Ilharg, the Raze-Boar
Legendary Creature — Boar God
Trample
Whenever Ilharg attacks, you may put a creature card from your hand onto the battlefield tapped and attacking. Return that creature to your hand at the beginning of the next end step.
When Ilharg dies or is put into exile from the battlefield, you may put it into its owner's library third from the top.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- War of the Spark
- Price
- $8.53
- EDHREC rank
- #2391
Ilharg, the Raze-Boar attacks and immediately cheats a creature into play swinging alongside it — free enters-the-battlefield triggers, free combat damage, and the creature goes back to hand rather than dying, so you repeat the loop every turn Ilharg connects. The self-recursion clause means removal barely slows it down, and pairing it with something like Medomai the Ageless or Tannuk, Steadfast Second turns each attack into a cascading chain of value that most tables can't race.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Tannuk, Steadfast Second
Tannuk, Steadfast Second wants the biggest creature available swinging every combat, and Ilharg, the Raze-Boar is exactly that — a 6/6 trampler that brings a free friend to every attack and buries itself back into the deck when answered, giving Tannuk's high-power creature toolbox a persistent delivery mechanism.
Atreus, Impulsive Son // Kratos, Stoic Father
Atreus, Impulsive Son // Kratos, Stoic Father thrives on attacking with massive bodies and capitalizing on combat triggers, making Ilharg, the Raze-Boar a natural fit — every Ilharg attack drops another threat into the red zone for free, compounding the pressure Atreus demands.
Obeka, Brute Chronologist
Obeka, Brute Chronologist ends the turn before "until end of turn" effects expire, which is the key interaction: creatures put into play by Ilharg, the Raze-Boar normally return to hand at end of turn, but Obeka skips that cleanup step and lets those creatures stay on the battlefield permanently.
Xenagos, God of Revels
Xenagos, God of Revels doubles the power and toughness of a creature attacking each turn, and Ilharg, the Raze-Boar both benefits from that boost itself and delivers a second target for Xenagos to pump — two enormous attackers for the price of one trigger.
Henzie "Toolbox" Torre
Henzie "Toolbox" Torre already wants a deep roster of high-power creatures to blitz into play, and Ilharg, the Raze-Boar extends that gameplan by replaying those same creatures from hand for free every combat, effectively doubling the number of times each threat enters the battlefield.
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 Ilharg, the Raze-Boar earns its reputation — the singleton format's density of powerful enters-the-battlefield creatures means every Ilharg attack is a threat multiplier, and the self-recursion clause makes it disproportionately resilient to the spot removal that defines the format. In Modern and Legacy, a five-mana creature without immediate protection has too many answers waiting at instant speed, and the payoff requires surviving to your next attack step, which competitive 60-card formats rarely allow. Pioneer sits in a similar position — the power level is lower but so is the available creature toolbox, and five mana is a steep ask without dedicated ramp. Oathbreaker is the one 60-card-adjacent format where Ilharg, the Raze-Boar can shine, particularly as a spell-slinging support piece in aggressive builds that can actually reach five mana.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Colossal Grave-ReaverAltar of DementiaIlharg, the Raze-Boar
Infinite LTB; Infinite ETB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite death triggers; Infinite self-mill
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Wormfang MantaTocatli Honor GuardIlharg, the Raze-Boar
Infinite turns; Lock
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Etali, Primal Conqueror fills a similar role as a massive red attacker that generates cascading free value on damage, though it costs more mana and doesn't recur itself the way Ilharg, the Raze-Boar does. Sneak Attack does the closest functional impression of Ilharg's core ability at a lower mana investment, cheating creatures into play for one red each, though it requires a discard or sacrifice at end of turn rather than bouncing — a meaningful downside when your payoffs have expensive enters-the-battlefield triggers you want to repeat.
Price Context
Current price
$8.53 mid tier
At $8.53, Ilharg, the Raze-Boar sits at the low end of the mid tier — real money, but cheap relative to the power it provides in Commander. The self-recursion and broad applicability across creature-heavy archetypes keep steady demand, so this price is unlikely to crater without a reprint.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Medomai the Ageless
- Tannuk, Steadfast Second
- Atreus, Impulsive Son // Kratos, Stoic Father
- Obeka, Brute Chronologist
- Xenagos, God of Revels
- Henzie "Toolbox" Torre
- Wormfang Manta
- Torpor Orb
- Colossal Grave-Reaver
- Altar of Dementia
- Tocatli Honor Guard
- Hushbringer
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.