Dreadhorde Butcher
Creature — Zombie Warrior
Haste
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player or planeswalker, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
When this creature dies, it deals damage equal to its power to any target.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BR
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- War of the Spark Promos
- Price
- $1.30
- EDHREC rank
- #12733
Dreadhorde Butcher is a two-mana hasty threat that grows every time it deals damage and fires a parting shot when it dies — all on a body that demands an answer immediately. Ognis, the Dragon's Lash turns that haste into a Treasure on entry, meaning the Butcher pays for itself the turn it arrives.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ognis, the Dragon's Lash
Dreadhorde Butcher has haste natively, so Ognis, the Dragon's Lash generates a Treasure the moment it swings — and a Butcher that grows each combat becomes a progressively larger death-trigger threat the longer your opponents ignore it.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Dreadhorde Butcher has seen the most competitive play in Pioneer and Modern, where a 1/1 haste for two that curves into three-drops and punishes blocks has genuine aggro utility. In those formats it competes for a crowded slot alongside faster or more resilient two-drops, so it lands more often in midrange shells than pure aggro lists. Commander is where the Butcher finds a reliable home — any Rakdos or Grixis deck that cares about haste, Treasures, or death triggers has a reason to run it, and the ping on death scales surprisingly well when it's been hitting opponents for several turns. Legacy and Vintage are legal but irrelevant; the card simply isn't powerful enough to register there.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.30 cheap tier
At $1.30, Dreadhorde Butcher sits squarely in the budget tier — no reason to hesitate on the inclusion decision. It's a multiformat card with steady casual demand, so the floor is unlikely to drop much further.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Ognis, the Dragon's Lash
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.