EDH Optimizer
Kess, Dissident Mage
Legendary Creature — Human Wizard · 1UBR
Color identity: Black · Red · Blue · Grixis
Kess, Dissident Mage is Grixis (black, red and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Flying
Once during each of your turns, you may cast an instant or sorcery spell from your graveyard. If a spell cast this way would be put into your graveyard, exile it instead.
Reference price of the card: €2.27
Average lands in decks for Kess, Dissident Mage: 34
SpellslingerComboReanimatorWheelsControlStormGraveyardBurn
Build your Kess, Dissident Mage deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Kess, Dissident Mage 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Kess, Dissident Mage 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: B+ (76/100)
- Consistency26
- Speed53
- Interaction100
- Resilience94
- Closing100
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 34 lands (24 nonbasic, 5 Island, 2 Swamp, 3 Mountain)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Dark Ritual · Frantic Search · Faithless Looting · Talisman of Creativity · Talisman of Dominance · Counterspell · Brainstorm · Windfall · Ponder · Talisman of Indulgence · Blasphemous Act · Fellwar Stone · Storm-Kiln Artist · Archmage Emeritus · Izzet Signet · Dimir Signet · Preordain · Reanimate · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Mystical Tutor · Toxic Deluge · Chaos Warp · Demonic Tutor · Cyclonic Rift · Goblin Electromancer · Swan Song · Rakdos Signet · Jeska's Will · Negate · Nightscape Familiar · Rhystic Study · Consider · Guttersnipe · Lightning Bolt · Cabal Ritual · Gitaxian Probe · Arcane Denial · Feed the Swarm · Mystic Remora · Vampiric Tutor · Opt · Terminate · Mana Drain · Fact or Fiction · Thousand-Year Storm · Underworld Breach · Vandalblast · Increasing Vengeance · Mana Geyser · Fierce Guardianship · Gamble · Rakdos Charm · Seething Song · Baral, Chief of Compliance · Force of Will · Brain Freeze · Deflecting Swat · Lotus Petal · Talrand, Sky Summoner · Thassa's Oracle · Entomb · Flusterstorm · Narset's Reversal · Command Tower · Exotic Orchard · Steam Vents · Watery Grave · Blood Crypt · Bloodstained Mire · Polluted Delta · Sulfur Falls · Scalding Tarn · Crumbling Necropolis · Drowned Catacomb · Dragonskull Summit · Shivan Reef · Training Center · Xander's Lounge · Morphic Pool · Luxury Suite · Underground River · Sunken Hollow · Reliquary Tower · Smoldering Marsh · Stormcarved Coast · Sulfurous Springs · Bojuka Bog
🃏 Recommended cards for Kess, Dissident Mage
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Kess, Dissident Mage, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Ponder | 46% | +38% |
| Frantic Search | 57% | +36% |
| Faithless Looting | 55% | +35% |
| Brainstorm | 52% | +35% |
| Preordain | 40% | +35% |
| Storm-Kiln Artist | 43% | +32% |
| Archmage Emeritus | 41% | +31% |
| Windfall | 51% | +28% |
| Goblin Electromancer | 35% | +27% |
| Consider | 31% | +25% |
| Gitaxian Probe | 30% | +25% |
| Mystical Tutor | 38% | +25% |
| Guttersnipe | 31% | +24% |
| Dark Ritual | 62% | +24% |
| Thousand-Year Storm | 26% | +23% |
| Increasing Vengeance | 25% | +23% |
| Opt | 28% | +22% |
| Cabal Ritual | 30% | +20% |
| Baral, Chief of Compliance | 22% | +20% |
| Lightning Bolt | 31% | +20% |
| Mana Geyser | 25% | +20% |
| Fact or Fiction | 26% | +20% |
| Talrand, Sky Summoner | 21% | +18% |
| See the Truth | 19% | +18% |
💰 The best cards for your Kess, Dissident Mage 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.
🛠️ Optimize my deck · up to €2/cardTier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Windfall
- Gitaxian Probe
- Mystical Tutor
- Cabal Ritual
- Seething Song
- Toxic Deluge
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Demonic Tutor
- Jeska's Will
- Cyclonic Rift
- Gamble
- Vampiric Tutor
- Scalding Tarn
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Kess, Dissident Mage
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Demonic Consultation + Thassa's Oracle → Exile your library, Win the game
- Tainted Pact + Thassa's Oracle → Win the game
- Underworld Breach + Lotus Petal + Brain Freeze → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite magecraft triggers, Near-infinite mill
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
- Underworld Breach + Lion's Eye Diamond + Brain Freeze → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite colored mana, Near-infinite magecraft triggers, Near-infinite mill, Near-infinite storm count
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Kess, Dissident Mage's color identity?
Kess, Dissident Mage is Grixis (black, red and blue): 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 Kess, Dissident Mage come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Kess, Dissident Mage deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 34 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.9 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 99 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 21 % of the time and floods 40 %. Deck health: B+ (76/100).
How many lands should a Kess, Dissident Mage deck run?
Real Kess, Dissident Mage decks run 34 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 Kess, Dissident Mage?
The three highest-synergy cards are Ponder, Frantic Search, Faithless Looting. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Kess, Dissident Mage decks.
What combos does Kess, Dissident Mage have?
Kess, Dissident Mage has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. 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 Kess, Dissident Mage deck cost?
You can start cheap: Ponder, Frantic Search, Faithless Looting 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.