EDH Optimizer
Arvad the Cursed
Legendary Creature — Vampire Knight · 3WB
Color identity: Black · White · Orzhov
Arvad the Cursed is Orzhov (black and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Deathtouch, lifelink
Other legendary creatures you control get +2/+2.
Reference price of the card: €0.19
Comes in the precon Cavalry Charge
Average lands in decks for Arvad the Cursed: 37
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Build your Arvad the Cursed deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Arvad the Cursed 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Arvad the Cursed 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.
Deck health of the average list: C+ (64/100)
- Consistency14
- Speed62
- Interaction60
- Resilience74
- Closing95
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 37 lands (20 nonbasic, 10 Plains, 7 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Heroes' Podium · Primevals' Glorious Rebirth · Urza's Ruinous Blast · Day of Destiny · Mortify · Orzhov Signet · Odric, Lunarch Marshal · Drana, Liberator of Malakir · Flowering of the White Tree · Swords to Plowshares · Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle · Despark · Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim · Fracture · Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit · Blackblade Reforged · Kambal, Consul of Allocation · Liesa, Forgotten Archangel · Yahenni, Undying Partisan · Path to Exile · Baird, Steward of Argive · Relic of Legends · Yawgmoth's Vile Offering · Gonti, Lord of Luxury · Sign in Blood · Talisman of Hierarchy · Daxos, Blessed by the Sun · Odric, Master Tactician · Syr Vondam, Sunstar Exemplar · Anguished Unmaking · Elenda, the Dusk Rose · Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose · Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful · The Kenriths' Royal Funeral · Hero's Blade · Night's Whisper · Ravos, Soultender · Vona, Butcher of Magan · Commander's Sphere · Danitha Capashen, Paragon · Drana and Linvala · Jhoira's Familiar · Kunoros, Hound of Athreos · Teysa, Envoy of Ghosts · Thalia, Heretic Cathar · Ardbert, Warrior of Darkness · Aron, Benalia's Ruin · Ratadrabik of Urborg · Kongming, "Sleeping Dragon" · Mirri the Cursed · Swiftfoot Boots · Utter End · Bartolomé del Presidio · Damn · Thran Temporal Gateway · Avacyn's Memorial · Read the Bones · Zetalpa, Primal Dawn · Cloak and Dagger, Entwined · Vindicate · Command Tower · Isolated Chapel · Tainted Field · Orzhov Basilica · Temple of Silence · Caves of Koilos · Vault of the Archangel · Scoured Barrens · Bojuka Bog · Fetid Heath · Godless Shrine · Shineshadow Snarl · Shattered Sanctum · Evolving Wilds · Rogue's Passage · The Grey Havens · Myriad Landscape · Orzhov Guildgate · Vault of Champions · Great Hall of the Citadel
🃏 Recommended cards for Arvad the Cursed
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Arvad the Cursed, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Heroes' Podium | 60% | +59% |
| Day of Destiny | 56% | +56% |
| Urza's Ruinous Blast | 57% | +55% |
| Primevals' Glorious Rebirth | 57% | +54% |
| Odric, Lunarch Marshal | 48% | +46% |
| Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle | 44% | +41% |
| Flowering of the White Tree | 45% | +41% |
| Drana, Liberator of Malakir | 46% | +41% |
| Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit | 39% | +38% |
| Blackblade Reforged | 39% | +37% |
| Baird, Steward of Argive | 36% | +35% |
| Yawgmoth's Vile Offering | 35% | +34% |
| Relic of Legends | 35% | +32% |
| Odric, Master Tactician | 32% | +31% |
| Gonti, Lord of Luxury | 33% | +31% |
| Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful | 31% | +30% |
| Liesa, Forgotten Archangel | 38% | +29% |
| Yahenni, Undying Partisan | 38% | +28% |
| The Kenriths' Royal Funeral | 30% | +28% |
| Ravos, Soultender | 29% | +28% |
| Hero's Blade | 29% | +28% |
| Jhoira's Familiar | 28% | +27% |
| Mortify | 49% | +27% |
| Daxos, Blessed by the Sun | 32% | +26% |
💰 The best cards for your Arvad the Cursed 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.
- Heroes' Podium
- Day of Destiny
- Urza's Ruinous Blast
- Primevals' Glorious Rebirth
- Odric, Lunarch Marshal
- Teshar, Ancestor's Apostle
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Flowering of the White Tree
- Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful
- Ravos, Soultender
- Kambal, Consul of Allocation
- Avacyn's Memorial
- Drana and Linvala
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
- Shizo, Death's Storehouse
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Arvad the Cursed
- 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
- Marauding Blight-Priest + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Aetherflux Reservoir + Exquisite Blood → Infinite damage, Infinite lifegain triggers
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Arvad the Cursed's color identity?
Arvad the Cursed is Orzhov (black and white): 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 Arvad the Cursed come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Arvad the Cursed deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 37 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 5.0 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 94 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 34 % of the time and floods 29 %. Deck health: C+ (64/100).
How many lands should a Arvad the Cursed deck run?
Real Arvad the Cursed decks run 37 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 Arvad the Cursed?
The three highest-synergy cards are Heroes' Podium, Day of Destiny, Urza's Ruinous Blast. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Arvad the Cursed decks.
What combos does Arvad the Cursed have?
Arvad the Cursed 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 Arvad the Cursed deck cost?
You can start cheap: Heroes' Podium, Day of Destiny, Urza's Ruinous Blast 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.