Art: Randy Vargas · ™ & © Wizards of the Coast

Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher

Legendary Creature — Vampire Soldier · from $0.73

Flying Whenever a player sacrifices a permanent, put a +1/+1 counter on Carmen and you gain 1 life. Whenever Carmen attacks, return up to one target permanent card with mana value less than or equal to Carmen's power from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Build with this commander Start with a starter shell Card details, printings & prices

A typical Commander deck

A starting template, not a rule — counts to fill in around the commander.

Lands3736–38 for most decks; fewer with cheap curves
Ramp10mana rocks, dorks, land ramp — mostly 2–3 mana
Card draw10repeatable engines beat one-shot cantrips
Targeted removal6answers for creatures AND artifacts/enchantments
Board wipes3sweepers reset boards you've lost
Synergy & win conditions33the deck's actual plan

Staples in these colors

The 100 cards that fit this color identity in the most EDHREC decklists (EDHREC rank via Scryfall).

Budget

52 of 100 at $5 or less · 36 at $1 or less

#	Card	Type	MV	Price
1	Sol Ring	Artifact	1	$1.07
2	Command Tower	Land	0	$0.26
3	Arcane Signet	Artifact	2	$0.34
4	Exotic Orchard	Land	0	$0.19
5	Reliquary Tower	Land	0	$4.28
6	Swords to Plowshares	Instant	1	$0.98
7	Swiftfoot Boots	Artifact	2	$1.43
8	Lightning Greaves	Artifact	2	$3.86
9	Path of Ancestry	Land	0	$0.16
10	Path to Exile	Instant	1	$0.71
11	Fellwar Stone	Artifact	2	$0.47
12	Rogue's Passage	Land	0	$0.31
13	Evolving Wilds	Land	0	$0.09
14	Thought Vessel	Artifact	2	$2.23
15	Bojuka Bog	Land	0	$1.12
16	Terramorphic Expanse	Land	0	$0.10
17	Myriad Landscape	Land	0	$0.25
18	Mind Stone	Artifact	2	$0.21
19	Dark Ritual	Instant	1	$0.44
20	Polluted Delta	Land	0	$19.85
21	Flooded Strand	Land	0	$12.78
22	Skullclamp	Artifact	1	$4.85
23	Solemn Simulacrum	Creature	4	$0.27
24	Misty Rainforest	Land	0	$35.98
25	Bloodstained Mire	Land	0	$14.54
26	Fabled Passage	Land	0	$0.65
27	Windswept Heath	Land	0	$11.19
28	Wooded Foothills	Land	0	$17.96
29	Verdant Catacombs	Land	0	$29.16
30	Scalding Tarn	Land	0	$36.86
31	Marsh Flats	Land	0	$32.04
32	Commander's Sphere	Artifact	3	$0.19
33	Reanimate	Sorcery	1	$6.56
34	Arid Mesa	Land	0	$31.40
35	Godless Shrine	Land	0	$8.47
36	Generous Gift	Instant	3	$0.93
37	Demonic Tutor	Sorcery	2	$62.80
38	Smothering Tithe	Enchantment	4	$56.09
39	Toxic Deluge	Sorcery	3	$5.04
40	Ancient Tomb	Land	0	$56.94
41	Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth	Land	0	$56.13
42	Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth	Land	0	$16.76
43	Esper Sentinel	Creature	1	$58.03
44	Temple of the False God	Land	0	$0.19
45	Chromatic Lantern	Artifact	3	$0.38
46	Isolated Chapel	Land	0	$0.21
47	Feed the Swarm	Sorcery	2	$0.19
48	City of Brass	Land	0	$9.17
49	The One Ring	Artifact	4	$109.88
50	Phyrexian Arena	Enchantment	3	$1.92
51	Deadly Rollick	Instant	4	$26.52
52	Teferi's Protection	Instant	3	$34.90
53	Cavern of Souls	Land	0	$47.72
54	Vampiric Tutor	Instant	1	$48.13
55	Mana Confluence	Land	0	$34.75
56	Urza's Saga	Enchantment	0	$34.67
57	Lotus Petal	Artifact	0	$35.11
58	Enlightened Tutor	Instant	1	$21.99
59	Caves of Koilos	Land	0	$0.30
60	Wayfarer's Bauble	Artifact	1	$0.31
61	Black Market Connections	Enchantment	3	$10.78
62	Victimize	Sorcery	3	$0.57
63	Deadly Dispute	Instant	2	$0.29
64	Roaming Throne	Creature	4	$47.06
65	Ashnod's Altar	Artifact	3	$8.15
66	Talisman of Hierarchy	Artifact	2	$0.45
67	War Room	Land	0	$0.79
68	Blood Artist	Creature	2	$2.78
69	Herald's Horn	Artifact	3	$2.88
70	Mana Vault	Artifact	1	$91.59
71	Anguished Unmaking	Instant	3	$1.58
72	Chrome Mox	Artifact	0	$51.19
73	Ghostly Prison	Enchantment	3	$5.72
74	Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx	Land	0	$45.68
75	Reflecting Pool	Land	0	$5.50
76	Vault of Champions	Land	0	$16.60
77	Austere Command	Sorcery	6	$0.33
78	Flawless Maneuver	Instant	3	$9.24
79	Farewell	Sorcery	6	$4.44
80	Three Tree City	Land	0	$29.09
81	Gemstone Caverns	Land	0	$62.05
82	Night's Whisper	Sorcery	2	$0.23
83	Command Beacon	Land	0	$7.99
84	Akroma's Will	Instant	4	$16.21
85	Orzhov Signet	Artifact	2	$0.33
86	Idol of Oblivion	Artifact	2	$2.40
87	Prismatic Vista	Land	0	$28.10
88	Buried Ruin	Land	0	$0.38
89	Phyrexian Tower	Land	0	$29.06
90	Thran Dynamo	Artifact	4	$1.94
91	Fell the Profane // Fell Mire	Instant	4	$5.80
92	Cabal Coffers	Land	0	$20.77
93	Stroke of Midnight	Instant	3	$0.20
94	Patchwork Banner	Artifact	3	$1.52
95	Village Rites	Instant	1	$0.30
96	Mox Amber	Artifact	0	$86.45
97	Karn's Bastion	Land	0	$2.51
98	Ash Barrens	Land	0	$0.15
99	Secluded Courtyard	Land	0	$0.31
100	Ornithopter of Paradise	Creature	2	$0.35

