Rakdos, Druid of Cruelties - madness pairing at it's finest.
I have always been a fan of Rakdos, Lord of Riots and when DGM came around it seemed very playable with Zhur-Taa Druid. Not only did DGM bring the druid, but it brought Master of Cruelties which also pairs very well.
I am very curious to hear any and all opinions, this is my first major deck.
Combos
Tap Zhur-Taa Druid to get player damage to cast Rakdos, Lord of Riots early regardless of what is on the board. Once Rakdos is on the board, it makes it very easy to get Master of Cruelties, Sire Of Insanity, ect the big CMC cards out because they are mostly in the grey (see Rakdos, Lord of Riots ability)
Have a Master of Cruelties out, either wipe the board with Mizzium Mortars (I talk about mana availability later) or keep the board wiped (8 removal spells, 4 bloodrush, 2
Domri Rade
). MoC is good to wipe out an opponent's creature every time it attacks (first strike + deathtouch).
There are some tricks with Master of Cruelties. The best win scenario (which I would say happens maybe 30% of the time) is to have him out with a Zhur-Taa Druid and Rogue's Passage. Unblockable (and uncounterable) abilities brings your opponent down to 1 and Zhur-Taa Druid taps to finish the game. Also, Devil's Play offers some flexibility to get a last point of damage from your hand or graveyard.
Mana
Gyre Sage evolves with every creature in the deck except the Zhur-Taa Druid. Between those two, it is fairly easy to get up to the 6 CMC overload Mizzium Mortars cost, or also any of the high CMC creatures in the deck (turn 5 Rakdos, Lord of Riots, turn four Master of Cruelties)
Other
Utilize
Flinthoof Boar
as there is almost always a mountain on the board.
I have had great success with
Triumph of Ferocity
. Between all the removal in the deck, and the low cost high power creatures (
Flinthoof Boar
, Rakdos, Lord of Riots,
Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch
) it is either drawing extra cards or making your opponent very uneasy to do what they can so you don't get card advantage
Sideboard
Golgari Charm subs in to work with Abrupt Decay to take care of any enchantment heavy decks.
