Rite of Belzenlok

Enchantment — Saga

(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)

, — Create two 0/1 black Cleric creature tokens.

— Create a 6/6 black Demon creature token with flying, trample, and "At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice another creature. If you can't, this creature deals 6 damage to you."

Tokens

• Cleric 0/1 B
• Demon 6/6 B w/ Trample

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Freeform	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Historic Brawl	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (48)

Czarnian90 on Hellegion, Shadows and Flames (Raphael)

4 months ago

After several more battles, things have begun to shift within the Hellegion. While the Balrog couldn’t even be bothered to wake, another giant is slowly taking the stage. Rakdos’s power and strength are rising, and so is his influence within the Hellegion. It’s becoming very likely that he’ll soon demand the position of commander.

Several black demons have stepped back, leaving Hellegion in search of their own designs. Who knows if they’ll return or reappear in another deck. I’ve heard whispers about Liliana — she would probably welcome some of them.

Feaster of Fools, Goremand, Arbiter of Woe, Dreadhound, Archfiend of Spite, and Embodiment of Agonies have departed. Perforating Artist no longer amuses Rakdos with his petty tricks, and the skeletons have turned to dust.

Rakdos’s growing presence is felt in cards like Rakdos, the Showstopper and Rakdos Joins Up. Juri, Master of the Revue joins to us, and there's now more spotlight for Judith through Judith, Carnage Connoisseur.

Belzenlok’s influence deepens with Rite of Belzenlok, and someone powerful has joined the Hellegion — Ardyn, the Usurper. Though his price is high and he leans heavily into black, I decided to accept his services.

But other beings circle the fire, waiting for their moment.

As Rakdos’s power swells, cards like Rakdos, Patron of Chaos and the guild’s signature mana rocks — Rakdos Cluestone, Rakdos Keyrune, Rakdos Locket — are seeing more attention to support the shift toward a stronger Rakdos color identity.

Infernal Grasp is another devilish trick straight from the pit.

The paths ahead are unclear. Dark beings still linger at the edge, ready to offer their power to the Hellegion — for a price: Skirsdag High Priest, Doom Whisperer, Overseer of the Damned, Spawn of Mayhem, and others...

I also cracked a Mount Doom recently and added it to the deck. I think it fits quite well here.

Czarnian90 on Hellegion, Shadows and Flames (Raphael)

4 months ago

Commander Update: Shadows Rise, Flames Burn

After several games against tough opponents, I’ve made a few changes to the deck and, more importantly, swapped the commander of the Hellegion. The Balrog, Durin's Bane is still very much part of the deck—playing him as a commander was fun and flavorful, but I wanted a leader who can impact my board more directly and help set the pace of the game. The Balrog remains a force of nature, and having him lurking in the deck, ready to be unleashed, still feels great. I believe he’ll continue to be a major threat even when he's not always leading the charge.

Raphael, Fiendish Savior steps in as the new commander, supporting the game plan more consistently. He helps stabilize the board, buffs my army, and sets the stage for the Balrog’s arrival. I run several cards that can fetch him straight from the deck—Blood Speaker, Demonlord Belzenlok, Rune-Scarred Demon, Icon of Ancestry, Ob Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted, and others—so even as a lurking horror, he’s never too far away.

I also added more damage-dealing spells for better control and direct pressure on opponents. Beyond classics like Devil's Play, Terminate, and Dreadbore, I’ve added Hell to Pay and Rakdos's Return to punish hands and boards alike. On top of that, I doubled down on devil token synergy and death-triggered burn effects. These little fiends now serve not just as blockers or sac fodder, but as a win condition on their own—especially when paired with Raphael’s lifelink boost. Every dying devil becomes pain for the enemy and healing for me.

I’ve now included four versions of Ob Nixilis — yes, it’s a bit much, but each fills a unique role. This one Ob Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted punishes card draw and bolsters removal. Tibalt, Rakish Instigator is still here too, classic devil support: fueling tokens and preventing opponents from healing the damage my demons and devils dish out. They don’t live long, but if timed right, their impact is massive.

I’ve also added some recursion (Oversold Cemetery) and a spicy alternate wincon in Liliana's Contract.

Some bigger demons were swapped out for stronger synergy or pure flavor—welcome Asmodeus the Archfiend, Balor, Kardur, Doomscourge, and others to the Hellegion.