Curve of these staples

Combos with Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher

The 10 most popular of 24 combos (by EDHREC decklist count) using this commander that fit its color identity, from Commander Spellbook.

Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher + Pitiless Plunderer + Reassembling Skeleton + Warren Soultrader
Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature · Infinite artifact ETB · Infinite artifact LTB · Infinite artifact sacrifice triggers · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher + Gravecrawler + Warren Soultrader
Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite lifegain triggers · Infinite storm count · Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher + Pawn of Ulamog + Yawgmoth, Thran Physician + Creature with Undying
Infinite card draw · Infinite draw triggers · Near-infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature · Near-infinite creature ETB · Near-infinite creature LTB · Near-infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Near-infinite death triggers · Near-infinite lifegain triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher + Phyrexian Altar + Veinwitch Coven + One-drop creature with a second body
Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite lifegain
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher + Phyrexian Altar + Veinwitch Coven + Creature castable for {0} that survives
Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite lifegain · Infinite lifegain triggers · Infinite lifeloss · Infinite storm count
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher + Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Warren Soultrader + Persist Creature
Infinite artifact ETB · Infinite artifact LTB · Infinite artifact sacrifice triggers · Infinite artifact tokens · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite colored mana · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite lifegain triggers · Infinite Treasure tokens · Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher + Sifter of Skulls + Yawgmoth, Thran Physician + Creature with Undying
Infinite card draw · Infinite draw triggers · Near-infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature · Near-infinite creature ETB · Near-infinite creature LTB · Near-infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Near-infinite death triggers · Near-infinite lifegain triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher + Yawgmoth, Thran Physician + Zahur, Glory's Past + Creature with Undying
Infinite card draw · Infinite draw triggers · Near-infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature · Near-infinite creature ETB · Near-infinite creature LTB · Near-infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Near-infinite death triggers · Near-infinite lifegain triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher + Stridehangar Automaton + Warren Soultrader
Infinite artifact ETB · Infinite artifact LTB · Infinite artifact sacrifice triggers · Infinite artifact tokens · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite colored mana · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers · Infinite lifegain triggers · Infinite Treasure tokens · Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo
Bloodsoaked Champion + Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher + Pitiless Plunderer + Warren Soultrader
Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature · Infinite artifact ETB · Infinite artifact LTB · Infinite artifact sacrifice triggers · Infinite creature ETB · Infinite creature LTB · Infinite creature sacrifice triggers · Infinite death triggers
How it works on Commander Spellbook
Build around this combo

Card data and images courtesy of Scryfall; popularity ranking from EDHREC decklist data included in Scryfall bulk. Combo data courtesy of Commander Spellbook. Deckwarden is unofficial Fan Content and is not endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.

Commanders