The 31 Best Mardu Creatures in Magic Ranked

Last updated on December 22, 2025

Alesha, Who Smiles at Death | Illustration by Anastasia Ovchinnikova

Hello planeswalkers! Today, we’re going to examine the best Mardu () creatures. To set the right vibe, I think we should start with the Mardu edicts. The warrior’s code is called the Edicts of IIagra, and they go like this: “To conquer is to eat. To rule is to bleed. Victory or death.” If that doesn’t give you a clue of how the Mardu Horde thinks, I don’t know what will.

Edicts aside, let’s take a look at the very best the Mardu color combination can give us. We’ll look at the best Mardu commanders, the great abilities Mardu creatures provide, and what strategies these creatures best fit into.

So with great speed, like the Mardu symbol of dragon wings, let’s dive into the best Mardu creatures.

What Are Mardu Creatures?

Mardu Siegebreaker | Illustration by Chris Seaman

Mardu creatures are in the color wedge of red-white-black (). Most of these creatures have a Mardu color identity in their mana cost, but I also included a few creatures that have the three colors in combination of their activated abilities and cost.

We won’t look at Orzhov (), Rakdos (), and Boros creatures () that fit well into Mardu decks, just creatures with a Mardu color identity.

#31. Mardu Thunderkite + Tsagan, Raider Warlord

Mardu Thunderkite and Tsagan, Raider Warlord are two Alchemy cards that are online-only. I put them together, even if they can play quite differently. Mardu Thunderkite is a cheap dragon that can perpetually give your creatures a solid keyword ability. But with some blink and bounce effects, your creatures can perpetually have an array of keyword abilities.

Tsagan, Raider Warlord can be a mass pump based on the number of creatures you have with first strike and double strike. With max speed, all your creatures have first strike, which is wonderful by itself, but it becomes stellar with the pump from this creature.

#30. Kroxa and Kunoros

Kroxa and Kunoros is a combination of two great underworld forces. Firstly, you get a great creature with solid keyword abilities. More importantly, when this Mardu creature enters or attacks, you can essentially give a creature in your graveyard escape with no extra casting cost except exiling five cards from your graveyard. This can be huge at the point in a game when you can play this 6-mana creature.

#29. Jirina Kudro

Jirina Kudro is a decent Mardu commander card for human decks. I like that the ETB ability increases for each time you’ve cast any commander, even when Jirina isn’t in charge of your deck. And of course, this card is a human pump card, so it’s a great commander alongside cards like Call the Coppercoats, or a support card for a different commander like Saskia the Unyielding.

#28. Mathas, Fiend Seeker

Mathas, Fiend Seeker is a Mardu creature that turns your opponents on each other. You can put a bounty counter on a creature at the end of each of your turns. When a creature with a bounty counter dies, each opponent of that creature’s owner draws and gains life. Sure, you sometimes help your other opponents, but it should draw a lot of focus off your creatures and benefit you as well.

#27. Oros, the Avenger

Oros, the Avenger is a large dragon that has the potential to be a one-sided board wipe. For 6 mana, you can probably play much better dragons like Lathliss, Dragon Queen, but Oros has a nifty triggered ability if it deals combat damage to an opponent. This creature can do 3 damage to each non-white creature, which should be enough to remove a ton of threats from the battlefield.

#26. Piru, the Volatile

Piru, the Volatile needs to be included specifically for its potential one-sided board wipe. The expensive and complicated mana cost makes this card a burden to have in your hand. Once you cast it, or more likely cheat it onto the battlefield, you'll have a big body in the air with lifelink, or a killer board wipe. The sweeper ability takes another turn, but all you have to do is not to pay this card’s upkeep cost.

#25. Kelsien, the Plague

Kelsien, the Plague works with the rarely used experience counter. These counters often come with greater benefits for cards with each additional experience counter you gain, and Kelsien, the Plague gets a pump for each experience counter you have. It also has a way to target a creature and gain an experience counter when that creature dies. This card takes a bit to get sufficiently pumped, but it has potential in removal decks.

#24. Snapdax, Apex of the Hunt

Snapdax, Apex of the Hunt is the big bad Mardu mutate creature. When mutated onto a non-human creature, it produces solid removal potential as well as lifegain. The original mutate cost of this card is on the expensive side, but when another creature like Migratory Greathorn is mutated onto it afterwards for cheap, you can repeat the damage and lifegain multiple times. This makes Snapdax a deadly threat once it’s established on the battlefield.

#23. Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale

Gather your knights and their equipment, and get into the battle! Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale is a wonderful draw engine for equipment decks, and an even better benefit for those full of knights. The high mana value makes this card a bit too expensive for many equipment decks, but if you’re playing longer games with higher starting life totals, Syr Gwyn is a wonderful late-game card.

