Is Etrata, the Silencer good in Commander?

Etrata, the Silencer

Legendary Creature — Vampire Assassin

Etrata can't be blocked.
Whenever Etrata deals combat damage to a player, exile target creature that player controls and put a hit counter on that card. That player loses the game if they own three or more exiled cards with hit counters on them. Etrata's owner shuffles Etrata into their library.

CMC: 4
Mana cost
Color identity: BU
Rarity: rare
Set: Guilds of Ravnica Promos
Price: —
EDHREC rank: #6396

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Etrata, the Silencer kills players outright — three hits from her exile trigger wins the game, and she hits hard enough that opponents have to answer her every time she connects. The cost is the shuffle clause: she bounces herself to your library on each successful attack, so without a way to copy the trigger or cheat her back into play immediately, the clock is painfully slow. Strionic Resonator and Ramses, Assassin Lord both exist specifically to sidestep that problem, and in any shell that runs either, Etrata is a genuine threat.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

Ramses, Assassin Lord

75.8% of decks · synergy 0.74

Ramses, Assassin Lord is built around Etrata, the Silencer — his static ability triggers the win condition the moment any opponent loses the game to an assassination, and Etrata's exile hits count directly toward that. Running her in Ramses is the clearest path to a fast, repeatable player kill.

Etrata, Deadly Fugitive

58.3% of decks · synergy 0.56

Etrata, Deadly Fugitive turns every connective hit into a clue and a growing threat, and having Etrata, the Silencer in the 99 doubles your exile-trigger density. The two share enough mechanical DNA that the deck runs them as a package rather than alternatives.

Ezio Auditore da Firenze

43.8% of decks · synergy 0.42

Ezio Auditore da Firenze rewards attacking unblocked and eliminating specific targets, so Etrata, the Silencer slots naturally into his assassination theme. Her shuffle-back clause is less punishing here because the deck is already built to keep threats moving past blockers.

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

Commander is where Etrata, the Silencer actually does what the card promises — three opponents means three separate hit counters to track, and a single Strionic Resonator activation can close out a player who's already at two counters. In competitive 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer she's largely absent, because a four-mana 3/5 that bounces herself and requires three separate attack-damage triggers to kill one player is far too slow against decks that win on turns three and four. Legacy and Vintage have the raw speed and interaction density where she'd need support just to survive, not win. Oathbreaker is a small exception — pairing her as a signature spell or planeswalker pairing can produce unusual lines — but Commander remains the only format where her win condition is realistically achievable.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

800 decks