Rakdos, Lord of Shadows & Combos

Commander / EDH BR (Rakdos)

Starlutin

Creature (36)

• 1x Ancestral Statue
• 1x Blazing Specter
• 1x Combustible Gearhulk
• 1x Dauthi Horror
• 1x Dauthi Marauder
• 1x Dauthi Slayer
• 1x Dauthi Voidwalker
• 1x Disciple of Bolas
• 1x Duplicant
• 1x Flametongue Kavu
• 1x Gray Merchant of Asphodel
• 1x Grim Lavamancer
• 1x Hypnotic Specter
• 1x Ilharg, the Raze-Boar
• 1x Imperial Recruiter
• 1x Knollspine Dragon
• 1x Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
• 1x Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger
• 1x Nullstone Gargoyle
• 1x Oona's Prowler
• 1x Plague Spitter
• 1x Priest of Gix
• 1x Priest of Urabrask
• 1x Purphoros, God of the Forge
• 1x Rune-Scarred Demon
• 1x Scuttling Doom Engine
• 1x Sidisi, Undead Vizier
• 1x Sin Prodder
• 1x Sire Of Insanity
• 1x Steel Hellkite
• 1x Terror of the Peaks
• 1x Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
• 1x Underworld Cerberus
• 1x Vault Skirge
• 1x Void Winnower
• 1x Wurmcoil Engine

Artifact (13)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Bonesplitter
• 1x Chromatic Lantern
• 1x Cloudstone Curio
• 1x Cryptolith Fragment  ^Flip
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Pyrite Spellbomb
• 1x Rakdos Signet
• 1x Shadowspear
• 1x Sword of Light and Shadow
• 1x Talisman of Indulgence
• 1x Umezawa's Jitte
• 1x Vedalken Orrery

Instant (3)

• 1x Deflecting Swat
• 1x Staggershock
• 1x Terminate

Sorcery (3)

• 1x Duress
• 1x Rift Bolt
• 1x Thoughtseize

Enchantment (3)

• 1x Phyrexian Reclamation
• 1x Seal of Fire
• 1x Sneak Attack

Commander (1)

Land (41)

• 1x Badlands
• 1x Blood Crypt
• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Dragonskull Summit
• 1x Graven Cairns
• 1x Luxury Suite
• 15x Mountain
• 1x Piranha Marsh
• 1x Rakdos Guildgate
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 1x Shadowblood Ridge
• 1x Sulfurous Springs
• 15x Swamp

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A very fun yet strong list that tries that plays aggro early not to rely too much on rakdos'ability but but makes sure to abuse it into game winning board invasion if not just winning combos.

The early game is to go unnoticed with little evasise creatures (shadow/menace/flying) that also easily and constantly enable casting Rakdos. Your main defense is fear of retaliation on your next attack, so a strategy I devised is to focus the weakest at the table (the smallest vengeance will come at you), while making the others feel safe and not want you to change focus on them by avoiding you. Might need some diplomacy management, but that's the name of the game :)

As game develops, your small creatures with lose impact, so we use their evasion to make them into threats with equipments (sword,shadowspear (on theme ^^),jitte).

Be patient if need be before you cast rakdos, try to wait for wraths to clear the field before, you also have a few discard spells to remove wraths and counterspells to prepare the field.

Hope you enjoy my build!!

Once you safely have Rakdos on the board with a decent damage inflicted (usually 6 is enough, can be less, 10+ is bonkers), new horizons and the fun begins:

Many cards allow for an Animar-like win plan chaining from tutoring (Dtutor, imperial recruiter, sidisi, or Rune-Scarred Demon) or mass drawing (disciple of bolas, knollspine dragon, combustible gearhul/Kozilek) to get draw combo pieces like ancestral statue/cloudstone curio, after what you just combo infinitely recast : the 2 eldrazis to raze everything and draw everything, or gearhuk+priest of urabrask, gray merchant+priest of gix, terror of the peaks/purporos+ancestral statue etc.

Some nice cards also flow well into the cardpool:

• vedalken orary allows you to exploit any turn when someone did big damage by casting rakdos and a bunch of others like kozilek and ulamog and/or just combo win at instant speed.
• sneak attack and Ilharg help you get nice strikes with bonus ETB (gearhulk,tutors,etc.), death(wurmcoil engine, scuttling doom engine, cerberus), or just annihilators

Enjoy!

Date added	2 years
Last updated	2 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	16 - 0 Mythic Rares 28 - 0 Rares 14 - 0 Uncommons 10 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.73
Tokens	Wurm 3/3 C w/ Deathtouch, Wurm 3/3 C w/ Lifelink