Dreadhorde Invasion
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life and amass Zombies 1. (Put a +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. It's also a Zombie. If you don't control an Army, create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token first.)
Whenever a Zombie token you control with power 6 or greater attacks, it gains lifelink until end of turn.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Aetherdrift Commander
- Price
- $0.44
- EDHREC rank
- #1438
Dreadhorde Invasion generates a free 1/1 Zombie token every upkeep and threatens to snowball into a 20/20 lifelinker if left alone — all for two mana. The cost is a steady life drain of one per turn, which is a rounding error in Commander; Temmet, Naktamun's Will decks in particular treat that downside as irrelevant against the engine it enables.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Temmet, Naktamun's Will
Temmet, Naktamun's Will copies tokens, so the Army token Dreadhorde Invasion builds up gets duplicated as an already-grown threat — a single enchantment generates multiple oversized attackers with very little support.
Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver
Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver rewards every Zombie entering and dying, and Dreadhorde Invasion supplies a fresh token each upkeep to feed that loop without spending cards.
Braids, Arisen Nightmare
Braids, Arisen Nightmare demands a sacrifice from opponents each turn, and Dreadhorde Invasion provides a disposable body so Braids can make that demand without consuming real resources.
Ayara, First of Locthwain
Ayara, First of Locthwain drains life whenever a black creature enters, turning the upkeep token from Dreadhorde Invasion into a free ping every single turn.
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born needs fodder to untap and grow, and Dreadhorde Invasion delivers a sacrifice target on schedule — each token lets Grimgrin attack immediately after untapping.
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 Invasion is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker. Commander is its natural home: the long game rewards slow, compounding engines, and a 20/20 lifelinker is a legitimate kill condition across a 40-life table. In Pioneer and Modern, two mana for a do-nothing enchantment that takes several turns to threaten is too slow for most competitive shells, though it has seen fringe play in dedicated token and drain strategies. Legacy and Vintage have no practical use for it — the formats are too fast and the card generates no immediate impact.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.44 bulk tier
At $0.44, Dreadhorde Invasion is firmly bulk, and the price reflects its niche rather than its power — it's a staple in specific zombie and token builds but not a universal auto-include. Bulk enchantments with consistent Commander demand tend to stay in this range indefinitely, so there's no urgency either way.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.