Corrupted EtrataEtrata · Dimir · B4

Dimir theft aggro · Bracket 4

CorruptedEtrata

The dark side of the Etrata deck: Etrata, Deadly Fugitive at the head of the heist closer, a Bracket 4 theft-aggro list. Cheap evasive Assassins on turns 1 and 2, Etrata the turn one of them connects, and every hit steals the top card of a library as a face-down 2/2 that attacks for you next turn. Ramses, Assassin Lord is the kill: once an Assassin of yours has attacked a player, their death wins you the game. The vampire drain loop is the second kill. Here's the full manual: a guide in steps, every card with rulings, both kills, a checklist to play with, a quiz to learn it fast, and a real game to practise against.

  • Bracket 4
  • 37 lands
  • 2 kills
  • 8 tutors
Start the guide Start training Play a game
100
cards, 37 lands, 15 of them basics
2.7
average mana value of the nonland cards
7.3
cards stolen a game against three precons (bot games)
47.9%
of four-player bot games won against three precons

How the deck wins

Sneak in, steal, snowball, kill one

  1. 1
    Cheap evasive Assassins

    Changeling Outcast, Hired Poisoner, Slither Blade, Mothdust Changeling and Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive on turns 1 and 2, with Sol Ring, the Moxes, Dark Ritual and Ancient Tomb behind them.

  2. 2
    Etrata when one connects

    Her trigger works the turn she's cast. Each Assassin hit cloaks the top card of that player's library: a face-down 2/2 with ward {2}, yours, that attacks next turn.

  3. 3
    The snowball

    Leyline of Transformation, Arcane Adaptation or Roshan, Hidden Magister make the stolen 2/2s Assassins, so they steal too. They Came from the Pipes and Satoru, the Infiltrator turn the steals into cards.

  4. 4
    Kill one player

    Ramses, Assassin Lord turns one death into the game, and the drain loop kills the table. See the kills.

The guide

Learn it track by track

Sixteen short chapters, from the deck in 60 seconds to the piloting rules, the numbers and the rules corner. Your place is saved on this device.

Memorize it

Quiz yourself

117 questions on the kills, tutors, cloaks, cards, rules and game plan, plus flashcards for every card. Questions you miss come back more often.

Start the quizOpen the play checklist
LiveTake Corrupted Etrata to a four-player podA real Commander game against bots dealt at random. The light bulb shows live tips (which kill is live, what to tutor, who to mark) and the turn checklist. The v3 drain list is in the deck picker too.

The guide · 16 tracks

Step by step

Tap a track to read it. Each one ends with the next.

    Kills & how to get through

    How to actually win

    Two kills. Ramses, Assassin Lord turns one dead player into the game, and the drain loop kills the whole table. Tutor for Ramses first, pick one player, and send everything that gets through at them. Tell your table about Ramses and the two-card loop before you play.

    Kill 1One death is the gameRamses' verdict
    +oror+
    You need
    Ramses on the battlefield when a player loses, and an Assassin you controlled attacked that player this turn.
    Speed
    Your turn, in combat or after it. Any way they lose counts.
    1. Pick the mark: the player your board kills soonest. Declare your Assassins as attackers against that player (not their planeswalker). Attacked is enough: the Assassin doesn't have to hit or survive.
    2. Virtus the Veiled, Unstoppable Slasher or a creature with Quietus Spike deals combat damage: that player loses half their life, rounded up.
    3. Bloodletter of Aclazotz: on your turn, opponents lose twice as much life as they would. Half doubled is all of it.
    4. That player loses the game. They were attacked by an Assassin you controlled this turn, so Ramses' trigger wins you the game.

    The halver is a shortcut, not a requirement

    Any death after the attack wins: combat damage, the drain loop, Vein Ripper. Ramses can even arrive late: cast him in your second main phase and a death after that still counts. In bot games his trigger made the last kill in 50% of the wins against the precons and 46% against Bracket 4.

    Kill 2Drain the tableThe drain loop
    or+or
    You need
    One of each side on the battlefield, then any opponent losing life or you gaining life.
    Speed
    Any turn. No mana once both are out.
    1. An opponent loses life: your attack, Vein Ripper, Ashnod's Altar sacrificing a stolen 2/2 to Vein Ripper, their own fetch land or shock land.
    2. Exquisite Blood or Bloodthirsty Conqueror: you gain that much life.
    3. Sanguine Bond or Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose: target opponent loses that much life.
    4. That life loss triggers the drain card again. It loops until every opponent is at 0.

    It wins without Ramses

    It's the only other card pair in the deck that kills three players at once. In bot games it made 36% of the kills against the precons, and the deck still won 38% of the games where Ramses never landed (the list without the loop: 17%). With Ramses out, the first player it kills after your attack already wins the game.

    ReachOne hit, all their lifeHalf, doubled: Bloodletter + a halver
    +oror
    1. Bloodletter of Aclazotz: during your turn, an opponent who would lose life loses twice that much instead.
    2. The halver deals combat damage, doubled. Then its trigger: half their life, rounded up, counted when it resolves, after the damage. Doubled, that's all of it.
    3. It kills the player it hits, not the table. Without Ramses that's one player; with him, it's the game.

