Price$3.58 – $20.86
Buy on TCGplayerPitiless Plunderer
Creature — Human Pirate
LegalRampRank #229
Whenever another creature you control dies, create a Treasure token. (It's an artifact with "
, Sacrifice this token: Add one mana of any color.")
1/4
KeywordsTreasure
Why is this card good?
Pitiless Plunderer is one of black's best engine pieces, turning every creature death into ramp and fixing. The key word is every — it doesn't care if creatures die in combat, to sacrifice effects, or to a board wipe.
Where it shines:
- Aristocrats: Pairs absurdly with sac outlets (Viscera Seer, Ashnod's Altar) and recursion. Sac a creature, get Treasure, often making the loop mana-positive or free. With Reassembling Skeleton/Gravecrawler you build infinite-mana or infinite-death combos.
- Tokens: A wide board dying means a pile of Treasures for explosive follow-up.
- Sacrifice payoffs: Feeds Treasure-matters cards (Goldspan Dragon, Mahadi, Marionette Master for damage combos).
Best in commanders like Meren, Teysa Karlov (which doubles the Treasures), Korvold, and Yawgmoth.
When to skip it: It does nothing on its own — no sac outlet or token engine means it's a vanilla 4-drop. Avoid in voltron, spellslinger, or any deck that isn't built to lose creatures profitably.
Related cards
Pawn of Ulamog
Makes Eldrazi Spawn tokens when your creatures die, similar death-triggered ramp.
Dictate of Erebos
Pairs with sacrifice loops to force opponents to sacrifice while you generate Treasure.
Bastion of Remembrance
Adds drain on each creature death, stacking with Plunderer in sac decks.
Zulaport Cutthroat
Aristocrat payoff that triggers whenever your creatures die alongside Treasure generation.
Mahadi, Emporium Master
Creates Treasures equal to creatures that died, very similar Treasure-on-death engine.
Grim Haruspex
Card draw on nontoken creature deaths, fuels sacrifice synergies like Plunderer.
Midnight Reaper
Draws cards when your creatures die, another death-trigger value engine.
Disciple of the Vault
Drains opponents when artifacts (like Treasures) die, combos with Treasure sacrifice.
Printings (10)
Played by these commanders
Combos (8)
- Chatterfang, Squirrel General + Pitiless Plunderer
→ Infinite colored mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB
- Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar + Reassembling Skeleton
→ Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB
- Pitiless Plunderer + Phyrexian Altar + Reassembling Skeleton
→ Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB
- Gravecrawler + Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar
→ Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB
- Pitiless Plunderer + Gravecrawler + Viscera Seer
→ Infinite LTB, Infinite ETB, Infinite sacrifice triggers
- Pitiless Plunderer + Gravecrawler + Carrion Feeder
→ Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature, Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB
Tokens & Emblemsthis card creates
Rulings (1)
- 2018-01-19
If Pitiless Plunderer dies at the same time as one or more other creatures you control, its ability will still trigger for each of those other creatures.