EDH Optimizer
Kain, Traitorous Dragoon
Legendary Creature — Human Knight · 2B
Color identity: Black
Kain, Traitorous Dragoon is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Jump — During your turn, Kain has flying.
Whenever Kain deals combat damage to a player, that player gains control of Kain. If they do, you draw that many cards, create that many tapped Treasure tokens, then lose that much life.
Reference price of the card: €0.18
Average lands in decks for Kain, Traitorous Dragoon: 36
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Build your Kain, Traitorous Dragoon deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Kain, Traitorous Dragoon 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Kain, Traitorous Dragoon 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 (72/100)
- Consistency78
- Speed56
- Interaction50
- Resilience82
- Closing95
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (16 nonbasic, 20 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Parasitic Impetus · Bloodthirsty Blade · Eye of Nidhogg · Vampiric Link · Ghoulish Impetus · Assault Suit · Dark Ritual · Feed the Swarm · Arcane Signet · Jet Medallion · Sword of the Animist · Vow of Malice · Supernatural Stamina · Vow of Torment · Undying Malice · Disciple of the Vault · Scrawling Crawler · Swiftfoot Boots · Exsanguinate · Thought Vessel · Withering Torment · Coercive Impetus · Fake Your Own Death · Expedition Map · Fungal Fortitude · Imp's Mischief · Crypt Ghast · Feign Death · Mirkwood Bats · Underworld Dreams · Defile · Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire · Toxic Deluge · Vorpal Sword · Sign in Blood · Sheoldred, the Apocalypse · Silent Arbiter · Fate Unraveler · The Darkness Crystal · Commander's Plate · Gray Merchant of Asphodel · Kaya's Ghostform · Tarrian's Soulcleaver · Bloodthirsty Conqueror · Infernal Grasp · Ashnod's Intervention · Darkness · Nadier's Nightblade · Not Dead After All · Night's Whisper · Buster Sword · Consuming Corruption · Pact Weapon · Cranial Plating · Laser Screwdriver · Marionette Apprentice · Deadly Dispute · Marionette Master · Blackblade Reforged · Phyrexian Arena · World Map · Damnation · Homeward Path · Reliquary Tower · Bojuka Bog · Cabal Coffers · Rogue's Passage · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Urza's Cave · Shizo, Death's Storehouse · Maze of Ith · Sanctum of Eternity · Cabal Stronghold · Mystifying Maze · War Room · Witch's Clinic · Myriad Landscape · Minas Morgul, Dark Fortress
🃏 Recommended cards for Kain, Traitorous Dragoon
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Kain, Traitorous Dragoon, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Parasitic Impetus | 77% | +76% |
| Homeward Path | 77% | +76% |
| Bloodthirsty Blade | 76% | +75% |
| Eye of Nidhogg | 73% | +72% |
| Ghoulish Impetus | 72% | +72% |
| Vampiric Link | 73% | +71% |
| Assault Suit | 67% | +67% |
| Vow of Malice | 57% | +56% |
| Sword of the Animist | 60% | +56% |
| Vow of Torment | 54% | +54% |
| Disciple of the Vault | 51% | +49% |
| Scrawling Crawler | 51% | +47% |
| Coercive Impetus | 47% | +47% |
| Supernatural Stamina | 54% | +47% |
| Fungal Fortitude | 45% | +44% |
| Undying Malice | 53% | +43% |
| Fake Your Own Death | 47% | +40% |
| Vorpal Sword | 42% | +38% |
| Silent Arbiter | 39% | +37% |
| Underworld Dreams | 43% | +37% |
| Mirkwood Bats | 44% | +36% |
| Feign Death | 44% | +36% |
| Fate Unraveler | 38% | +35% |
| Expedition Map | 45% | +34% |
💰 The best cards for your Kain, Traitorous Dragoon 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.
- Parasitic Impetus
- Bloodthirsty Blade
- Ghoulish Impetus
- Vampiric Link
- Assault Suit
- Vow of Malice
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Homeward Path
- Eye of Nidhogg
- Sword of the Animist
- Scrawling Crawler
- Silent Arbiter
- Fate Unraveler
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Commander's Plate
- Buster Sword
- Bloodthirsty Conqueror
- Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
- Shizo, Death's Storehouse
- Shadowspear
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Kain, Traitorous Dragoon
- 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
- Bloodchief Ascension + Mindcrank → Infinite mill, Near-infinite lifegain, Near-infinite lifegain triggers, Near-infinite lifeloss
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Kain, Traitorous Dragoon's color identity?
Kain, Traitorous Dragoon 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 Kain, Traitorous Dragoon come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Kain, Traitorous Dragoon deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.0 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 20 % of the time and floods 4 %. Deck health: B (72/100).
How many lands should a Kain, Traitorous Dragoon deck run?
Real Kain, Traitorous Dragoon 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 Kain, Traitorous Dragoon?
The three highest-synergy cards are Parasitic Impetus, Homeward Path, Bloodthirsty Blade. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Kain, Traitorous Dragoon decks.
What combos does Kain, Traitorous Dragoon have?
Kain, Traitorous Dragoon 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 Kain, Traitorous Dragoon deck cost?
You can start cheap: Parasitic Impetus, Bloodthirsty Blade, Ghoulish Impetus 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.