EDH Optimizer
Anowon, the Ruin Sage
Legendary Creature — Vampire Shaman · 3BB
Color identity: Black
Anowon, the Ruin Sage is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
At the beginning of your upkeep, each player sacrifices a non-Vampire creature of their choice.
Reference price of the card: €1.88
Average lands in decks for Anowon, the Ruin Sage: 36
VampiresLifegainAristocrats+1/+1 CountersSacrificeAggroComboLifedrain
Build your Anowon, the Ruin Sage deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Anowon, the Ruin Sage 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Anowon, the Ruin Sage 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: C+ (64/100)
- Consistency49
- Speed65
- Interaction48
- Resilience74
- Closing72
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (10 nonbasic, 26 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Blood Artist · Vampire Nighthawk · Captivating Vampire · Cordial Vampire · Bloodline Keeper // Lord of Lineage · Butcher of Malakir · Dark Ritual · Malakir Bloodwitch · Vampire Nocturnus · Blood Seeker · Bloodlord of Vaasgoth · Sanctum Seeker · Sangromancer · Blade of the Bloodchief · Falkenrath Noble · Necropolis Regent · Patron of the Vein · Drana, Liberator of Malakir · Crossway Troublemakers · Nirkana Revenant · Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose · Gatekeeper of Malakir · Sanguine Bond · Sign in Blood · Exsanguinate · Jet Medallion · Indulgent Aristocrat · Arcane Signet · Blood Tribute · Exquisite Blood · Go for the Throat · Urge to Feed · Marauding Blight-Priest · Markov Baron · Phyrexian Arena · Feast of Blood · Feed the Swarm · Yahenni, Undying Partisan · Champion of Dusk · Nighthawk Scavenger · Olivia's Wrath · Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord · Bloodthirsty Conqueror · Bontu's Monument · Vampire of the Dire Moon · Diabolic Tutor · Gifted Aetherborn · Dark Impostor · Murder · Tragic Slip · Doom Blade · Kalastria Highborn · Ascendant Evincar · Bloodletter of Aclazotz · Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief · Night's Whisper · Sorin Markov · Twilight Prophet · Bloodline Necromancer · Kalitas, Bloodchief of Ghet · Lightning Greaves · Swiftfoot Boots · Bojuka Bog · Cabal Coffers · Cabal Stronghold · Path of Ancestry · Rogue's Passage · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Myriad Landscape · Crypt of Agadeem · Reliquary Tower · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
🃏 Recommended cards for Anowon, the Ruin Sage
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Anowon, the Ruin Sage, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Captivating Vampire | 70% | +69% |
| Cordial Vampire | 68% | +67% |
| Vampire Nighthawk | 71% | +65% |
| Bloodline Keeper | 64% | +63% |
| Malakir Bloodwitch | 60% | +59% |
| Vampire Nocturnus | 57% | +57% |
| Butcher of Malakir | 61% | +55% |
| Blood Seeker | 56% | +55% |
| Bloodlord of Vaasgoth | 54% | +54% |
| Sanctum Seeker | 54% | +53% |
| Blade of the Bloodchief | 53% | +51% |
| Patron of the Vein | 51% | +51% |
| Necropolis Regent | 51% | +50% |
| Crossway Troublemakers | 49% | +48% |
| Falkenrath Noble | 52% | +47% |
| Drana, Liberator of Malakir | 50% | +47% |
| Gatekeeper of Malakir | 46% | +46% |
| Sangromancer | 54% | +44% |
| Indulgent Aristocrat | 42% | +42% |
| Blood Artist | 73% | +41% |
| Urge to Feed | 41% | +40% |
| Blood Tribute | 41% | +40% |
| Feast of Blood | 38% | +38% |
| Markov Baron | 39% | +38% |
💰 The best cards for your Anowon, the Ruin Sage 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.
- Captivating Vampire
- Cordial Vampire
- Vampire Nighthawk
- Butcher of Malakir
- Blood Seeker
- Bloodlord of Vaasgoth
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Malakir Bloodwitch
- Vampire Nocturnus
- Blade of the Bloodchief
- Blood Artist
- Nirkana Revenant
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Exquisite Blood
- Bloodthirsty Conqueror
- Bloodletter of Aclazotz
- Urza's Incubator
- Dictate of Erebos
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Anowon, the Ruin Sage
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Sanguine Bond + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Exquisite Blood + Enduring Tenacity → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Enduring Tenacity + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Anowon, the Ruin Sage's color identity?
Anowon, the Ruin Sage is black: its deck can only run cards of that color 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 Anowon, the Ruin Sage come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Anowon, the Ruin Sage deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 5.3 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 91 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 44 % of the time and floods 13 %. Deck health: C+ (64/100).
How many lands should a Anowon, the Ruin Sage deck run?
Real Anowon, the Ruin Sage 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 Anowon, the Ruin Sage?
The three highest-synergy cards are Captivating Vampire, Cordial Vampire, Vampire Nighthawk. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Anowon, the Ruin Sage decks.
What combos does Anowon, the Ruin Sage have?
Anowon, the Ruin Sage has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood. 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 Anowon, the Ruin Sage deck cost?
You can start cheap: Captivating Vampire, Cordial Vampire, Vampire Nighthawk 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.