EDH Optimizer
Gideon the Oathless
Legendary Creature — Human Mercenary · 2B
Color identity: Black
Gideon the Oathless is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Ward—Discard a card.
Whenever a creature an opponent controls enters, Gideon deals 1 damage to that player.
Whenever an opponent activates a loyalty ability, Gideon deals 1 damage to that player.
Reference price of the card: €0.02
Average lands in decks for Gideon the Oathless: 35
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Build your Gideon the Oathless deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Gideon the Oathless 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Gideon the Oathless 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+ (63/100)
- Consistency26
- Speed56
- Interaction42
- Resilience79
- Closing100
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (13 nonbasic, 22 Swamp)
Clackbridge Troll · Sol Ring · Genesis Chamber · Blood Seeker · Hunted Bonebrute · Slaughter Specialist · Akroan Horse · Hunted Horror · Jet Medallion · Tribute to Horobi // Echo of Death's Wail · Dark Ritual · Infernal Genesis · Panharmonicon · Dowsing Dagger // Lost Vale · Crypt Ghast · Arcane Signet · Massacre Wurm · Blood Artist · Feed the Swarm · Gray Merchant of Asphodel · Awaken the Erstwhile · Withering Torment · Phyrexian Arena · Toxic Deluge · Syr Konrad, the Grim · Imp's Mischief · Morbid Opportunist · Ayara, First of Locthwain · Curse of Disturbance · Sign in Blood · Bloodletter of Aclazotz · Revenge of Ravens · Bontu's Monument · Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire · The Meathook Massacre · Black Market Connections · Deadly Rollick · Not Dead After All · Tombstone Stairwell · Wound Reflection · Fell the Profane // Fell Mire · Night's Whisper · Illness in the Ranks · Saw in Half · Swiftfoot Boots · Trespasser's Curse · Defile · Reanimate · The Darkness Crystal · Acorn Catapult · Bloodthirsty Conqueror · Maha, Its Feathers Night · Mai, Scornful Striker · Nettling Nuisance · Painful Quandary · Thought Vessel · Darkness · Sheoldred, the Apocalypse · The Soul Stone · Bloodchief Ascension · Sudden Spoiling · Undying Malice · Decorum Dissertation · Mind Stone · Cabal Coffers · Forbidden Orchard · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Bojuka Bog · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · War Room · Cabal Stronghold · Castle Locthwain · Reliquary Tower · Phyrexian Tower · Takenuma, Abandoned Mire · Myriad Landscape · Witch's Cottage
🃏 Recommended cards for Gideon the Oathless
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Gideon the Oathless, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Clackbridge Troll | 81% | +79% |
| Genesis Chamber | 79% | +77% |
| Blood Seeker | 77% | +75% |
| Hunted Bonebrute | 75% | +74% |
| Slaughter Specialist | 75% | +73% |
| Akroan Horse | 69% | +68% |
| Hunted Horror | 68% | +67% |
| Forbidden Orchard | 65% | +64% |
| Tribute to Horobi | 64% | +63% |
| Infernal Genesis | 62% | +61% |
| Panharmonicon | 62% | +60% |
| Dowsing Dagger | 60% | +59% |
| Awaken the Erstwhile | 52% | +50% |
| Curse of Disturbance | 43% | +42% |
| Revenge of Ravens | 42% | +40% |
| Massacre Wurm | 56% | +38% |
| Tombstone Stairwell | 38% | +37% |
| Illness in the Ranks | 36% | +35% |
| Wound Reflection | 38% | +35% |
| Trespasser's Curse | 35% | +34% |
| Bloodletter of Aclazotz | 42% | +32% |
| Acorn Catapult | 31% | +31% |
| Nettling Nuisance | 31% | +31% |
| Mai, Scornful Striker | 31% | +29% |
💰 The best cards for your Gideon the Oathless 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.
- Clackbridge Troll
- Genesis Chamber
- Blood Seeker
- Hunted Bonebrute
- Slaughter Specialist
- Akroan Horse
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Hunted Horror
- Forbidden Orchard
- Panharmonicon
- Massacre Wurm
- Wound Reflection
- Acorn Catapult
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Tombstone Stairwell
- Bloodletter of Aclazotz
- Maha, Its Feathers Night
- The Meathook Massacre
- Bloodthirsty Conqueror
- Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Gideon the Oathless
- 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
- Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
- Exquisite Blood + Enduring Tenacity → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Gideon the Oathless's color identity?
Gideon the Oathless 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 Gideon the Oathless come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Gideon the Oathless deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 2.9 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 32 % of the time and floods 23 %. Deck health: C+ (63/100).
How many lands should a Gideon the Oathless deck run?
Real Gideon the Oathless 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 Gideon the Oathless?
The three highest-synergy cards are Clackbridge Troll, Genesis Chamber, Blood Seeker. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Gideon the Oathless decks.
What combos does Gideon the Oathless have?
Gideon the Oathless 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 Gideon the Oathless deck cost?
You can start cheap: Clackbridge Troll, Genesis Chamber, Blood Seeker 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.