Rise of the Witch-king
Sorcery
Each player sacrifices a creature of their choice. If you sacrificed a creature this way, you may return another permanent card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BG
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
- Price
- $1.20
- EDHREC rank
- #1832
Rise of the Witch-king puts a creature from any graveyard directly onto the battlefield under your control and sacrifices it at end of turn — that's a reanimation spell and a free sacrifice trigger stapled together at four mana. Sméagol, Helpful Guide decks run it as an engine piece, not an afterthought.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Sméagol, Helpful Guide
Rise of the Witch-king is a near-auto-include in Sméagol, Helpful Guide decks because it simultaneously reanimates a creature and guarantees a sacrifice trigger at end of turn, fueling Sméagol's land-into-hand ability on a single card.
Grist, Voracious Larva
Grist, Voracious Larva wants creatures dying constantly, and Rise of the Witch-king delivers a reanimate-then-sacrifice loop that converts any opponent's graveyard into a free death trigger.
Savra, Queen of the Golgari
Rise of the Witch-king hands Savra, Queen of the Golgari a creature to reanimate and then sacrifice, triggering her drain-and-gain abilities without needing any additional setup.
Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest
Every sacrifice punches Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest's counter-stacking ability, and Rise of the Witch-king guarantees at least one sacrifice per turn for just four mana.
Cleopatra, Exiled Pharaoh
Cleopatra, Exiled Pharaoh rewards sacrifice payoffs with treasure generation, and Rise of the Witch-king's built-in end-step sacrifice converts a stolen creature directly into value.
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 |
Commander is where Rise of the Witch-king earns its slot — reanimating anything from any graveyard is a meaningful effect in a format where graveyards fill fast, and the forced end-step sacrifice is a feature rather than a drawback in sacrifice-synergy builds. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but irrelevant; four mana sorcery-speed reanimation can't compete with Reanimate and Animate Dead in those formats. Modern gives it more room to breathe as a budget reanimation option, though dedicated reanimator shells there have faster and more reliable lines. Stick to Commander, specifically Golgari sacrifice decks, as the target home.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.20 cheap tier
At $1.20, Rise of the Witch-king sits firmly in the bulk-rare tier — cheap enough to include on spec and easy to trade for. The price is stable; it's a format-specific role-player with no competitive demand pulling it upward.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.