Sadly, a few cards had to go — Imskir Iron-Eater, Archfiend of Sorrows, some regenerating skeletons, and a handful of artifacts are no longer marching with the legion.

I still have a few cards waiting on the bench—Burn Down the House, Rakdos Keyrune, Doom Whisperer, Overseer of the Damned, Skirsdag High Priest, Spawn of Mayhem, Breath of Malfegor — and I’ll be testing space for them soon.

In the long run, I’d love to add some heavier hitters and staples like Kindred Dominance, Altar of Shadows, Bontu's Monument, Krav, the Unredeemed, Rite of Belzenlok, Demonic TutorGC, Sudden Spoiling, Grave Pact, Dark Prophecy, Attrition, Vilis, Broker of Blood, Razaketh, the Foulblooded, Pestilence Demon, Lord of the Void, Archfiend of Depravity, and especially Karlach, Fury of Avernus.

We’ll see where the Hellegion marches next—and who joins, or falls, along the way.

Daedalus19876 on Message from Surgeon-General Yawgmoth Re: COVID-19

4 years ago

Upgrade is finally made! For now, I'm going with adding Opposition Agent, Szat's Will, Jeweled Lotus, and Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools, and removing Black Market, Netherborn Altar, Rite of Belzenlok, and Murderous Rider (for now). Bloodchief Ascension would probably have been a better cut than Rider, but I just have a personal fondness for that card...

Daedalus19876 on Message from Surgeon-General Yawgmoth Re: COVID-19

4 years ago

manvsamerica: I'll work to update it soon! Rite of Belzenlok and Black Market and Netherborn Altar are definitely out. Liliana's Standard Bearer is really strong, but I'll consider it. Ugin is a potential cut, but I'm unsure. I also need to add some stuff from Zendikar Rising, so I'm considering...

manvsamerica on Message from Surgeon-General Yawgmoth Re: COVID-19

4 years ago

So, to summarize:

IN - Opposition Agent, Szat's Will, Jeweled Lotus, Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools

OUT - ????

Rite of Belzenlok, Liliana's Standard Bearer, and Black Market have been thrown around as possible cuts. Easy enough to swap for Tevesh, Agent, and Will, but what do we cut for Lotus?

Daedalus19876 I would love to see this updated when you get a chance.

Daedalus19876 on Message from Surgeon-General Yawgmoth Re: COVID-19

4 years ago

Archon_Bel: I need to update this list, I've made some changes. I'm not an OVERWHELMING fan of Huntmaster, I was probably cutting Rite of Belzenlok for Tevesh Szat, but the other changes you made are all ones I approve of.

As always, thank you for the insight! Huntmaster wasn't on my radar before, and now I'm considering him -- he's convenient as something I can discard and get back later at my leisure :D

How do you feel about Jeweled Lotus?

Archon_Bel on Message from Surgeon-General Yawgmoth Re: COVID-19

4 years ago

Daedalus19876 I was wondering what you thought of some of the new cards from Commander Legends. We got a good number of things to mess around with, and I'm also super excited to play with Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools and Szat's Will in the deck. Szat let's you +2 to effectively draw 2 with Yawgmoth out, or +1 to draw 2 anyway, so it seems super good. Plus, it's another sac outlet, and his ultimate is potentially reachable with Yawgmoth's proliferate!

It also took me a while to realize that Szat's Will is an instant; I thought it was a sorcery for some reason, but it being an instant makes it much better and useful since you will likely be able to use it as both removal and token generation (which around mid-game when this card would likely be cast, could net you around 4+ tokens). Also... instant mass Bojuka Bog lmao.

Perhaps you could try cutting Black Market for the planeswalker, at least. I don't really like upkeep effects like that anymore, but I can see why you'd use it since it's potentially a shit ton of mana.

Other cards that caught my eye were Exquisite Huntmaster and Opposition Agent. I cut my copy of Rite of Belzenlok for Huntmaster since it can give you more mileage, a max total of 8 creatures to sacrifice (provided you still have 3 opponents). Opposition Agent is also... stupidly good, so I decided to swap it in as a replacement for Liliana's Standard Bearer since drawing isn't really hard at all in the deck.

mortilus on Elenda, the Sacrificial Rose

5 years ago

Tokens: * Sengir Autocrat * Weaponcraft Enthusiast * Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder * Carrion * Rite of Belzenlok * Ogre Slumlord * Plague of Vermin

Only because i only looked at my Gisa deck