Tavern Swindler
Creature — Human Rogue
, Pay 3 life: Flip a coin. If you win the flip, you gain 6 life.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska
- Price
- $0.11
- EDHREC rank
- #11845
Tavern Swindler pays 3 life to flip for a chance at gaining 6 — a net-positive gamble that fuels life-loss synergies the moment it connects. Rowan, Scion of War turns every failed flip into a mana discount, making the downside part of the engine rather than a liability.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Rowan, Scion of War
Rowan, Scion of War discounts spells by the life you've lost, and Tavern Swindler's repeated 3-life payment is one of the cleanest ways to rack up that deficit on demand, turn after turn.
Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
Every successful flip triggers Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose's drain effect, turning Tavern Swindler's 6-life gain into direct damage — and even losing the flip still feeds life-loss payoffs in the same shell.
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 |
In Commander, Tavern Swindler is a role-player in dedicated life-payment decks rather than a generalist include — 3 life per activation is cheap when your commander rewards it, negligible otherwise. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer it sits well below the power threshold; no constructed deck wants a coin-flip life-swap on a 2/2 when efficient threats and disruption are available at the same cost. Oathbreaker mirrors Commander's verdict: narrow fit, high ceiling in the right shell.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.11 bulk tier
At $0.11, Tavern Swindler is deep bulk — easy to acquire as a throw-in or quarter-bin pickup. Bulk rares and uncommons with narrow applications rarely climb unless a new commander breaks the archetype wide open, so treat it as a cheap slot-filler rather than a hold.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.