Mirkwood Bats
Creature — Bat
Flying
Whenever you create or sacrifice a token, each opponent loses 1 life.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
- Price
- $1.30
- EDHREC rank
- #220
Mirkwood Bats turns every token you make into a drain trigger, and at four mana it asks almost nothing in return. Pair it with a mass token spell like Plague of Vermin and the table loses life in chunks; in Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit // Sam, Loyal Attendant builds, it's the reason the deck can close games without combat.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit // Sam, Loyal Attendant
Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit // Sam, Loyal Attendant runs a Food-and-token engine that generates sacrificeable permanents constantly, and Mirkwood Bats converts each new token into a life-drain ping that stacks fast across a four-player table.
Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder floods the board with Thrull tokens on every creature cast, and Mirkwood Bats drains opponents for each one — turning what would otherwise be fodder into a clock.
Teysa, Opulent Oligarch
Teysa, Opulent Oligarch generates tokens on opponents' end steps and rewards token death, giving Mirkwood Bats a steady stream of triggers every turn cycle.
Kambal, Profiteering Mayor
Kambal, Profiteering Mayor creates a Treasure on every noncreature spell your opponents cast, and Mirkwood Bats converts those Treasure tokens into drain triggers the moment any token enters — stacking incidental pressure on top of Kambal's own tax.
Merry, Warden of Isengard // Pippin, Warden of Isengard
Merry, Warden of Isengard // Pippin, Warden of Isengard pumps out Food tokens whenever Hobbits attack, and Mirkwood Bats ensures every one of those tokens drains the table on entry.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Mirkwood Bats earns its reputation — four opponents means each token trigger hits three people simultaneously, so token-flood strategies scale dramatically. In Pauper it's legal and legitimately playable in token-drain shells, though the card-quality ceiling is lower and the drain math is less punishing with one opponent. Legacy and Vintage have it legal but functionally unplayable; those formats end too fast for a four-mana creature that doesn't impact the board immediately.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Mirkwood BatsPlague of Vermin
Each opponent loses the game; Near-infinite creature tokens; Near-infinite ETB; Near-infinite lifeloss
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Academy ManufactorMirkwood BatsThere and Back Again
Near-infinite lifeloss
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Trudge GardenAshnod's AltarMirkwood BatsExquisite Blood
Infinite death triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite lifegain; Infinite lifegain triggers; Infinite lifeloss; Infinite LTB; Infinite sacrifice triggers
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Trudge GardenAshnod's AltarMirkwood BatsBloodthirsty Conqueror
Infinite LTB; Infinite ETB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite death triggers; Infinite lifegain triggers; Infinite lifegain; Infinite lifeloss
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$1.30 cheap tier
At $1.30, Mirkwood Bats sits squarely in the budget staple tier — cheap enough to slot into every relevant deck without hesitation. The 86% inclusion rate in Frodo builds keeps demand stable, so this price is unlikely to dip much lower.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Plague of Vermin
- Frodo, Adventurous Hobbit // Sam, Loyal Attendant
- Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
- Teysa, Opulent Oligarch
- Kambal, Profiteering Mayor
- Merry, Warden of Isengard // Pippin, Warden of Isengard
- Academy Manufactor
- There and Back Again
- Trudge Garden
- Ashnod's Altar
- Exquisite Blood
- Bloodthirsty Conqueror
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.