#22. Archangel of Wrath

Archangel of Wrath can be a solid midrange angel that… well… brings the wrath. For 4 mana, you get a solid angel with lifelink. But if you pay the kicker costs, you can deal up to 4 damage to any target and gain life from this damage. This can be great removal of multiple targets, or the direct damage you need to end a game. This card has been popular in angel and control decks as a way to finish or change advantages in games.

#21. Tariel, Reckoner of Souls

Let’s gamble with Tariel, Reckoner of Souls! This card taps to reanimate a creature from an opponent’s graveyard at random. Now at a MV of 7, if you reanimate a card like Llanowar Elves, you may be upset. The upside here is that with vigilance and an instant-speed activated ability, you can tap this card after combat or on your opponents’ turns. And, you have the possibility of stealing an absolute bomb creature.

#20. Zurgo Helmsmasher

Zurgo Helmsmasher is our older version of Zurgo, and it was commonly used as a Mardu commander. The other Zurgo versions from Tarkir: Dragonstorm are much better for most decks and even as commanders, but let’s not forget about the original big guy. Zurgo Helmsmasher is a large and indestructible attacker that should put pressure on opponents who don’t have proper removal.

#19. Brutal Hordechief

Brutal Hordechief is a mono-black card by mana cost, but a Mardu creature when its color identity looks at the activated ability. This Mardu card is a wonderful horde chief for attack-heavy decks. All your attacking creatures cause a pinging trigger, and the activated ability allows you to decide how creatures block, so you can take out opponents’ valuable creatures.

#18. Ankle Shanker

Ankle Shanker grants all your creatures deathtouch and first strike when it attacks. What a wonderful combination of keywords to make all your Mardu creatures extremely deadly in combat. This card’s haste also makes this attacking strategy even more viable. Five mana for a 2/2 seems terrible, until you add first strike and deathtouch to it and all of your other creatures.

#17. Celes, Rune Knight

Celes, Rune Knight is a wonderful Mardu card for reanimator decks. Both of this card’s abilities lend themselves to a reanimator deck. First, you have a great discard and draw outlet when this card enters. Secondly, when a creature enters from your graveyard, you give a +1/+1 counter to all of your creatures. Celes works extremely well with cards like Alesha, Who Smiles at Death and Chainer, Nightmare Adept.

#16. Ghen, Arcanum Weaver

Ghen, Arcanum Weaver is a Mardu enchantment transmuting engine. This card’s activated ability turns a sacrificed enchantment into an enchantment reanimator. This is huge if you ditch a killer enchantment like Summon: Bahamut with a cheap enchantment like Bitter Reunion and then sacrifice the latter to reanimate the former. There’s so much upside with Ghen, Arcanum Weaver in enchantment-reanimator decks.

#15. Neriv, Heart of the Storm + Neriv, Crackling Vanguard

As with most of the spirit dragons of Tarkir, both versions of Neriv can be good in certain decks. Neriv, Heart of the Storm is the most practical version of the two and focuses on boosting the damage of creatures with haste. Any effect that can double damage is huge, and the speed that haste provides can help you to close out games. This card is especially good with mass haste enablers like Mass Hysteria.

Neriv, Crackling Vanguard is an interesting card, especially as a commander, that thrives when you have many differently named tokens. The more unique tokens you have, the more cards you can play from the top of your deck.

#14. Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad is a wonderful Mardu creature for assassin decks. This card exiles assassin creatures from your graveyard to bring them back later as attacking creature tokens. Each turn, you can increase the number of tokens you create if your graveyard is full of assassin cards. You can see the huge upside if you exile and create tokens of assassin cards like Mari, the Killing Quill and Aya of Alexandria.

#13. Mr. House, President and CEO

Mr. House, President and CEO is an interesting self-supporting Treasure and token creator. This card is all about rolling a die, so let's hope you roll well. For your higher rolls, you create solid creature tokens, and if you roll a 6 or higher, create a Treasure token. The thought here is that if you can use lots of Treasures for the activated ability, you have a chance to make a ton of creature tokens. Get out your treasure cards like Hoarding Ogre and dice-rolling cards like Wyll, Blade of Frontiers.

#12. Vihaan, Goldwaker

Vihaan, Goldwaker lives up to its name and can bring life to your Treasure tokens. This Mardu card turns your Treasures into solid creatures and then gives them (and your other outlaw creatures) wonderful keywords. If you can create a good number of Treasure tokens with a card like Mahadi, Emporium Master, you can make a ton of extra and effective creature tokens.

#11. Mardu Siegebreaker

Why would you want to exile one of your creatures? Mardu Siegebreaker turns that into a token engine. Whenever this creature attacks, you can create an attacking creature token copy of the exiled card. This can be huge with any sort of Impact Tremors type effect around.

