Nekrataal
Creature — Human Assassin
First strike
When this creature enters, destroy target nonartifact, nonblack creature. That creature can't be regenerated.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Eighth Edition
- Price
- $0.31
- EDHREC rank
- #10208
Nekrataal enters, kills a nonartifact, nonfaceless creature, and leaves you with a 2/1 first striker — that's two effects stapled onto one card slot. The cost is the targeting restriction and a four-mana price tag that feels steep in a format where cheaper, cleaner removal exists; Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad ignores both complaints entirely.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad turns every assassination into a permanent upgrade counter, and Nekrataal is a creature that assassinates on entry — meaning Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad gets a counter the moment Nekrataal hits the battlefield, before anyone can respond to the trigger.
Ramses, Assassin Lord
Nekrataal is a creature with the Assassin subtype, which means Ramses, Assassin Lord buffs it and counts its ETB kill toward the poison-counter win condition that Ramses, Assassin Lord is built around.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Nekrataal is a role-player in creature-based black decks that want to rebuy ETB triggers — blink, flicker, and Assassin-tribal shells all put it to work. The nonartifact, nonfaceless restriction means it whiffs on some of the most common Commander threats, which is a real cost at four mana. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but irrelevant; the format speed and removal quality make a four-mana 2/1 a non-starter. Modern is the same story — legal, unplayed, outclassed. Nekrataal's home is Commander, specifically in the narrow slice of decks that care about its creature type or ETB pattern.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.31 bulk tier
At $0.31, Nekrataal is bulk — the kind of card you pull from a box rather than order. The price is stable because demand is narrow and supply is deep across multiple printings; don't expect it to move in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.