GolgariLegendary Artifact Creature — ScarecrowRendmaw, Creaking Nest
Mana value5Rank#6,340
The Commander
Menace, reach
When Rendmaw enters and whenever you play a card with two or more card types, each player creates a tapped 2/2 black Bird creature token with flying. The tokens are goaded for the rest of the game. (They attack each combat if able and attack a player other than you if able.)
Guide
Gameplan
Rendmaw turns every multi-type card you play into a free flying body for the whole table, then forces those Birds to swing at your opponents. You durdle out artifact creatures, enchantment creatures, Sagas, and adventure spells to spit out goaded 2/2 fliers, sit behind a reach blocker, and let the table grind itself down while you convert your own Birds into value via aristocrats and tokens payoffs.
Strengths
- Generates a steady stream of bodies for free off cards you were casting anyway
- Goad weaponizes opponents against each other, making you the political 'safe' player
- Reach plus a board of fliers gives strong defense against aggressive/flying decks
- Endless token fodder fuels Aristocrats, sacrifice, and go-wide payoffs
- Two-or-more-types is a deep, flexible build space (artifact creatures, enchantment creatures, Sagas, adventures, vehicles)
Weaknesses
- Symmetrical token generation also arms your opponents — birds can be turned back on you with rival goad effects
- Five mana for a body that needs follow-up to matter; slow without enablers
- Trigger requires consistently drawing/casting multi-type cards, which can be inconsistent
- Board wipes erase your token investment and Aristocrats engine
- Lacks a built-in fast win; can fall behind dedicated combo decks
Key Cards
- Disciple of Bolas — Sacrifices a fat token or creature for a huge card-and-life refuel, turning goaded chaff into resources.
- Pitiless Plunderer — Each Bird that dies makes Treasure, ramping you while the table sacrifices and trades fliers.
- Bitterblossom — An enchantment that itself is fine, and pairs with Rendmaw's tokens for a wide Aristocrats board.
- Goblin Bombardment — Free sacrifice outlet that turns your endless Birds into reach damage and removal.
- Bastion of Remembrance — An enchantment (multi-type-friendly engine piece) that drains the table every time a Bird dies.
- Skullclamp — Draws two cards off every 2/2 Bird you sacrifice, the premier engine for token decks.
- Esika's Chariot — A Vehicle (artifact) that triggers Rendmaw, makes Cats, and crews off your token swarm.
- Grave Pact — An enchantment that punishes the whole table for the constant Bird deaths your engine creates.
Upgrade Path
Lean harder into reliable multi-type triggers (more artifact creatures, enchantment creatures, and cheap adventures) so Rendmaw fires every turn, and add token-doublers like Anointed Procession plus better sac outlets. Tighten the Aristocrats package (Zulaport Cutthroat, Pitiless Plunderer, Mayhem Devil) and add efficient asymmetric goad/edict payoffs so opponents' Birds hurt them more than you. Top-end ramp and a couple of resilient finishers (Craterhoof Behemoth, a reanimation target) convert the wide board into a closing punch.
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
- ▸Aristocrats drain (Blood Artist / Bastion of Remembrance effects) as Birds die en masse
- ▸Go-wide alpha strike with an anthem like Cathars' Crusade or Coat of Arms on a token board
- ▸Letting goad-driven combat and incidental damage whittle opponents while you stay defended
- ▸Commander damage via Rendmaw with menace, reach, and a couple of equipment in a pinch
Archetypes
- Aristocrats — The flood of expendable Bird tokens feeds sacrifice outlets and death-trigger drains.
- Goad / Group Slug — Rendmaw forces every opponent's Birds to attack elsewhere, steering combat damage away from you.
- Tokens / Go-Wide — You accumulate your own goaded Birds plus other token makers for anthem-fueled alpha strikes.
- Typeline Matters — The deck rewards stacking artifact creatures, enchantment creatures, Sagas, and adventures to retrigger Rendmaw.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (BG), by popularity.