#10. Shanid, Sleepers’ Scourge

Shanid, Sleepers' Scourge is the Mardu creature to include in legendary decks, whether that’s Mardu legends or even all five colors. If you include this card in legendary decks, you provide menace for your legendary creatures and good card draw when you play legendary lands or spells. This is the kind of middle-curve card that can help get to the huge payoffs of some legendary decks.

#9. Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

Small creature reanimator decks can be just as potent as the massive-creature reanimation decks with the right build. At the helm of these builds should be a commander like Alesha, Who Smiles at Death. This card has a cheap way to reanimate your low-power creatures like Ravenous Chupacabra and extract value repeatedly.

Another similar Mardu creature is Terra, Herald of Hope. This card requires you to deal combat damage with it to a player, but you can return a creature with 3 or less power to the battlefield.

#8. Kaalia of the Vast + Kaalia, Zenith Seeker

Let’s put both the Kaalia cards, Kaalia, Zenith Seeker and Kaalia of the Vast, together because they both have a similar strategy and both are great Mardu creatures. These cards both have a focus on getting angel, demon, or dragon cards onto the battlefield or into your hand quicker.

Kaalia of the Vast is the better version because of the immense upside of cheating an overpowered angel, demon, or dragon onto the battlefield. Kaalia, Zenith Seeker provides a better creature and an on-ramp to your good flying battlecruisers.

#7. Olivia, Opulent Outlaw

Apart from the wonderful assonance, Olivia, Opulent Outlaw is a solid ramp effect and pump for outlaw decks. You can create a Treasure token every turn your outlaws deal combat damage to a player and turn your Treasures into mass pump. For 4 mana, you get a great creature, ramp, and pump!

#6. Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter

Jan Jansen, Chaos Crafter is a great engine to turn artifacts into even better resources. This card can provide excellent ramp when you sacrifice a Thopter or other weenie artifact creature token. With a card like Weapons Manufacturing, you can easily sacrifice the Munitions tokens to deal damage and gain creature tokens. There are so many great interactions that can come from this gnome artificer.

#5. Queen Marchesa

Queen Marchesa is a great Mardu creature for those multiplayer games. The monarch mechanic provides card advantage and interesting table dynamics. With many players vying to be the monarch, you’re almost guaranteed to create a few assassin tokens with this creature. Queen Marchesa fits alongside some goad commanders like Kardur, Doomscourge and Mangara, the Diplomat.

#4. Zurgo Stormrender

Zurgo Stormrender just may be your new Mardu aggro commander. This warrior commander puts a ton of pressure on opponents when you start to create and attack with an army of creature tokens. There’s a lot to love about this commander when you pair it with cards like Adeline, Resplendent Cathar or Caesar, Legion's Emperor.

Zurgo, Thunder's Decree is a more specific Zurgo commander, with a focus on warrior tokens and the mobilize mechanic.

#3. Edgar Markov

The top of this list is just the best of the best for Mardu Commander decks. Edgar Markov is a wonderful Mardu commander for vampire decks (which fits this color wedge perfectly). Not only does Edgar provide a powerful trigger even in the command zone, but it also becomes a huge pump for your vampires when it attacks. Most great Mardu creatures and commanders are cheap and quick, but the eminence mechanic and great vampire support make Edgar Markov well worth the higher MV.

#2. Caesar, Legion’s Emperor

Caesar, Legion's Emperor is a stellar Mardu commander that focuses on creature tokens. By sacrificing a creature when Caesar attacks, you get two choices from among some great modes. You can focus on pinging effects with a card like Bastion of Remembrance, or deal a ton of direct damage with an army of tokens thanks to cards like Secure the Wastes. There are so many interactions to love about this Emperor, especially if you pair it with Isshin, Two Heavens as One.

#1. Isshin, Two Heavens as One

Isshin, Two Heavens as One is the Mardu commander or support card for any deck that has attack triggers. As a commander, Isshin is cheap, and it’s awesome at increasing the advantages given by attacking immediately. When you pair Isshin with cards like Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin or Hero of Bladehold, the benefits and interactions of attacking become massive. This is the best Mardu creature because it’s cheap and effective, and it fits the Mardu spirit perfectly.

Wrap Up

Archangel of Wrath | Illustration by Miguel Mercado

Thanks for diving into the world of Mardu creatures with me. Since Mardu is a part of the more aggressive themes of the 3-color wedges, there’s always room in Limited and Constructed formats for Mardu creatures. Whether you're trying to quickly out-attack your opponents or ping them into oblivion, Mardu creatures can help.

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Stay safe, and conquer if you want to eat!