Art: Anastasia Ovchinnikova · ™ & © Wizards of the Coast

Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper

Legendary Creature — Snake Wizard · from $0.37

Menace Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, you gain life equal to that creature's toughness. Partner (You can have two commanders if both have partner.)

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

54 of 100 at $5 or less · 34 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	Swiftfoot Boots	Artifact	2	$1.43
7	Lightning Greaves	Artifact	2	$3.86
8	Path of Ancestry	Land	0	$0.16
9	Fellwar Stone	Artifact	2	$0.47
10	Rogue's Passage	Land	0	$0.31
11	Evolving Wilds	Land	0	$0.09
12	Cultivate	Sorcery	3	$0.38
13	Thought Vessel	Artifact	2	$2.23
14	Farseek	Sorcery	2	$0.42
15	Bojuka Bog	Land	0	$1.12
16	Beast Within	Instant	3	$0.49
17	Nature's Lore	Sorcery	2	$2.15
18	Rampant Growth	Sorcery	2	$0.39
19	Heroic Intervention	Instant	2	$9.28
20	Terramorphic Expanse	Land	0	$0.10
21	Myriad Landscape	Land	0	$0.25
22	Mind Stone	Artifact	2	$0.21
23	Dark Ritual	Instant	1	$0.44
24	Birds of Paradise	Creature	1	$4.98
25	Polluted Delta	Land	0	$19.85
26	Kodama's Reach	Sorcery	3	$1.55
27	Flooded Strand	Land	0	$12.78
28	Three Visits	Sorcery	2	$5.55
29	Skullclamp	Artifact	1	$4.85
30	Solemn Simulacrum	Creature	4	$0.27
31	Misty Rainforest	Land	0	$35.98
32	Bloodstained Mire	Land	0	$14.54
33	Fabled Passage	Land	0	$0.65
34	Windswept Heath	Land	0	$11.19
35	Wooded Foothills	Land	0	$17.96
36	Verdant Catacombs	Land	0	$29.16
37	Scalding Tarn	Land	0	$36.86
38	Marsh Flats	Land	0	$32.04
39	Commander's Sphere	Artifact	3	$0.19
40	Reanimate	Sorcery	1	$6.56
41	Arid Mesa	Land	0	$31.40
42	Llanowar Elves	Creature	1	$0.24
43	Demonic Tutor	Sorcery	2	$62.80
44	Toxic Deluge	Sorcery	3	$5.04
45	Ancient Tomb	Land	0	$56.94
46	Overgrown Tomb	Land	0	$8.00
47	Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth	Land	0	$56.13
48	Boseiju, Who Endures	Land	0	$50.48
49	Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth	Land	0	$16.76
50	Temple of the False God	Land	0	$0.19
51	Chromatic Lantern	Artifact	3	$0.38
52	Garruk's Uprising	Enchantment	3	$0.39
53	Feed the Swarm	Sorcery	2	$0.19
54	City of Brass	Land	0	$9.17
55	The One Ring	Artifact	4	$109.88
56	Elvish Mystic	Creature	1	$0.35
57	Phyrexian Arena	Enchantment	3	$1.92
58	Deadly Rollick	Instant	4	$26.52
59	Cavern of Souls	Land	0	$47.72
60	Woodland Cemetery	Land	0	$0.62
61	Sakura-Tribe Elder	Creature	2	$0.30
62	Vampiric Tutor	Instant	1	$48.13
63	Mana Confluence	Land	0	$34.75
64	Urza's Saga	Enchantment	0	$34.67
65	Lotus Petal	Artifact	0	$35.11
66	Eternal Witness	Creature	3	$1.10
67	Assassin's Trophy	Instant	2	$1.01
68	Wayfarer's Bauble	Artifact	1	$0.31
69	Black Market Connections	Enchantment	3	$10.78
70	Victimize	Sorcery	3	$0.57
71	Deadly Dispute	Instant	2	$0.29
72	Roaming Throne	Creature	4	$47.06
73	Ashnod's Altar	Artifact	3	$8.15
74	Llanowar Wastes	Land	0	$0.59
75	War Room	Land	0	$0.79
76	Blood Artist	Creature	2	$2.78
77	Delighted Halfling	Creature	1	$25.91
78	Herald's Horn	Artifact	3	$2.88
79	Mana Vault	Artifact	1	$91.59
80	Chrome Mox	Artifact	0	$51.19
81	Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx	Land	0	$45.68
82	Reflecting Pool	Land	0	$5.50
83	Worldly Tutor	Instant	1	$26.58
84	Undergrowth Stadium	Land	0	$5.20
85	Three Tree City	Land	0	$29.09
86	Return of the Wildspeaker	Instant	5	$1.51
87	Gemstone Caverns	Land	0	$62.05
88	Night's Whisper	Sorcery	2	$0.23
89	Command Beacon	Land	0	$7.99
90	Hardened Scales	Enchantment	1	$1.85
91	Tireless Provisioner	Creature	3	$2.33
92	Doubling Season	Enchantment	5	$29.62
93	Idol of Oblivion	Artifact	2	$2.40
94	Prismatic Vista	Land	0	$28.10
95	Buried Ruin	Land	0	$0.38
96	Phyrexian Tower	Land	0	$29.06
97	Thran Dynamo	Artifact	4	$1.94
98	Mosswort Bridge	Land	0	$0.21
99	Fell the Profane // Fell Mire	Instant	4	$5.80
100	Cabal Coffers	Land	0	$20.77

