What is the best cheap budget alternative to Tom, Bert, and William?

The top vector-matched budget alternative to Tom, Bert, and William is Braids, Arisen Nightmare ($3.90), offering a 81% functional match while saving $0.00.

How can I replace Tom, Bert, and William in MTG Commander on a budget?

You can replace Tom, Bert, and William ($0.52) in EDH by swapping in lower-cost cards that share key Scryfall oracle tags like #activated-ability, #artifactify, #bottomless-mana-sink and identical color identity (B, G).

Articles/Budget Analysis

Best Multicolor budget alternatives to Tom, Bert, and William

Automated Vector Analysis• 5 min read•Updated August 3, 2026

Tom, Bert, and William

$0.52 Market

Card Breakdown: Tom, Bert, and William (Legendary Creature — Troll) acts as a key Card Advantage Engine in competitive and casual EDH / Modern formats. At $0.52, budget-conscious players can leverage vector embedding similarity to achieve comparable game effects for under $5.00.

Looking for other high-cost replacements? See our budget guides for Gaea's Cradle ($1637), The Snapstone Wielder ($428), Fruitcake Elemental ($305).

#activated-ability#artifactify#bottomless-mana-sink#burst-draw#deanimate-self#death-trigger-self#intervening-if-clause#multi-character-card#repeatable-loot#repeatable-plunder#sacrifice-outlet-creature#scales-with-power#tome

Top Vector-Ranked Budget Swaps

#1 Best Swap

Braids, Arisen Nightmare

(Legendary Creature — Nightmare)

$3.90

81% Vector Match

At the beginning of your end step, you may sacrifice an artifact, creature, enchantment, land, or planeswalker. If you do, each opponent may sacrifice a permanent of their choice that shares a card type with it. For each opponent who doesn't, that player loses 2 life and you draw a card.

Vector Synergy Breakdown

Matches Tom, Bert, and William's Legendary Creature card type and costs 2 less mana to cast (3 MV vs 5 MV). Overlaps on functional mechanics including #repeatable-plunder, #sacrifice-outlet-creature.

#repeatable-plunder #sacrifice-outlet-creature

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#2 Best Swap

Relic Vial

(Artifact)

$0.22

79% Vector Match

{2}, {T}, Sacrifice a creature: Draw a card. As long as you control a Cleric, this artifact has "Whenever a creature you control dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life."

Vector Synergy Breakdown

Functions as a Artifact alternative to Tom, Bert, and William's Legendary Creature and costs 2 less mana to cast (3 MV vs 5 MV). Overlaps on functional mechanics including #activated-ability, #repeatable-plunder, #sacrifice-outlet-creature.

#activated-ability #repeatable-plunder #sacrifice-outlet-creature #tome

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#3 Best Swap

Bag of Holding

(Artifact)

$0.31

78% Vector Match

Whenever you discard a card, exile that card from your graveyard. {2}, {T}: Draw a card, then discard a card. {4}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Return all cards exiled with this artifact to their owner's hand.

Vector Synergy Breakdown

Functions as a Artifact alternative to Tom, Bert, and William's Legendary Creature and costs 4 less mana to cast (1 MV vs 5 MV). Overlaps on functional mechanics including #activated-ability, #repeatable-loot, #tome.

#activated-ability #repeatable-loot #tome

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#4 Best Swap

Bag of Devouring

(Artifact)

$0.34

78% Vector Match

Whenever you sacrifice another nontoken artifact or creature, exile it. {2}, {T}, Sacrifice another artifact or creature: Draw a card. {3}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Roll a d10. Return up to X cards from among cards exiled with this artifact to their owners' hands, where X is the result.

Vector Synergy Breakdown

#activated-ability #repeatable-plunder #sacrifice-outlet-creature #tome

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