One mana for this much texture is the deal; the cost is that it does nothing without lands in graveyards, so it's best in graveyard-heavy metas or decks that fill the yard themselves.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | banned |
| modern | banned |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Deathrite Shaman is banned in both Legacy and Modern — the two restrictions are fetchlands and a multiformat card pool that made its mana ability trivially online by turn one, effectively making it a one-mana planeswalker in those formats. Commander gives it a pass for two structural reasons: the singleton rule means you see it at most once, and the 100-card dilution makes the consistent turn-one acceleration that broke competitive formats simply less reliable. It's still a strong role-player in Commander, but it's a value piece there rather than the axis-warping engine it was in 60-card formats.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools // Thrasios, Triton Hero
This is a cEDH Sultai shell that wants every piece of one-mana acceleration it can find, and Deathrite Shaman fills that slot while pulling double duty as a drain win condition and graveyard disruption against opposing loops.
Tasigur, the Golden Fang
Tasigur, the Golden Fang self-mills and runs fetchlands to reduce its own cost, which means Deathrite Shaman's mana ability is live almost immediately — it's free ramp that scales off the same yard-filling the commander already demands.
Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis
Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis aggressively fills the graveyard from the first turn, so Deathrite Shaman consistently converts those dead lands into mana or life drain by the time the commander hits the table.
Sisay, Weatherlight Captain
Sisay, Weatherlight Captain can tutor Deathrite Shaman directly as a legendary creature, making it a searchable mana accelerant and drain piece in a deck that already wants legendary density.
Tayam, Luminous Enigma
Tayam, Luminous Enigma operates in an Abzan shell that persistently stocks the graveyard with creatures and permanents, giving Deathrite Shaman a reliable fuel source while its three abilities each serve the deck's grind-out game plan.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
No single card replicates everything Deathrite Shaman does, but Elves of Deep Shadow covers the black-mana acceleration angle for under $1, and Nihil Spellbomb handles graveyard disruption at a similar price point — you just lose the drain clause and the unified body. If the graveyard-hate role matters most, Soul-Guide Lantern at roughly $0.25 is the cleanest substitute, though it doesn't generate mana at all.
Price Context
Current price
$9.43 mid tier
At $9.43, Deathrite Shaman sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel like a deliberate include, cheap enough that it's not the bottleneck in most cEDH or high-power builds. Its ban status in Legacy and Modern caps the demand ceiling, so the price reflects Commander and Vintage play almost exclusively.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools // Thrasios, Triton Hero
- Tasigur, the Golden Fang
- Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis
- Sisay, Weatherlight Captain
- Tayam, Luminous Enigma
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.