Swarm of Rats
Creature — Rat
Swarm of Rats's power is equal to the number of Rats you control.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Ninth Edition
- Price
- $2.05
- EDHREC rank
- #8743
Swarm of Rats scales its power directly with how many other Rats you control — in a dedicated tribal shell, that's a legitimately threatening beater for two mana. Outside of Marrow-Gnawer and its kin, it's a vanilla 1/1 that does nothing.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Marrow-Gnawer
Marrow-Gnawer's ability to flood the board with Rat tokens turns Swarm of Rats into a massive threat fast — every token pumps it, and the swarm that made the tokens is also the swarm that makes this card lethal.
Karumonix, the Rat King
Karumonix, the Rat King wants as many Rats as possible in play, and Swarm of Rats earns its slot by growing proportionally with the density Karumonix demands.
Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm
Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm rewards packing the deck with cheap Rats, and Swarm of Rats is exactly the kind of low-cost tribal piece that makes the count work.
Totentanz, Swarm Piper
Totentanz, Swarm Piper generates Rat tokens whenever nontoken creatures die, which turns attrition into more bodies — and more bodies means Swarm of Rats hits harder every game.
Wick, the Whorled Mind
Wick, the Whorled Mind copies spells when you have enough creatures, so running Swarm of Rats alongside a wide Rat board gives you both the headcount payoff and a creature that benefits from it.
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 |
Swarm of Rats is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker — but only Commander and Pauper give it a real home. In Commander, it lives exclusively in Rat tribal builds where the headcount is consistently high enough to make it threatening. In Pauper, the tribal support is thin enough that it rarely sees competitive play. Legacy and Vintage have no interest in a creature this conditional when better options exist at the same cost.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$2.05 cheap tier
At $2.05, Swarm of Rats sits at the high end of what a narrow tribal common should cost, driven entirely by demand from Rat commanders rather than broad playability. It's a stable price for a card with a dedicated audience, but don't expect it outside that niche.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Marrow-Gnawer
- Karumonix, the Rat King
- Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm
- Totentanz, Swarm Piper
- Wick, the Whorled Mind
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.