Piper of the Swarm
Creature — Human Warlock
Rats you control have menace.
, 
: Create a 1/1 black Rat creature token.
, , Sacrifice three Rats: Gain control of target creature.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Throne of Eldraine
- Price
- $4.03
- EDHREC rank
- #2868
Piper of the Swarm puts a Rat token into play every turn for two mana, steals any creature with enough Rats on board, and does both while threatening opposing boards from turn two. Totentanz, Swarm Piper is its obvious home, but any black deck that wants a self-sustaining token generator at a trivial cost runs it.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Totentanz, Swarm Piper
Totentanz, Swarm Piper converts every nontoken death into more Rats, which means Piper of the Swarm's tap ability fuels itself — the tokens Piper makes die, Totentanz makes more Rats, and the steal threshold arrives fast.
Marrow-Gnawer
Marrow-Gnawer's untap engine wants as many Rats in play as possible before combat, and Piper of the Swarm supplies a free one every turn while also holding open a steal for any blocker that threatens to eat the swarm.
Karumonix, the Rat King
Karumonix, the Rat King cares about Rat count for its poison triggers, so Piper of the Swarm's token production directly advances the game plan while the control mode handles anything that would survive long enough to block.
Wick, the Whorled Mind
Wick, the Whorled Mind rewards having creatures in play to copy and sacrifice, and Piper of the Swarm slots in as both a token factory and a source of stolen bodies to feed that loop.
Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm
Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm buffs every Rat that attacks, so Piper of the Swarm's steady stream of 1/1 tokens scales with the commander and the stolen creature gives the deck an answer to anything that would otherwise outsize the swarm.
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 Piper of the Swarm does its best work — the multiplayer table gives it time to accumulate tokens, and the steal ability becomes a true threat once three or four opponents have high-value creatures in play. In Modern and Pioneer, it sees fringe play in Rat-tribal shells but competes with faster threats and lacks the token-density payoffs that make it shine in Commander. Legacy and Vintage are too fast for a two-mana creature that needs several turns to generate meaningful board presence. Oathbreaker splits the difference: the 60-card smaller format gives Piper of the Swarm a tighter window, but the right signature spell can accelerate the token count enough to make the steal relevant.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$4.03 cheap tier
At $4.03, Piper of the Swarm sits in the cheap tier — reasonable for a card with 80%+ inclusion rates across multiple popular Rat commanders. It's a staple in a defined tribal archetype rather than a speculative pick, so the price reflects real sustained demand rather than hype.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Totentanz, Swarm Piper
- Marrow-Gnawer
- Karumonix, the Rat King
- Wick, the Whorled Mind
- Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.