The Commander
Vigilance, reach
Ruric Thar attacks each combat if able.
Whenever a player casts a noncreature spell, Ruric Thar deals 6 damage to that player.
Guide
Gameplan
Ruric Thar punishes the entire table for casting noncreature spells while you build a creature-only board that beats down or goes wide. You ramp with mana dorks and Sol-affecting creatures, drop fat threats, and let the 6-damage tax shut off opponents' interaction and ramp. Win by swinging with a vigilant 6/6 reach beater and overwhelming creature presence.
Strengths
- Hard-locks opponents out of board wipes, counterspells, and removal by punishing every noncreature cast
- Vigilance lets him attack and still block flyers/ground threats with reach
- 6/6 body for 6 is hard to kill and forces awkward decisions
- Fits a creature-heavy strategy that's resilient to the very spells he taxes
Weaknesses
- Symmetrical-ish: you also pay 6 if you cast noncreature spells, constraining deckbuilding
- Forced to attack each combat, leaving you open to combat tricks and bad attacks
- Limited removal and card draw since most of it is noncreature
- Vulnerable to creature-based combo and go-wide decks that don't need spells
Key Cards
- City of Solitude — Stops opponents from casting on your turn, pairing with Ruric Thar to brutally limit interaction.
- Defense of the Heart — Tutors two fatties into play for free, a creature-based way to cheat threats without triggering the tax.
- Birds of Paradise — Creature-based ramp that fixes mana without paying Ruric's noncreature penalty.
- Elder Gargaroth — Self-contained creature value engine that advances the board without spells.
- Beast Whisperer — Creature-based card draw to refuel a deck that can't lean on noncreature draw spells.
Upgrade Path
Lean harder into all-creature stax pieces (Dosan the Falling Leaf, Linvala) and creature-based ramp/tutors (Wood Elves, Fierce Empath, Defense of the Heart) so you never trigger your own tax. Add a creature win engine like Craterhoof Behemoth or Goblin Bombardment plus an aristocrats line, and tighten the mana base with on-color duals and fast mana that's creature-friendly.
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
- ▸Beating down with Ruric Thar and a wide creature board
- ▸Direct damage adding up as opponents are forced to cast through the 6-damage tax
- ▸Overrun effects like Craterhoof Behemoth or Pathbreaker Ibex closing out from a creature board
Archetypes
- Stax / Hatebears — The 6-damage tax acts as a punishing soft-lock that shuts off opposing spells while you play creatures freely.
- Big Creatures / Ramp — Creature mana dorks and fatties let you build a board that doesn't trigger Ruric's symmetrical penalty.
- Aggro / Beatdown — Vigilance and forced attacks push a creature-only swarm that ends games through combat damage.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (GR), by popularity.
