The Belligerent
Legendary Artifact — Vehicle
Whenever The Belligerent attacks, create a Treasure token. Until end of turn, you may look at the top card of your library any time, and you may play lands and cast spells from the top of your library.
Crew 3
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- RU
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
- Price
- $0.35
- EDHREC rank
- #6307
The Belligerent turns every Pirate you control into a threat that punishes chump blocks — once attackers connect, damage carries over to the player, making it nearly impossible to safely block your board. Edward Kenway decks run it in 79% of builds for good reason: this is the card that converts a wide Pirate swarm from a nuisance into a closing engine.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Edward Kenway
Edward Kenway's Pirate-tribal gameplan floods the board fast, and The Belligerent is what makes that board actually lethal — trample-like damage spillover means opponents can't just throw a blocker in front of every Pirate and live.
Admiral Beckett Brass
Admiral Beckett Brass wants three Pirates connecting each combat to start stealing permanents, and The Belligerent removes the safety valve opponents count on by making chump blocks cost them life anyway.
Breeches, Brazen Plunderer // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
The Breeches, Brazen Plunderer // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator partner pairing prizes combat hits above almost anything else, and The Belligerent ensures those hits land even through token-heavy blockers.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, The Belligerent is a role-player rather than a build-around — it slots into any Pirate-tribal shell and immediately raises the damage ceiling of every combat step. Outside Commander, it's legal across Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, and Vintage, but Pirate synergy decks in those formats are too sparse and too outclassed for it to see meaningful competitive play. The card's value is almost entirely Commander-locked, where a five-mana enchantment with a tribal payoff is a reasonable ask in a 40-life format built around synergy.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.35 bulk tier
At $0.35, The Belligerent is firmly bulk — a trivial pickup for any Pirate deck that wants it. Demand is almost entirely Commander-driven, so the price is unlikely to move unless a new pushed Pirate commander dramatically spikes the archetype's popularity.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Edward Kenway
- Admiral Beckett Brass
- Breeches, Brazen Plunderer // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.