    Only on your turn

    Bloodletter does nothing on an opponent's turn. Without it, a halver takes half: two hits on the same player in one combat still leave them at 1 or more.

    SupportPast the blockers and the wrathsGetting through
    ·····
    1. Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive: your creatures with power or toughness 1 or less can't be blocked. Rogue's Passage ({4}, {T}) does it for one creature of any size.
    2. Reverse the Polarity: creatures can't be blocked this turn, or, in the other mode, counter all other spells.
    3. Eldrazi Monument: +1/+1, flying and indestructible for the whole team. Each upkeep, sacrifice a creature (a stolen 2/2 is fine) or the Monument.
    4. Teferi's Veil: each creature that attacks phases out at end of combat and phases back in at your next untap, so the wraths cast on other players' turns miss it. Once it's out, attack with everything that gets through.
    5. Kindred Dominance: name Assassin and every other creature dies. With a type-changer out, the stolen 2/2s are Assassins and stay.

    Pumps break Tetsuko

    Tetsuko checks power and toughness as blockers are declared. Once Ramses or Achilles Davenport gives your Assassins +1/+1, Virtus and the other 1/1s are 2/2 and can be blocked. Changeling Outcast and Slither Blade don't care: their own text does it.

    How to play it

    The nine piloting rules

    Each rule was measured in bot games, against three precons / three Bracket 4 bots. Humans kill Ramses faster than bots do, so trust the order of the rules more than the exact points.

    Find the missing piece

    The tutor map

    Eight tutors, Pyre of Heroes and Reanimate included. Ramses first, every time: in bot games, tutoring anything else first cost 8 to 11 points.

    Play with it open

    The turn checklist

    What to check at each moment of a game, in order. Tick items as you go; the ticks stay on this device until you clear them. The same list is in the game's Coach panel.

    Get better at this deck

    Training

    Drills for the decisions this deck lives on, puzzles in the real game, assessment games that record every choice you make, and a personal analysis once you've done the work. Everything stays on this device.

    Short sessions

    Drills

    Six drills of ten questions or so: Mulligan Lab, Kill Spotter, Tutor Target, Stack Sentinel, Clock Math and Threat Read. The mulligans, boards and tutor spots are generated by the game engine from the real 99, so a new session is new questions. Every answer comes with the reason.

    One turn to win

    Puzzles

    A set board, your turn, a goal: the first hit, half doubled, Ramses' verdict, the drain loop, Kindred Dominance and more. You play it in the real game: the bots block, respond and counter like they would in a game.

    Memorize it

    Quiz

    Questions you get wrong come back often; ones you know move up a box and show up less. Learned means box 3 or higher. Progress stays on this device.

    Real games, recorded

    Games and reviews

    How you play it

    Your analysis

    The setlist

    All 100 cards

    Tap any card for its full entry.

    Glossary

    Every keyword in this deck

    What each term means, and which of your cards use it.

    FAQ

    Questions people ask about this deck

    Setting up the table…

    Opening the Arena…

    Opening the Arena…

    Opening the Arena…

    Opening the Arena…

    Opening the Arena…

    Opening the Arena…

    Opening the Arena…

    Piano roll

    The whole deck as a score

    Every nonland card is a note: its lane is its role, its position is its mana value. Tap a note to open the card.

    Mana curve

    The levels

    Nonland cards by mana value. X costs count as 0 plus their fixed symbols. Tap a bar to list its cards.

    63 nonland cardspeak at 1 and 2 mana
    Card types100 cards

    Colors

    Pips against sources

    How much each color is asked for in mana costs, and how many of your lands make it.

    Roles

    What the 99 do

    A card can fill more than one role, so the bars add up to more than 99.

    Draw odds

    What are the chances?

    Exact odds from the real 99: how likely you are to see a card, or a group of cards, by a given turn.

    Opening hands

    Lands in your first seven

    37 lands in the 99 (Ancient Tomb included), plus seven pieces of fast mana. How often each count shows up in a fresh seven.

    Strength

    A mid Bracket 4 aggro deck

    Bracket 4 is "Optimized": no limit on Game Changers, two-card combos or tutors, but not built for the cEDH tournament meta. This deck plays 9 Game Changers and none of its cards is banned. In 5,040 four-player bot games against three precons it won 47.9%, and 27.5% against three Bracket 4 bots, with an average winning round of 9.0 and 8.0. These are bot games: humans at a Bracket 4 table kill Ramses faster and hold up more interaction, so expect less at a real table. The order of the lists and the piloting rules are what carries over.

