Thalakos Deceiver
Creature — Thalakos Wizard
Shadow (This creature can block or be blocked by only creatures with shadow.)
Whenever this creature attacks and isn't blocked, you may sacrifice it. If you do, gain control of target creature. (This effect lasts indefinitely.)
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Stronghold
- Price
- $1.69
- EDHREC rank
- #16458
Thalakos Deceiver hands you permanent control of any creature it blocks or gets blocked by — no mana, no targeting, just a triggered ability that resolves the moment combat damage is dealt. The cost is shadow, which means it only trades with other shadow creatures, so in most games you're getting a free theft every time you send it in.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Thalakos Deceiver earns its reputation — a repeatable, evasive theft engine that dodges most spot removal because the ability triggers on damage, not on resolution of a spell. Blue blink and flicker decks abuse it hardest, resetting the damage trigger every loop. In Legacy and Vintage it's a curiosity at best; the shadow clause makes it a guaranteed blocker dodger, but the format's speed means you rarely get to attack profitably with a 1/1 before the game ends. Oathbreaker gives it a second home in the same way Commander does — low-to-the-ground theft strategies can chain activations off cheap cantrip planeswalkers.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.69 cheap tier
At $1.69, Thalakos Deceiver sits firmly in budget territory for the effect it delivers — repeatable creature theft on an evasive body is routinely stapled to five-mana sorceries, so the price is a genuine bargain. Niche enough to stay cheap, powerful enough that any blink or theft deck should own one.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.