Thorn of the Black Rose
Creature — Human Assassin
Deathtouch
When this creature enters, you become the monarch.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Commander Legends
- Price
- $0.18
- EDHREC rank
- #8789
Thorn of the Black Rose enters, you become the monarch, and you're drawing an extra card every turn until someone takes it from you — that's the entire pitch. The four-mana 1/3 body is irrelevant; the monarch clause is one of the most efficient ongoing draw engines in Commander, and Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad decks running a full assassin suite can defend the crown better than almost anyone.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad builds around assassins killing creatures, and Thorn of the Black Rose slots in as both a tribal member and an immediate monarch enabler — the deck's combat-oriented gameplan naturally defends the crown while Altaïr's counters engine snowballs.
Ramses, Assassin Lord
Ramses, Assassin Lord cares about assassins and killing opponents, and Thorn of the Black Rose provides the card draw that keeps the creature-dense gameplan from running out of gas while fitting the tribal shell cleanly.
Etrata, Deadly Fugitive
Etrata, Deadly Fugitive runs deep on assassin synergies, and Thorn of the Black Rose earns its slot by funneling extra cards into a strategy that needs to hit specific creatures repeatedly to win.
Queen Marchesa
Queen Marchesa introduces the monarch herself, and Thorn of the Black Rose is a redundant monarchy-setter — if Marchesa gets answered before her trigger resolves or you need a second shot at the crown, Thorn picks up the slack.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Thorn of the Black Rose earns its reputation — the monarch mechanic was designed for multiplayer, and drawing a card at the end of every turn in a four-player game is backbreaking value for four mana. In Pauper it's a legitimate card-advantage engine in slower black decks that can protect the monarch long enough to matter. Legacy and Vintage have the card legal but ignore it entirely; those formats move too fast for a 1/3 that does nothing the turn it enters. Oathbreaker can support it in the right shell, though the smaller table makes the monarch easier to steal and harder to hold.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.18 bulk tier
At $0.18, Thorn of the Black Rose is pure bulk — you're essentially getting a reliable draw engine for free when picking up singles. Bulk rares with genuine Commander demand tend to stay in this tier indefinitely, so there's no financial urgency either way; just grab it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
- Ramses, Assassin Lord
- Etrata, Deadly Fugitive
- Queen Marchesa
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.