Curve of these staples

Most played with Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper

The 25 most-played cards in 7 settled top-16 lists running Ikra Shidiqi, the Usurper (any pairing) at 16+ player events since Mar 7, 2026, ranked by lists played — top-4 counts shown for context. Results from Topdeck.gg.

#	Card	Played in	Top 4
1	Ancient Tomb	100% · 7 of 7	2
2	Bayou	100% · 7 of 7	2
3	Beseech the Mirror	100% · 7 of 7	2
4	Birds of Paradise	100% · 7 of 7	2
5	Cabal Ritual	100% · 7 of 7	2
6	Chrome Mox	100% · 7 of 7	2
7	Command Tower	100% · 7 of 7	2
8	Dark Ritual	100% · 7 of 7	2
9	Demonic Tutor	100% · 7 of 7	2
10	Gemstone Caverns	100% · 7 of 7	2
11	Imperial Seal	100% · 7 of 7	2
12	Lotus Petal	100% · 7 of 7	2
13	Mana Confluence	100% · 7 of 7	2
14	Mana Vault	100% · 7 of 7	2
15	Marsh Flats	100% · 7 of 7	2
16	Mox Diamond	100% · 7 of 7	2
17	Mox Opal	100% · 7 of 7	2
18	Sol Ring	100% · 7 of 7	2
19	Vampiric Tutor	100% · 7 of 7	2
20	Verdant Catacombs	100% · 7 of 7	2
21	Windswept Heath	100% · 7 of 7	2
22	Wishclaw Talisman	100% · 7 of 7	2
23	Ad Nauseam	86% · 6 of 7	1
24	Arcane Signet	86% · 6 of 7	2
25	Arid Mesa	86% · 6 of 7	1

Top finishes

7 finishes placing top 16 at 16+ player events with this commander. Results from Topdeck.gg.

13th of 63 — Cardart Monthly September: Mox Diamond on Topdeck.ggSep 19, 2026 · 2–3–0 · with Krark, the Thumbless · by Lucas Chao
10th of 40 — Brigandry Games CEDH Win-a-Mox on Topdeck.ggAug 16, 2026 · 2–3–1 · with Dargo, the Shipwrecker · by Omar Ivan Gurrola
7th of 34 — Punt City 5 Redemption on Topdeck.ggJun 7, 2026 · 1–2–0 · with Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh · by David Walker
11th of 16 — PLAY ANOTHER GAME Monthly CEDH "Tundra" on Topdeck.ggMay 9, 2026 · 0–3–1 · with Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh · by David Walker
1st of 67 — Mulligan's Championship Series - May w/ Guaranteed Scrubland on Topdeck.ggMay 3, 2026 · 5–1–1 · with Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh · by David Walker
3rd of 16 — 1° Fecha Camino al Clasificatorio cEDH on Topdeck.ggMar 15, 2026 · 2–2–1 · with Tymna the Weaver · by Carlos Morales
7th of 50 — Stack Never Lies CEDH: March Madness CEDH on Topdeck.ggMar 7, 2026 · 2–2–2 · with Dargo, the Shipwrecker · by Omar Ivan Gurrola

All 7 finishes →

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

Commanders