EDH Optimizer
Gaius van Baelsar
Legendary Creature — Human Soldier · 2BB
Color identity: Black
Gaius van Baelsar is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
When Gaius van Baelsar enters, choose one —
• Each player sacrifices a creature token of their choice.
• Each player sacrifices a nontoken creature of their choice.
• Each player sacrifices an enchantment of their choice.
Reference price of the card: €0.09
Average lands in decks for Gaius van Baelsar: 35
ControlAristocratsReanimatorSacrificeZombies
Build your Gaius van Baelsar deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Gaius van Baelsar 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Gaius van Baelsar 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 (54/100)
- Consistency57
- Speed53
- Interaction49
- Resilience67
- Closing48
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (9 nonbasic, 26 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Morbid Opportunist · Plaguecrafter · Accursed Marauder · Blood Artist · Jet Medallion · Reassembling Skeleton · Zodiark, Umbral God · Sign in Blood · Syr Konrad, the Grim · Bastion of Remembrance · Undying Malice · Deadly Dispute · Conjurer's Closet · Solemn Simulacrum · Charcoal Diamond · Fleshbag Marauder · Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire · Merciless Executioner · Night's Whisper · Not Dead After All · Thought Vessel · Feed the Swarm · Phyrexian Arena · Sheoldred's Edict · Supernatural Stamina · The Darkness Crystal · Zulaport Cutthroat · Black Market · Dark Ritual · Defile · Demon's Disciple · Feign Death · Grave Pact · Massacre Wurm · Mind Stone · Nine-Lives Familiar · Pitiless Plunderer · Read the Bones · Exsanguinate · Toxic Deluge · Archfiend of Depravity · Gravelighter · Mortician Beetle · Wayfarer's Bauble · Ayara, First of Locthwain · Bontu's Monument · Gray Merchant of Asphodel · Liliana, Dreadhorde General · Panharmonicon · Reanimate · Torment of Hailfire · Black Market Connections · Blasphemous Edict · Deadly Rollick · Midnight Reaper · Ogre Slumlord · Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER // Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel · Undying Evil · Crypt Ghast · Fake Your Own Death · Kaya's Ghostform · Skullclamp · Cabal Coffers · Bojuka Bog · Witch's Cottage · Cabal Stronghold · Myriad Landscape · Castle Locthwain · Reliquary Tower · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
🃏 Recommended cards for Gaius van Baelsar
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Gaius van Baelsar, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Zodiark, Umbral God | 51% | +43% |
| Plaguecrafter | 62% | +42% |
| Conjurer's Closet | 43% | +40% |
| Morbid Opportunist | 64% | +40% |
| Accursed Marauder | 60% | +38% |
| Undying Malice | 47% | +37% |
| Reassembling Skeleton | 51% | +33% |
| Merciless Executioner | 40% | +33% |
| Mortician Beetle | 32% | +31% |
| Supernatural Stamina | 38% | +31% |
| Bastion of Remembrance | 47% | +30% |
| Not Dead After All | 40% | +29% |
| Syr Konrad, the Grim | 49% | +29% |
| Gravelighter | 32% | +29% |
| Panharmonicon | 30% | +28% |
| Demon's Disciple | 36% | +28% |
| Feign Death | 36% | +28% |
| Nine-Lives Familiar | 36% | +28% |
| Archfiend of Depravity | 32% | +25% |
| Undying Evil | 28% | +24% |
| Fleshbag Marauder | 40% | +24% |
| Blood Artist | 55% | +24% |
| Sheoldred's Edict | 38% | +23% |
| Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER | 28% | +22% |
💰 The best cards for your Gaius van Baelsar 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.
- Zodiark, Umbral God
- Plaguecrafter
- Morbid Opportunist
- Accursed Marauder
- Undying Malice
- Reassembling Skeleton
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Conjurer's Closet
- Mortician Beetle
- Panharmonicon
- Blood Artist
- Blade of Selves
- Fumulus, the Infestation
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Grave Pact
- Torment of Hailfire
- Buster Sword
- Mithril Coat
- Portal to Phyrexia
- Sheoldred, Whispering One
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Gaius van Baelsar
- Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar + Reassembling Skeleton → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite sacrifice triggers
- Pitiless Plunderer + Reassembling Skeleton + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite sacrifice triggers
- Nim Deathmantle + Ashnod's Altar → Infinite LTB, Infinite ETB, Infinite sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers
- Reassembling Skeleton + Phyrexian Altar + Pawn of Ulamog → Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite sacrifice triggers
- Peer into the Abyss + Bloodletter of Aclazotz → Infinite lifeloss for target opponent, Target opponent loses the game
- Unstoppable Slasher + Bloodletter of Aclazotz → Target opponent loses the game, Infinite lifeloss for target opponent
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Gaius van Baelsar's color identity?
Gaius van Baelsar 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 Gaius van Baelsar come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Gaius van Baelsar deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.7 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 100 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 29 % of the time and floods 12 %. Deck health: C (54/100).
How many lands should a Gaius van Baelsar deck run?
Real Gaius van Baelsar decks run 35 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 Gaius van Baelsar?
The three highest-synergy cards are Zodiark, Umbral God, Plaguecrafter, Conjurer's Closet. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Gaius van Baelsar decks.
What combos does Gaius van Baelsar have?
Gaius van Baelsar has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar + Reassembling Skeleton. 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 Gaius van Baelsar deck cost?
You can start cheap: Zodiark, Umbral God, Plaguecrafter, Morbid Opportunist 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.