SimicLegendary Creature — Lizard DetectiveMadame Vastra
Mana value4Rank#19,116PartnerYes
The Commander
Partner with Jenny Flint (When this creature enters, target player may put Jenny Flint into their hand from their library, then shuffle.)
Madame Vastra must be blocked if able.
Whenever a creature dealt damage by Madame Vastra this turn dies, create a Clue token and a Food token.
Guide
Gameplan
Attack with Madame Vastra (forcing blocks) and pick off blockers, ideally with deathtouch or pingers so each dying creature spawns a Clue and a Food. Stack fights, ping effects, and combat tricks to mass-produce artifact tokens, then convert that surplus into card draw, life, and a powerful payoff. You grind incremental value in the early game and pivot to an artifact/tokens engine or a big finisher.
Strengths
- Forced-block ability plus deathtouch turns every attack into guaranteed token generation
- Generates two distinct artifact token types, fueling Clue-draw, Food-lifegain, and artifact synergies at once
- Partner with Jenny Flint gives reliable card advantage right out of the command zone
- Simic colors offer elite ramp and card draw to refuel the engine
Weaknesses
- The death trigger only fires on combat/Vastra damage, so a chump-blocking opponent with nothing dying gives you nothing
- Vastra dies easily to removal, cutting off the engine and forcing recasts
- No native deathtouch—without enablers her must-be-blocked clause can just feed her to a big creature
- Lacks built-in evasion or protection, so she stalls into go-wide boards
Key Cards
- Basilisk Collar — Grants deathtouch plus lifelink so any blocker dies to Vastra and triggers the Clue/Food engine.
- Gorgon Flail — Cheap deathtouch source ensuring forced blockers die and net you tokens every swing.
- Academy Manufactor — Doubles and diversifies your token output, turning each death into Clues, Foods, and Treasures.
- The Locust God — Converts your flood of Clue draws into a relentless army of flying insect tokens.
- Trail of Evidence — Spits out Clues alongside Vastra's, deepening the artifact-token engine in a spell-heavy build.
- Reyhan, Last of the Abzan — In an Abzan-style sac shell, recycles counters from dying creatures—pairs with sacrifice payoffs for the Food/Clue you generate.
Upgrade Path
Prioritize cheap, repeatable deathtouch enablers (Basilisk Collar, Gorgon Flail, Glissa Sunslayer effects) and evasion so her attacks always net tokens, then add token doublers like Academy Manufactor and Doubling Season. Push toward a defined payoff—The Locust God for Clue draws or an aristocrats sac engine for Food—and tighten the mana base with fast ramp (Sol Ring, signets, Cultivate). Finally, add protection (Heroic Intervention, Lightning Greaves) to keep the commander online against removal-heavy tables.
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
- ▸Convert mass Clue/Food tokens into payoffs like The Locust God or Krenko-style swarms to go wide
- ▸Voltron Vastra with deathtouch and evasion equipment for repeated lethal connections
- ▸Overwhelming card and resource advantage that buries opponents through superior late-game engines
- ▸Combo finishes off artifact-token synergies (e.g., sac-loop payoffs with Food)
Archetypes
- Artifact Tokens — Her Clue and Food production directly feeds fabricate, improvise, and token-doubling payoffs.
- Aristocrats — Forced blocks plus deathtouch reliably kill creatures, and you can sac the resulting Food/Clue tokens for value.
- Voltron — Suiting her up with deathtouch equipment makes her a must-block threat that punishes any defense.
- Value Midrange — Steady Clue card draw and Food lifegain grind out longer games in Simic colors.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (GU), by popularity.
