Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls
Legendary Creature — Elder Demon
Flying
Ward—Pay 2 life.
Whenever an opponent loses life for the first time during each of their turns, put a +1/+1 counter on Valgavoth and draw a card.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BR
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander
- Price
- $16.22
- EDHREC rank
- #2309
Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls converts every point of damage dealt to opponents into card advantage — in a group slug shell, that means drawing three to six cards per round table cycle before your opponents even untap. The cost is eight mana and a build-around commitment, but The Lord of Pain makes that cost irrelevant by turning your own pain triggers into the fuel.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
The Lord of Pain
The Lord of Pain runs Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls in over half its decks because the two cards form a closed loop: The Lord of Pain forces symmetrical life loss from activated abilities, and Valgavoth converts every ping dealt to opponents into draws, turning a damage-spread strategy into a card engine that compounds with every activation.
Deadpool, Trading Card
Deadpool, Trading Card generates opponent life loss through its own damage and redistribution effects, giving Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls a steady stream of triggers — 40% of Deadpool builds include it because the card draw amplifies the chaos-control gameplan without requiring additional setup.
Mogis, God of Slaughter
Mogis, God of Slaughter bleeds every opponent each upkeep, and Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls turns that recurring damage into a per-opponent draw engine, rewarding the attrition strategy with the card advantage needed to outlast the table.
Raphael, Fiendish Savior
Raphael, Fiendish Savior cares about Devils, Demons, and Vampires, and Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls as a Demon slots cleanly into that tribal synergy while giving the damage-dealing black-red shell a way to refuel after trading resources.
Yurlok of Scorch Thrash
Yurlok of Scorch Thrash forces opponents to lose life through mana burn, and Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls translates that distributed damage into card draw — nearly 19% of Yurlok builds include it because the draw advantage is exactly what a burn-everyone strategy needs to reach the endgame.
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 the obvious home for Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls — three opponents means three separate damage triggers per effect, and group slug shells can draw six or more cards off a single spell, making the eight-mana cost reasonable in a format where games run long. Outside Commander, it's legal in Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but the rate is too slow and too narrow for Legacy or Vintage, where eight-mana permanents don't survive long enough to recoup investment. Oathbreaker is the most realistic non-Commander home, where the smaller life totals and faster damage spread give Valgavoth triggers early enough to matter.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Fate Unraveler and Underworld Dreams both convert opponent card draws into life loss rather than damage dealt, so they don't replicate Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls's draw trigger directly — but in a slug shell, Bloodgift Demon ($0.50) gives you flying, a damage-adjacent body, and guaranteed draw at nearly a third of the price. The trade-off is obvious: Bloodgift Demon draws one card per turn for one player, while Valgavoth scales with every damage source hitting every opponent, so the ceiling is dramatically lower.
Price Context
Current price
$16.22 mid tier
At $16.22, Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel like a deliberate inclusion, cheap enough that dedicated slug and group pain decks will absorb the cost without hesitation. It's a build-around mythic with a narrow but loyal audience, so the price is likely stable as long as The Lord of Pain and similar commanders stay popular.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- The Lord of Pain
- Deadpool, Trading Card
- Mogis, God of Slaughter
- Raphael, Fiendish Savior
- Yurlok of Scorch Thrash
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.