EDH Optimizer
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: €1.51
Average lands in decks for Abaddon the Despoiler: 36
CascadeChaosBurnSpellslingerGroup SlugExileDemonsAggro
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 (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.
Deck health of the average list: B+ (75/100)
- Consistency89
- Speed77
- Interaction33
- Resilience70
- Closing83
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 · Dark Ritual · Keeper of Secrets · Chaos Warp · Loyal Subordinate · Ancestral Vision · Blood for the Blood God! · Profane Tutor · Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch · Noise Marine · Stormfist Crusader · The Lost and the Damned · Neheb, the Eternal · Chromatic Lantern · Descent into Avernus · Nightscape Familiar · The Ruinous Powers · Bituminous Blast · Inevitable Betrayal · Rakdos Charm · Rakdos, Lord of Riots · Bloodthirster · Kill! Maim! Burn! · Nalfeshnee · Thermo-Alchemist · Wild-Magic Sorcerer · Delayed Blast Fireball · Mandate of Abaddon · Prosper, Tome-Bound · Creeping Bloodsucker · Deny Reality · Heralds of Tzeentch · Lightning Greaves · Warstorm Surge · Commander's Sphere · Plague Drone · Lord of Change · Passionate Archaeologist · Boltwave · Dark Apostle · Pink Horror · Poxwalkers · Court of Ambition · Fellwar Stone · Let the Galaxy Burn · Rakdos Signet · Chaos Defiler · Call Forth the Tempest · Frantic Search · Jeska's Will · Duskmantle Seer · Geyadrone Dihada · Great Unclean One · Mutalith Vortex Beast · Swiftfoot Boots · Twilight Prophet · Bloodcrusher of Khorne · Command Tower · Exotic Orchard · Crumbling Necropolis · Sunken Hollow · Blood Crypt · Dragonskull Summit · Foreboding Ruins · Path of Ancestry · Steam Vents · Watery Grave · Xander's Lounge · Sulfur Falls · Evolving Wilds · Drowned Catacomb · Luxury Suite · Terramorphic Expanse · Bloodstained Mire · Training Center · Shivan Reef · Smoldering Marsh · Morphic Pool · Polluted Delta · Sulfurous Springs · Scalding Tarn · Temple of the False God · Stormcarved Coast
🃏 Recommended cards for Abaddon the Despoiler
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Abaddon the Despoiler, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Keeper of Secrets | 64% | +62% |
| Loyal Subordinate | 53% | +52% |
| Brainstorm | 66% | +49% |
| Blood for the Blood God! | 49% | +47% |
| Noise Marine | 48% | +47% |
| The Lost and the Damned | 48% | +47% |
| Ancestral Vision | 49% | +47% |
| Neheb, the Eternal | 47% | +45% |
| Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch | 48% | +45% |
| Profane Tutor | 49% | +45% |
| Stormfist Crusader | 48% | +43% |
| The Ruinous Powers | 44% | +42% |
| Descent into Avernus | 44% | +42% |
| Bituminous Blast | 43% | +41% |
| Inevitable Betrayal | 43% | +41% |
| Nalfeshnee | 40% | +39% |
| Rakdos, Lord of Riots | 42% | +39% |
| Thermo-Alchemist | 40% | +39% |
| Kill! Maim! Burn! | 40% | +39% |
| Wild-Magic Sorcerer | 40% | +38% |
| Mandate of Abaddon | 39% | +38% |
| Delayed Blast Fireball | 39% | +37% |
| Deny Reality | 38% | +37% |
| Prosper, Tome-Bound | 39% | +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
- Brainstorm
- Noise Marine
- Ancestral Vision
- Stormfist Crusader
- The Ruinous Powers
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Blood for the Blood God!
- The Lost and the Damned
- Neheb, the Eternal
- Profane Tutor
- Nalfeshnee
- Wild-Magic Sorcerer
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Keeper of Secrets
- Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch
- Descent into Avernus
- Delayed Blast Fireball
- Bloodthirster
- Passionate Archaeologist
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Abaddon the Despoiler
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Demonic Consultation + Thassa's Oracle → Exile your library, Win the game
- Tainted Pact + Thassa's Oracle → Win the game
- Underworld Breach + Lotus Petal + Brain Freeze → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite magecraft triggers, Near-infinite mill
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
👥 Community decks with Abaddon the Despoiler
Full decklists published by players on EDH Optimizer, with their analysis, bracket and health. Clone them to your account and optimize them for free.
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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 cards most played with it, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.6 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 20 % of the time and floods 3 %. Deck health: B+ (75/100).
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.