Zurgo Stormrender
Legendary Creature — Orc Warrior
Mobilize 1 (Whenever this creature attacks, create a tapped and attacking 1/1 red Warrior creature token. Sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.)
Whenever a creature token you control leaves the battlefield, draw a card if it was attacking. Otherwise, each opponent loses 1 life.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BRW
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander
- Price
- $5.96
- EDHREC rank
- #3239
Zurgo Stormrender drops a 4/3 haste body and deals 3 damage to each opponent the moment it attacks — that's immediate, unconditional pressure with no setup required. The cost is the mana value: at five mana you're competing with higher-impact threats, but Zurgo, Thunder's Decree decks lean on it heavily enough that Sway of the Stars comparisons undersell how efficiently it closes out a board.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Zurgo, Thunder's Decree
Zurgo, Thunder's Decree rewards stacking multiple Zurgo creatures for tribal synergies, and Zurgo Stormrender's attack trigger deals 3 damage to each opponent the instant it connects — pure, free reach that compounds as the board scales up.
Neriv, Crackling Vanguard
Neriv, Crackling Vanguard cares about hasty creatures entering and attacking, and Zurgo Stormrender delivers both on the same turn — haste body that immediately triggers the damage spread and feeds Neriv's tempo gameplan.
Caesar, Legion's Emperor
Caesar, Legion's Emperor builds wide token boards that want attackers with built-in payoffs, and Zurgo Stormrender's on-attack damage pings every opponent regardless of blocks — a reliable drain effect sitting on a body that Caesar is already incentivizing into combat.
Neriv, Heart of the Storm
Neriv, Heart of the Storm amplifies attacking creatures and benefits from redundant aggressive threats; Zurgo Stormrender slots in as a self-sufficient damage source that doesn't need Neriv's support to do its job.
Isshin, Two Heavens as One
Isshin, Two Heavens as One doubles attack triggers, turning Zurgo Stormrender's 3-damage ping into a 6-damage spread across all opponents simultaneously — one of the harder-hitting attack-trigger payoffs in the Isshin package.
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 Zurgo Stormrender lives. The multi-opponent damage clause scales directly with the number of players at the table — worthless in a duel, punishing in a four-player pod — and the tribal Zurgo synergies only exist in the 100-card format. In Legacy and Vintage it's technically legal but functionally irrelevant: a five-mana 4/3 with a conditional damage trigger can't compete with the raw power level of those formats. Oathbreaker allows it, and aggressive Mardu oathbreaker lists could use the reach, but the competitive case is thin. Play Zurgo Stormrender in Commander or don't play it at all.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Sway of the StarsZurgo Stormrender
Shuffle all hands, graveyards and permanents on the battlefield into their owner's library; Each opponent loses the game; Near-infinite lifeloss for all players
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
If the attack-trigger damage spread is what you're after at a lower price point, Hellrider occupies a similar role — four mana, haste, deals 1 damage per attacking creature rather than a flat 3 to each opponent, and runs under $1. Zurgo Stormrender's edge is that the damage is opponent-targeted and doesn't scale down with a small board, so if you're running a slower or more creature-light shell, Hellrider underperforms where Zurgo Stormrender stays consistent.
Price Context
Current price
$5.96 mid tier
At $5.96, Zurgo Stormrender sits in the mid tier — not a budget pickup, but not a significant investment either. Its inclusion rate above 50% in dedicated Zurgo, Thunder's Decree lists suggests stable demand, and as a build-around-adjacent piece with a narrow home, the price reflects a card that sees real play without ever becoming a staple.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.