EDH Optimizer

Abaddon the Despoiler

Card: Abaddon the Despoiler

Legendary Creature — Astartes Warrior · 2UBR

Color identity: Black · Red · Blue · Grixis

Abaddon the Despoiler is Grixis (black, red and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.

Rules text:
Trample
Mark of Chaos Ascendant — During your turn, spells you cast from your hand with mana value X or less have cascade, where X is the total amount of life your opponents have lost this turn.

Reference price of the card: €1.13

Average lands in decks for Abaddon the Despoiler: 36

CascadeChaosBurnSpellslingerDemonsExileGroup SlugAggro

Build your Abaddon the Despoiler deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.

🛠️ Build a deck for Abaddon the Despoiler 📥 Analyze my deck

🎲 How the average Abaddon the Despoiler deck starts over 4,000 games

The list people actually play per EDHREC (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.

4.7average turn the commander comes down
96 %of games have it on the battlefield before turn 7
27 %of games miss at least one land drop in the first six turns (mana screw)
14 %of games flood (three or more turns with nothing to cast)
100 %of games close out the table before turn 12
8median closing turn

Deck health of the average list: B (67/100)

See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (26 nonbasic, 2 Island, 3 Swamp, 5 Mountain)

Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Talisman of Indulgence · Talisman of Creativity · Talisman of Dominance · Brainstorm · Blasphemous Act · Chaos Warp · Dark Ritual · Keeper of Secrets · Loyal Subordinate · Blood for the Blood God! · Ancestral Vision · Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch · Profane Tutor · The Lost and the Damned · Noise Marine · Stormfist Crusader · Chromatic Lantern · Neheb, the Eternal · The Ruinous Powers · Descent into Avernus · Inevitable Betrayal · Nightscape Familiar · Bituminous Blast · Rakdos Charm · Rakdos, Lord of Riots · Bloodthirster · Kill! Maim! Burn! · Mandate of Abaddon · Nalfeshnee · Thermo-Alchemist · Delayed Blast Fireball · Heralds of Tzeentch · Prosper, Tome-Bound · Wild-Magic Sorcerer · Creeping Bloodsucker · Deny Reality · Lightning Greaves · Warstorm Surge · Commander's Sphere · Lord of Change · Plague Drone · Dark Apostle · Passionate Archaeologist · Pink Horror · Boltwave · Poxwalkers · Chaos Defiler · Court of Ambition · Let the Galaxy Burn · Rakdos Signet · Fellwar Stone · Call Forth the Tempest · Frantic Search · Great Unclean One · Jeska's Will · Mutalith Vortex Beast · Swiftfoot Boots · Chaos Terminator Lord · Decree of Pain · Duskmantle Seer · Geyadrone Dihada · Command Tower · Exotic Orchard · Crumbling Necropolis · Sunken Hollow · Foreboding Ruins · Blood Crypt · Dragonskull Summit · Path of Ancestry · Steam Vents · Watery Grave · Xander's Lounge · Sulfur Falls · Evolving Wilds · Terramorphic Expanse · Drowned Catacomb · Luxury Suite · Training Center · Bloodstained Mire · Shivan Reef · Smoldering Marsh · Morphic Pool · Temple of the False God · Polluted Delta · Scalding Tarn · Sulfurous Springs · Stormcarved Coast

🃏 Recommended cards for Abaddon the Despoiler

The highest-synergy cards in decks for Abaddon the Despoiler, with their inclusion rate.

CardInclusionSynergy
Keeper of Secrets 64% +62%
Loyal Subordinate 53% +51%
Brainstorm 66% +49%
Blood for the Blood God! 50% +48%
The Lost and the Damned 49% +48%
Noise Marine 48% +47%
Ancestral Vision 49% +46%
Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch 49% +46%
Profane Tutor 49% +45%
Neheb, the Eternal 46% +45%
The Ruinous Powers 45% +43%
Stormfist Crusader 48% +43%
Bituminous Blast 43% +42%
Descent into Avernus 44% +41%
Inevitable Betrayal 44% +41%
Kill! Maim! Burn! 41% +39%
Nalfeshnee 40% +39%
Thermo-Alchemist 40% +39%
Rakdos, Lord of Riots 42% +39%
Mandate of Abaddon 40% +38%
Wild-Magic Sorcerer 39% +38%
Deny Reality 38% +37%
Heralds of Tzeentch 39% +37%
Bloodthirster 41% +37%

💰 The best cards for your Abaddon the Despoiler deck, by budget

Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.

Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card

The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.

  • Loyal Subordinate€0.21 · 53% inclusion
  • Brainstorm€0.99 · 66% inclusion
  • Noise Marine€0.66 · 48% inclusion
  • Ancestral Vision€0.61 · 49% inclusion
  • The Ruinous Powers€1.04 · 45% inclusion
  • Stormfist Crusader€0.34 · 48% inclusion
🛠️ Optimize my deck · up to €2/card

Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card

The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.

  • Keeper of Secrets€9.40 · 64% inclusion
  • Blood for the Blood God!€8.92 · 50% inclusion
  • The Lost and the Damned€4.53 · 49% inclusion
  • Profane Tutor€2.79 · 49% inclusion
  • Neheb, the Eternal€4.74 · 46% inclusion
  • Nalfeshnee€8.57 · 40% inclusion
🛠️ Optimize my deck · up to €10/card

Tier 3 · No cap no cap

The cards your price cap was hiding from you.

  • Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch€18.37 · 49% inclusion
  • Descent into Avernus€14.21 · 44% inclusion
  • Bloodthirster€24.09 · 41% inclusion
  • Delayed Blast Fireball€12.13 · 39% inclusion
  • Poxwalkers€10.51 · 31% inclusion
  • Passionate Archaeologist€14.70 · 32% inclusion
🛠️ Optimize my deck · no cap

Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.

♾️ Known combos with Abaddon the Despoiler

Other commanders

Frequently asked questions

What is Abaddon the Despoiler's color identity?

Abaddon the Despoiler is Grixis (black, red and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.

What turn does Abaddon the Despoiler come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?

In the average Abaddon the Despoiler deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.7 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 96 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 27 % of the time and floods 14 %. Deck health: B (67/100).

How many lands should a Abaddon the Despoiler deck run?

Real Abaddon the Despoiler decks run 36 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.

What are the best cards for Abaddon the Despoiler?

The three highest-synergy cards are Keeper of Secrets, Loyal Subordinate, Brainstorm. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Abaddon the Despoiler decks.

What combos does Abaddon the Despoiler have?

Abaddon the Despoiler has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.

How much does a Abaddon the Despoiler deck cost?

You can start cheap: Loyal Subordinate, Brainstorm, Noise Marine are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.

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