    Why it's strong

    • Nine evasive Assassins and changelings cost one or two mana, and seven pieces of fast mana plus Ancient Tomb put them down early.
    • Etrata steals: 7.3 cards a game against the precons and 5.1 against Bracket 4, in bot games. Without her the deck won 16.7 points less against the precons.
    • One death is the game once Ramses, Assassin Lord is out, and eight tutors find him. With him the deck won 56% / 44%.
    • The drain loop is a second kill that doesn't need Ramses: 38% of the games without him still won against the precons (17% for the list without the loop).
    • Teferi's Veil, Eldrazi Monument and Kindred Dominance keep the board alive through wraths.

    What holds it back

    • It leans on Ramses. He landed in 54% / 36% of bot games; without him it won 38% / 18%.
    • Wraths on their owners' turns are what removed Ramses most often in the bot games, and a bigger pile of face-down 2/2s loses more to them.
    • A deck of 1/1s and 2/2s runs into blockers. Pumps from Ramses and Achilles Davenport turn off Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive.
    • Demonic Consultation and the draw engines can deck you: 8% of the losses against the precons were an empty library.

    Game Changers in the deck (9)

    Imperial Seal, Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, Rhystic Study, Fierce Guardianship, Force of Will, Cyclonic Rift, Chrome Mox and Ancient Tomb. The brackets are still in beta, so check the official list before a game.

    The numbers

    Every list in the same engine

    Four-player bot games, the hero against three precons / three Bracket 4 bots, paired seeds. ± is one standard error.

    Your other decks

    Corrupted Etrata vs Etrata

    Same commander, and this time the same idea. The Etrata deck is a Bracket 3 Assassin deck that cloaks and steals through combat, with a Bracket 4 aggro upgrade. The heist closer is that plan built on a Bracket 4 shell: more fast mana, more tutors, free counters, Ramses as the kill and the drain loop behind it. In the same bot engine the Etrata Bracket 4 aggro list won 25.4% against three precons and 14.7% against three Bracket 4 bots; the heist closer won 47.9% and 27.5%. The v3 drain list this site used to document won more (68.0% / 41.7%), but almost all of it from the combo, not from Etrata. Don't bring the heist to a Bracket 3 table. 43 of its 100 cards come from the Etrata deck, basics included. These are bot games, not playtesting: humans kill Ramses faster.

    Your record

    Your games against the bots

    Saved on this device when you finish a game in the Play tab.

    Build it

    From your Etrata deck, plus 57 proxies

    You build this one from your current Etrata deck: 43 of the 100 cards come straight out of it. That's Etrata, Changeling Outcast, Mothdust Changeling, Brotherhood Spy, Unstoppable Slasher, Ramses, Assassin Lord, Roshan, Hidden Magister, Spark Double, Basim Ibn Ishaq, the type-changers Leyline of Transformation and Arcane Adaptation, They Came from the Pipes, Preordain, Sol Ring, Dark Ritual, Arcane Signet, Talisman of Dominance, 12 lands and 15 basics (8 Islands and 7 Swamps). The other 57 are proxies. Real copies of those would cost about $1,292, so proxying saves almost the whole price. Tell your table they're proxies before you play.

    What it costs

    If you buy the real cards: about $1,323

    The whole list costs about $1,323 (about 1,125€ at ×0.85), with 9 Game Changers. The biggest cards are Imperial Seal ($171), Mox Amber ($88), Demonic Tutor ($63), Rhystic Study ($62), Fierce Guardianship ($60) and Ancient Tomb ($57). Prices are Scryfall's TCGplayer market price for each card's cheapest nonfoil paper printing, from its data of 2026-10-05. The cards also in the Etrata deck start ticked. Tick what you own to see what's left.

    Tuning

    Cards that didn't make the 100

    Cards the research tested and cut, with what they did in bot games (Δ win rate against three precons / three Bracket 4 bots, paired games). A human pilot can get more out of some of them than the bot did.

    CardWhy
    Mana Drain, Swiftfoot BootsCut for basic lands in the bot games, and the counters' numbers say as much about the bot's counter play as about the cards. If you trust your own counter play, 35 to 36 lands with these two back is the human-adjusted version. The engine can't measure it.
    Blade of SelvesMyriad: one Assassin attacks all three players, three cloaks from one attack. 0.0 / −0.8 for the bot; better when you equip it while the table is tapped out.
    Strionic ResonatorCopies a cloak trigger or a halver's trigger. 0.0 / −0.8 for the bot; a human holds it for the Quietus Spike hit.
    Animate Dead, NecromancyMore ways to bring Ramses back. −0.4 / −3.4: they're live only once he has died.
    Hullcarver, Desmond Miles, Skullclamp, Maskwood NexusThe heist snowball list plays them instead of the drain loop and Kindred Dominance. That list measured 7.5 / 4.0 points lower.
    HatredA one-shot kill with Ramses. Holding five mana for it measured −0.8 / −0.5, and it was cast in 3% of games.

    The 100

    Corrupted Etrata, all 100

    Three lists: the heist closer (this site's deck), the heist snowball without the loop, and the v3 drain list this site used to document. The v3 list stays playable in the Play tab's deck picker, and its cards are in the Cards tab under the "v3 drain list" filter. The heist closer's setlist is in Cards, under Setlist, with a copy button.

    Open the setlist