EDH Optimizer
Ian the Reckless
Legendary Creature — Human Warrior · 1R
Color identity: Red
Ian the Reckless is red: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Whenever Ian the Reckless attacks, if it's modified, you may have it deal damage equal to its power to you and any target. (Equipment, Auras you control, and counters are modifications.)
Reference price of the card: €0.12
Comes in the precon Scrappy Survivors
Average lands in decks for Ian the Reckless: 35
EquipmentVoltronAggroAurasControl+1/+1 CountersActivated AbilitiesArtifacts
Build your Ian the Reckless deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Ian the Reckless 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Ian the Reckless 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 (66/100)
- Consistency31
- Speed59
- Interaction51
- Resilience79
- Closing99
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (8 nonbasic, 27 Mountain)
Basilisk Collar · Loxodon Warhammer · Swiftfoot Boots · Sol Ring · Butcher's Cleaver · Chaos Warp · Champion's Helm · Thran Power Suit · Blasphemous Act · Two-Handed Axe // Sweeping Cleave · Blackblade Reforged · Arcane Signet · Brass Squire · Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence · Resurrection Orb · Shadowspear · Chandra's Ignition · Hammer of Nazahn · Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar · Sticky Fingers · Claws of Valakut · Unleash Fury · Batterbone · Commander's Plate · Grim Reaper's Sprint · Lizard Blades · Abrade · Blacksmith's Talent · Batterskull · Demand Answers · Solphim, Mayhem Dominus · Fiendlash · Freya Crescent · Diamond Pick-Axe · Mithril Coat · Brash Taunter · Silent Arbiter · Tenza, Godo's Maul · Masterwork of Ingenuity · The Reaver Cleaver · Thrill of Possibility · Sword of the Animist · Pain for All · Solemn Simulacrum · Pip-Boy 3000 · Bolt Bend · Faithless Looting · Isengard Unleashed · Ruby Medallion · Vandalblast · Jeska's Will · Magnetic Theft · Mind Stone · Untimely Malfunction · Excalibur, Sword of Eden · Professional Face-Breaker · Silver Shroud Costume · Trailblazer's Boots · Unexpected Windfall · Big Score · Bloodforged Battle-Axe · Junk Jet · Rabbit Battery · Reckless Handling · Rogue's Passage · Witch's Clinic · Buried Ruin · War Room · Myriad Landscape · Maze of Ith · Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle · Temple of the False God
🃏 Recommended cards for Ian the Reckless
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Ian the Reckless, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Loxodon Warhammer | 87% | +83% |
| Basilisk Collar | 92% | +80% |
| Butcher's Cleaver | 72% | +72% |
| Thran Power Suit | 63% | +60% |
| Champion's Helm | 64% | +58% |
| Witch's Clinic | 61% | +57% |
| Two-Handed Axe | 60% | +56% |
| Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence | 56% | +56% |
| Resurrection Orb | 56% | +54% |
| Brass Squire | 57% | +52% |
| Rogue's Passage | 77% | +52% |
| Blackblade Reforged | 59% | +52% |
| Shadowspear | 56% | +49% |
| Claws of Valakut | 51% | +48% |
| Hammer of Nazahn | 54% | +48% |
| Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar | 54% | +47% |
| Batterbone | 47% | +46% |
| Chandra's Ignition | 54% | +45% |
| Sticky Fingers | 52% | +44% |
| Grim Reaper's Sprint | 46% | +44% |
| Unleash Fury | 50% | +42% |
| Blacksmith's Talent | 45% | +42% |
| Batterskull | 43% | +42% |
| Lizard Blades | 46% | +41% |
💰 The best cards for your Ian the Reckless 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.
- Loxodon Warhammer
- Butcher's Cleaver
- Thran Power Suit
- Champion's Helm
- Brass Squire
- Rogue's Passage
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Basilisk Collar
- Witch's Clinic
- Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence
- Hammer of Nazahn
- Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar
- Chandra's Ignition
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Resurrection Orb
- Shadowspear
- Commander's Plate
- Mithril Coat
- Excalibur, Sword of Eden
- Solphim, Mayhem Dominus
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Ian the Reckless
- Dualcaster Mage + Twinflame → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature tokens with haste, Infinite magecraft triggers
- The Reaver Cleaver + Aggravated Assault → Infinite colored mana, Infinite combat damage, Infinite combat phases, Infinite mana creatures you control can produce, Infinite Treasure tokens, Infinite untap of creatures you control
- Blasphemous Act + Repercussion → Near-infinite damage to all players
- Sword of Feast and Famine + Aggravated Assault → Infinite combat phases
- Godo, Bandit Warlord + Helm of the Host → Infinite combat phases, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Put all Equipment cards from your library onto the battlefield
- Neheb, the Eternal + Aggravated Assault → Infinite combat phases, Infinite red mana, Infinite mana creatures you control can produce, Infinite untap of creatures you control
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Ian the Reckless's color identity?
Ian the Reckless is red: 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 Ian the Reckless come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Ian the Reckless deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 2.1 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 27 %. Deck health: B (66/100).
How many lands should a Ian the Reckless deck run?
Real Ian the Reckless 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 Ian the Reckless?
The three highest-synergy cards are Loxodon Warhammer, Basilisk Collar, Butcher's Cleaver. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Ian the Reckless decks.
What combos does Ian the Reckless have?
Ian the Reckless has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Dualcaster Mage + Twinflame. 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 Ian the Reckless deck cost?
You can start cheap: Loxodon Warhammer, Butcher's Cleaver, Thran Power Suit 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.