Harried Spearguard
Creature — Human Soldier
Haste
When this creature dies, create a 1/1 black Rat creature token with "This token can't block."
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Wilds of Eldraine
- Price
- $0.12
- EDHREC rank
- #13863
Harried Spearguard is a sacrifice outlet that replaces itself — when it dies, it creates a 1/1 Rat token, which is the whole point in shells that want creatures entering and leaving the battlefield repeatedly. The cost is that it does nothing proactive on its own; pair it with Nim Deathmantle or run it under Totentanz, Swarm Piper and the loop justifies the slot, otherwise it's just a 2/1 with a modest death trigger.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Totentanz, Swarm Piper
Totentanz, Swarm Piper turns every death into a Rat, so Harried Spearguard's built-in token generation stacks directly on top of the commander's own engine — nearly half of all Totentanz decks run it for exactly that redundancy.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Harried Spearguard earns its slot almost exclusively in Rat tribal or aristocrats decks that can leverage the death-trigger token; outside those shells it's too low-impact for a 100-card format. In competitive 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer, a 2/1 for two with a delayed 1/1 payoff doesn't clear the efficiency bar — aggro wants better stats, and midrange doesn't need the trigger. Pauper is where a common-slot creature like Harried Spearguard could theoretically compete on rate, but the token arrives too slowly for the format's tempo demands. Standard is the one format where limited card pools might give it a window, though it still needs a dedicated sacrifice payoff to justify inclusion.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Nim DeathmantleAshnod's AltarHarried Spearguard
Infinite death triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite sacrifice triggers
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$0.12 bulk tier
At $0.12, Harried Spearguard is deep bulk — easy to pick up as a four-of or in multiples without a second thought. Bulk commons with narrow synergy profiles rarely move off this floor, so don't expect the price to shift unless a future Rat-tribal card dramatically raises the ceiling on the engine.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Nim Deathmantle
- Totentanz, Swarm Piper
- Ashnod's Altar
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.