Accursed Marauder:
The Cursed Raider That Keeps Coming Back! 🧟♂️💀
Few things in Magic: The Gathering are as satisfying as punishing your opponents even in death. Accursed Marauder from Commander Legends does exactly that. This black Zombie Pirate not only brings efficient stats for its cost but also comes with an ability that turns the tables even when it dies, proving that curses can be a blessing in disguise.
Let’s dive into what makes Accursed Marauder a deceptively powerful addition to your deck.
Card Text
Accursed Marauder
{1}{B} Creature — Zombie Pirate
4/3
Flying
When Accursed Marauder dies, you may choose an opponent. If you do, until your next turn, whenever a creature that player controls attacks, it deals damage equal to its power to that player.
See this card on Moxfield </div> —
The Mechanics – Why Accursed Marauder Shines
1. Solid Stats for the Cost
Accursed Marauder provides a 4/3 flying body for 4 mana—a solid offensive option for midrange or aggressive strategies. Flying ensures it can evade ground blockers, making it a reliable source of damage.
- Efficient Attacker: As a 4/3 flyer, it can pressure life totals quickly.
- Utility Blocker: Its stats and evasion make it a decent defensive option, trading with other flyers effectively.
2. Death Effect – Punish Your Opponent’s Aggression
The standout feature of Accursed Marauder is its death trigger. When it dies, you can target an opponent, and their creatures will deal damage to them when they attack until your next turn. This mechanic is a fantastic deterrent in multiplayer formats like Commander, shifting aggression away from you.
- Political Weapon: In multiplayer, targeting an aggressive opponent with the death effect discourages them from attacking recklessly.
- Combo Potential: Combine with cards that force attacks (e.g., Disrupt Decorum or Fumiko the Lowblood) to weaponize your opponent’s own board against them.
- Defensive Utility: Sacrifice the Marauder strategically to discourage an opponent’s combat phase.
Strategic Applications
Commander Multiplayer Potential
Accursed Marauder thrives in Commander due to its ability to manipulate combat dynamics and deter aggression.
- Key Role: Use the Marauder’s death trigger as a bargaining chip in multiplayer games, punishing opponents who might otherwise target you.
- Sacrifice Synergy: In decks with sacrifice outlets (Phyrexian Altar, Ashnod’s Altar), the Marauder can repeatedly die to keep your opponents off balance.
Synergies and Combos
1. Sacrifice Engines
Sacrificing Accursed Marauder at will allows you to repeatedly trigger its death effect.
- Viscera Seer: A free sac outlet for repeated death triggers.
- Dictate of Erebos: Pairing sacrifice with this enchantment forces your opponents to sacrifice creatures while dealing self-inflicted damage.
2. Force Attacks
Cards that force your opponents’ creatures to attack shine alongside the Marauder’s death trigger.
- Disrupt Decorum: Goats opponents’ creatures, ensuring they attack.
- Fumiko the Lowblood: Forces all creatures to attack each combat if able.
- Bedlam: Prevents creatures from blocking, guaranteeing attacks.
3. Recursion Effects
Recursion allows the Marauder to return repeatedly, maximizing its utility.
- Unearth: Bring the Marauder back for a second round.
- Phyrexian Reclamation: Cheaply returns the Marauder to your hand for reuse.
- Liliana, Heretical Healer: Pairs perfectly with the Marauder to fuel recursion loops.
Strengths
- Multiplayer Impact: The death trigger shifts aggression away from you and weaponizes opponents’ boards.
- Flying Threat: As a 4/3 flyer, it applies pressure and serves as a decent blocker.
- Budget-Friendly: Accursed Marauder is accessible and effective in casual and competitive settings alike.
Weaknesses
- Toughness: With only 3 toughness, the Marauder dies to most burn spells and trades down against smaller flyers.
- Reliance on Death: The card’s main utility comes from its death trigger, so opponents may avoid removing it if they don’t want the effect to trigger.
- Single Target: The death trigger affects only one opponent, limiting its effectiveness in certain multiplayer scenarios.
Accursed Marauder in Commander
Accursed Marauder is a fantastic inclusion in sacrifice, Zombie tribal, or political Commander decks. It works well in archetypes that aim to manipulate combat dynamics or benefit from creatures dying.
Recommended Commanders:
- Meren of Clan Nel Toth: Recursively bring back the Marauder to repeatedly trigger its death effect.
- Tymaret, the Murder King: Sacrifice the Marauder on-demand for damage and its death trigger.
- The Scarab God: Exile the Marauder from your graveyard to create a token that retains its death effect.
- Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant: Force opponents to attack while discouraging them from targeting you.
Final Thoughts
Accursed Marauder is a card that thrives in multiplayer formats, where its death trigger can dramatically alter combat politics. Whether you’re dissuading aggression, weaponizing opponents’ boards, or leveraging sacrifice synergies, this Zombie Pirate is a must-have for players who enjoy strategic flexibility and a touch of chaos.
For more details on Accursed Marauder, check out its Moxfield page here.
“In death, the Marauder still plunders—this time, it’s their life totals.”
Until next time,
HotMagic Team