Relentless Rats is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
This creature gets +1/+1 for each other creature on the battlefield named Relentless Rats. A deck can have any number of cards named Relentless Rats.
Complete guide
Relentless Rats is a classic Magic: The Gathering card that breaks one of the most fundamental rules of deckbuilding. While most decks are limited to four copies of a single card, these vermin thrive in overwhelming numbers. Understanding how their power scales and how they interact with the board is key to leading your swarm to victory.
Breaking the Deckbuilding Limit
The most striking feature of Relentless Rats is its final ability, which allows you to include any number of copies in your deck. This overrides the standard 'four-of' rule in formats like Constructed or Commander. However, this does not bypass format legality; you can only use them in formats where the card is legally allowed, and you cannot add them to a Limited pool from your private collection.
Strength in Numbers
Relentless Rats features a static ability that grants it +1/+1 for every other creature named Relentless Rats currently on the battlefield. This counts all Relentless Rats, including those controlled by your opponents. Because this is a static ability and not a triggered one, the bonus applies instantly as soon as a new Rat enters the battlefield or leaves it.
Timing and Lethal Damage
It is important to remember that damage remains marked on a creature until the end of the turn. If you have several Relentless Rats and one is destroyed or removed from the battlefield, the others will immediately lose their +1/+1 bonus. If a Rat had previously taken damage that turn, that damage might now equal or exceed its new, lower toughness, causing it to be destroyed as well.
When to Swarm
Since these Rats are relatively expensive at three mana, you should play them aggressively to build a board presence that outgrows your opponent's blockers. Because their power and toughness are tied to their numbers, they are most effective when you can protect the pack from board wipes or targeted removal that might cause a chain reaction of deaths.
Interaction examples
If you control one Relentless Rats, it is a 2/2. When you cast a second Relentless Rats, both creatures will see one 'other' creature named Relentless Rats. Both immediately become 3/3 creatures.
Roaming ThroneIf you play Roaming Throne and choose 'Rat', it will not affect Relentless Rats. This is because Relentless Rats has a static ability that modifies its stats, not a triggered ability (which would start with 'When', 'Whenever', or 'At').
Solemn SimulacrumWhile your deck may be full of Rats, you still need mana to cast them. Playing Solemn Simulacrum helps you search for the basic lands needed to reach your three-mana threshold faster, ensuring you can play a Rat every turn to keep the pressure on.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Relentless Rats
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Because damage remains marked on a creature until the damage is removed as the turn ends, nonlethal damage dealt to one Relentless Rats may become lethal if another Relentless Rats leaves the battlefield during that turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
The last ability of Relentless Rats lets you ignore the "four-of" rule. It doesn't let you ignore format legality. For example, during a Bloomburrow Limited event, you can't add Relentless Rats from your personal collection.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Syr Konrad, the Grim + Relentless Rats + Secret Salvage + Tormod's Crypt
- 1Cast Secret Salvage by paying
, exiling Relentless Rats from your graveyard and causing you to search your library for all copies of Relentless Rats in your library and put them into your hand. - 2Syr Konrad triggers, dealing 1 damage to each opponent.
- 3Move to your cleanup step, causing you to discard down to your maximum hand size, ensuring to discard as many copies of Relentless Rats as possible.
- 4Syr Konrad triggers for each creature card discarded this way, dealing that much damage to each opponent.
- 5Activate Tormod's Crypt by tapping and sacrificing it, exiling your graveyard.
- 6Syr Konrad triggers for each creature card exiled this way, dealing that much damage to each opponent.
Syr Konrad, the Grim + Relentless Rats + Secret Salvage + Surgical Extraction
- 1Cast Secret Salvage by paying , exiling Relentless Rats from your graveyard and causing you to search your library for all copies of Relentless Rats in your library and put them into your hand.
- 2Syr Konrad triggers, dealing 1 damage to each opponent.
- 3Move to your cleanup step, causing you to discard down to your maximum hand size, ensuring to discard as many copies of Relentless Rats as possible.
- 4Syr Konrad triggers for each creature card discarded this way, dealing that much damage to each opponent.
- 5During the next player's turn, cast Surgical Extraction by paying
, exiling all copies of Relentless Rats from your graveyard. - 6Syr Konrad triggers for each creature card exiled this way, dealing that much damage to each opponent.
Syr Konrad, the Grim + Relentless Rats + Secret Salvage + Tormod's Cryptkeeper
- 1Cast Secret Salvage by paying , exiling Relentless Rats from your graveyard and causing you to search your library for all copies of Relentless Rats in your library and put them into your hand.
- 2Syr Konrad triggers, dealing 1 damage to each opponent.
- 3Move to your cleanup step, causing you to discard down to your maximum hand size, ensuring to discard as many copies of Relentless Rats as possible.
- 4Syr Konrad triggers for each creature card discarded this way, dealing that much damage to each opponent.
- 5Activate Tormod's Cryptkeeper by tapping and sacrificing it.
- 6When Tormod's Cryptkeeper dies, Syr Konrad triggers, dealing 1 damage to each opponent.
- 7Resolve the Tormod's Cryptkeeper ability, exiling your graveyard.
- 8Syr Konrad triggers for each creature card exiled this way, dealing that much damage to each opponent.
Legal formats
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