IzzetLegendary Creature — Zombie HorrorKraum, Ludevic's Opus
Mana value5Rank#6,710PartnerYes
The Commander
Flying, haste
Whenever an opponent casts their second spell each turn, draw a card.
Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)
Guide
Gameplan
Kraum is a 4/4 flyer with haste that immediately pressures opponents while turning their own spellcasting into card advantage for you. As a Partner commander, you pair him with a second legend to fill out a color identity (often adding white, black, or green) and build a value-driven spellslinger or tempo deck. Generate incremental advantage off opponents' second spells, chip in evasive damage, and bury the table in cards before closing with a combo or burn finish.
Strengths
- Flying haste body delivers immediate evasive damage and commander tax pressure
- Passive, hands-free card draw that scales in multiplayer pods where players cast multiple spells
- Partner flexibility lets you splash a third color and pair with powerful legends
- Rewards instant/sorcery-heavy builds without needing to do anything proactive
Weaknesses
- Draw trigger is entirely dependent on opponents' behavior—you can't control it
- At 5 mana he's slower to deploy and dies to common removal/board wipes
- No inherent way to convert card advantage into a win without dedicated payoffs
- Vulnerable to a quiet/permanent-heavy table that doesn't cast many spells
Key Cards
- Thassa's Oracle — Premier wincon to convert all that card draw into a deck-out victory alongside a self-mill or draw-empty engine.
- Tibalt's Trickery — Cheap counter/combo enabler that thins your deck and supports cascade-style cheats in a spell-heavy shell.
- Underworld Breach — Turns the graveyard from cast spells into an explosive combo engine, a top-tier finisher in UR.
- Mystic Remora — Stacks with Kraum to punish opponents' spellcasting and flood you with cards early.
- Tymna the Weaver — A common Partner pairing that adds white and a second card-draw engine off combat damage.
Upgrade Path
Lean into fast mana (Mana Crypt, Jeweled Lotus, signets) and premium counterspells to protect a compact combo like Underworld Breach + Thassa's Oracle or Lion's Eye Diamond lines. Choose a partner that adds another engine or color (Tymna for white draw, Vial Smasher for damage, Kydele for ramp) and tighten the deck with efficient cantrips and tutors. Cut clunky high-cost cards for low-curve interaction so you can convert Kraum's card advantage into a fast, protected kill.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Thassa's Oracle / Jace deck-out after drawing through your library
- ▸Underworld Breach combo for infinite mana/storm into a burn finisher
- ▸Commander damage and evasive beats from Kraum plus a partner
- ▸Big X burn spell or storm payoff fueled by accumulated card advantage
Archetypes
- Spellslinger — His draw rewards an instant/sorcery-dense build, and UR is the home of cantrips and burn.
- Control — Card advantage plus counterspells and removal let you grind the table out while flying over for damage.
- Combo — Steady card flow digs to combos like Underworld Breach or Thassa's Oracle lines.
- Tempo/Aggro — Haste flyer plus cheap interaction pressures life totals while you bank cards.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (RU), by popularity.
