All 10 Unlimited Copies “Relentless” Cards in Magic Ranked

Last updated on December 26, 2025

Relentless Rats | Illustration by Godmachine

Today, we're diving into the wild world of cards that love to break the rules, sticking their tongues out at the restrictions that bind them. You know, those sneaky little rascals that refuse to play by the usual deck-building conventions. The renegades of the cardboard realm, the rebels among the stack, the mischievous mavericks of MTG.

That's right, my friends, we're delving into the enchanting realm of cards akin to the infamous Relentless Rats! Let's explore how these cards turn the laws of deck construction on their heads. Turns out there are quite a few more than the original black rat!

Intrigued? Let's get into it!

What Are Relentless Cards in MTG?

Seven Dwarves | Illustration by Jason Rainville

”Relentless” cards are a reference to the popular Magic card Relentless Rats, a creature with a clause that bypasses the restriction in some Constructed formats where you can’t play more than four cards with the same name in your deck. This means that you can have as many copies in your deck as your heart desires.

I will also include additional cards like the Nazgûl, which is restricted to nine copies, but still bypasses the regular 4-copy restriction. This is huge in Commander, as it also overwrites the singleton rule.

#10. Templar Knight

There are so many things working against Templar Knight, which really quells any enthusiasm people might've had when this was revealed as the first white “unlimited” copy card. Five copies that have to be attacking? Unreasonable, I don't care how many of these you jam into a deck. And the reward is getting a legendary artifact for free. That's strong (if it ever happens), but not exactly game-winning enough to be worth the trouble of filling a deck with a bunch of 2-mana 3/1s.

It's also an Assassin's Creed card, which means it's in a product that wasn't opened much and doesn't have as many reprint opportunities. If these ever get expensive, it's going to be a pain for anyone trying to build this deck. Stick to the other white creature on this list if you want to go this route.

#9. Seven Dwarves

This card is low on the list because it lets you run the least number of copies. Still, it's a reference to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, so it's kind of a cute background lore. Seven Dwarves cards are primarily seen in Magda, Brazen Outlaw, where it overperforms with the commander’s ability, so if you’re building a deck around Magda, these are a must include.

#8. Hare Apparent

Hare Apparent is like the version of Seven Dwarves that wants to go wide instead of tall. Each Hare gives you progressively more rabbit tokens than the last one, which can get out of hand with blink and recursion effects. Bloomburrow even gave rabbits a full wave of support cards, so this unassuming 2-drop apparently has more friends than you'd assume.

#7. Slime Against Humanity

Lots of fun and funny things you can do with Slime Against Humanity. Self-mill? +1/+1 counters? Ooze typal? The first slime probably isn't all that impressive, but by the time you're casting one or two of these every turn, you should be dropping huge creatures for just 3 mana a pop. The deck also dodges graveyard hate, since the card counts all copies in your graveyard and in exile.

#6. Nazgûl

I love the design on this card as it allows you to play up to nine copies of it in any given deck, a reference to the nine loyal servants of Sauron in The Lord of the Rings. Aside from that, I love how resilient deathtouch makes it, and it also has a “Ring tempts you” ability. This makes it better in combat, and it also grows with other cards that cause the Ring to tempt you, plus grows your other non-Nazgûl wraiths if you happen to be playing any.

#5. Dragon's Approach

All remaining cards on this list have no limit on how many copies you can run in a given deck. Dragon's Approach is a neat one that can be run alongside cards like Pyromancer Ascension, which is otherwise unplayable in Commander.

#4. Shadowborn Apostle

Shadowborn Apostle has some ideal commander pairings like Athreos, God of Passage, who can recur them once they hit the graveyard when you sacrifice them. Your opponents will not only have to deal with your newly added demon, but they will have to pay 3 life for each Shadowborn Apostle to prevent them from returning to your hand.

#3. Persistent Petitioners

Phenax, God of Deception loves to have Persistent Petitioners as part of their core plan. It may seem like a niche strategy initially, but it's quite solid once you have your mill commander in play and multiple of these creatures already on the table.

#2. Rat Colony

I think pretty much every big rat commander runs this card as a part of its core strategy, as it's cheap and it grows regardless of which rats you control. As long as they have the rat type, your Rat Colony can quickly grow out of range. Oh, and did I mention that it's a somewhat solid strategy in Vintage? If you are curious about it, keep reading!

#1. Relentless Rats

Relentless Rats is more expensive than Rat Colony, but giving your rats extra toughness is very relevant, especially when you try to compete with bigger creatures that your opponent might have. These rats claim the first spot due to tenure and for being the name this type of card is based on. Though you could easily build a Commander deck around either Relentless Rats or Rat Colony.

Best Relentless Cards Payoffs

So, what makes this kind of card playable, especially in Commander decks? Surprisingly a decent number of cards, so let's dig into the ones that stand out the most.

I briefly mentioned that Rat Colony is a decent strategy in Vintage, and it's all thanks to Thrumming Stone. This card lets you ripple cards from the top of your library for free if they share the exact name of the card you’re casting. Since Vintage is full of overpowered mana rocks like Sol Ring or Black Lotus, you can end up filling the board and winning the game in one turn if your opponent doesn't have any interaction. Thrumming Stone is a must-have addition to any of these relentless decks.

Marrow-Gnawer works particularly well with Rat Colony and Relentless Rats, as you will start growing your board relative to the number of rats you control while also pumping each of your remaining Colonies.

If you are looking to cast multiple relentless cards with a discount, you can rely on Semblance Anvil to make the rest of your cards cheaper.

Spellweaver Helix works particularly well with Dragon's Approach, as most of your sorceries will just be copies of Approach. The trick is to exile something like a Mana Geyser as your second card to have access to tons of mana every time you play a Dragon's Approach.

Pyromancer Ascension and Harness the Storm are spell payoffs that don't really work in EDH, but become actual role-players alongside the instant/sorcery cards on this list, like Dragon's Approach or Slime Against Humanity.

It’s necessary to run some number of tutors in order to find your payoffs in the sea of relentless creatures. Demonic Tutor‘s always an option, but these styles of deck get to play rarely-used tutors like Infernal Tutor and March of Burgeoning Life to great effect. Where else are you going to see those cards in EDH?

Is Relentless Rats Legal in Commander? Are Any of these Cards?

Relentless Rats and all of the other similar cards are Commander legal. Seven Dwarves and Nazgûl have restrictions on how many you can play, but you can include up to that many of each.

Wrap-Up

Nazgûl | Illustration by Igor Krstic

And there you have it, a list of all the cards with a “Relentless” effect. From the ever-popular Relentless Rats Lord of the Rings‘ Nazgûl, these cards offer exciting and different play patterns and deck-building opportunities that would be otherwise impossible to accomplish in formats like Commander. These cards are an excellent way to remind us that bending the rules can sometimes lead to thrilling games and unexpected strategies.

What do you think? What is your favorite “Relentless” card so far? Please let us know in the comments! Also, remember to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to stay tuned for future MTG-related content.

As always, take care, and we will catch up on the next article!