EDH Optimizer
Khan, Despot by Design
Legendary Creature — Human Rogue · 4R
Color identity: Red
Khan, Despot by Design is red: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Trample
When Khan enters, he deals 1 damage to each opponent and each creature your opponents control.
Average lands in decks for Khan, Despot by Design: 36
Build your Khan, Despot by Design deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Khan, Despot by Design 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Khan, Despot by Design 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: C (54/100)
- Consistency48
- Speed64
- Interaction49
- Resilience54
- Closing48
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (17 nonbasic, 19 Mountain)
Abomination, World Ravager · Active Volcano · Agate Assault · Aggravated Assault · All Is Dust · Amethyst Dragon // Explosive Crystal · Ancient Copper Dragon · Arc Trail · Arcane Signet · Arrow Storm · Artifist Acumen · Astral Cornucopia · Awaken the Sky Tyrant · Banefire · Beacon of Destruction · Beckett Mariner, Impetuous Ensign · Berserkers' Onslaught · Blasphemous Act · Blazing Firesinger // Seething Song · Bloodsworn Steward · Boarding Action · Boil · Bolt Hound · Boltwave · Bonecrusher Giant // Stomp · Brash Taunter · Breaching Dragonstorm · Burn Away · Burning Sun's Avatar · Caldera Pyremaw · Captain James T. Kirk · Captain Michael Burnham · Carnelian Orb of Dragonkind · Chainsaw · Cinder Storm · Combat Celebrant · Commander's Sphere · Consuming Sinkhole · D-7 Battle Cruiser · Dance with Devils · Deflecting Swat · Delayed Blast Fireball · Demand Answers · Desecrate Reality · Diamond Pick-Axe · Disrupt Decorum · Dragon Tempest · Dragonmaster Outcast · Dragonspeaker Shaman · Dreamstalker Manticore · Erica Ortegas, Plucky Pilot · Ferocious Colonist · Firespitter Whelp · Gagh Slinger · Galvanizing Tenor · Gimli's Axe · Glory to the Empire! · Gnarling Targ · Gratuitous Violence · Grilka, Widowed Warrior · Hammer of Purphoros · Hard-Won Jitte · Hedron Archive · Adventurer's Inn · Ancient Ziggurat · Arcane Lighthouse · Arena of Glory · Big Apple, 3 a.m. · Command Tower · Desert of the Fervent · Drannith Ruins · Dwarven Mine · Exotic Orchard · Forge of Heroes · Path of Ancestry · Quark's Bar · Reliquary Tower · Rogue's Passage · Spatial Anomaly · Spire of Industry
🃏 Recommended cards for Khan, Despot by Design
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Khan, Despot by Design, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Kruge, Genesis Seeker | 50% | +50% |
| La'An Noonien-Singh, Security | 50% | +50% |
| Consuming Sinkhole | 50% | +50% |
| Munitions Enthusiast | 50% | +50% |
| Klingon Strike Force | 50% | +50% |
| Plasma Cascade | 50% | +50% |
| Ancient Ziggurat | 50% | +50% |
| Kirk, Enterprising Captain | 50% | +50% |
| Beckett Mariner, Impetuous Ensign | 50% | +50% |
| Dreamstalker Manticore | 50% | +50% |
| Ravenous Cosmozoan | 50% | +50% |
| Perils of the Past | 50% | +50% |
| Cinder Storm | 50% | +50% |
| Arrow Storm | 50% | +50% |
| U.S.S. Enterprise-D, Galaxy-Class | 50% | +50% |
| Kargan Dragonrider | 50% | +50% |
| Captain James T. Kirk | 50% | +50% |
| Awaken the Sky Tyrant | 50% | +50% |
| Khaaaaaaaaaaaannn! | 50% | +50% |
| Tricorder | 50% | +50% |
| Desecrate Reality | 50% | +50% |
| The Sword of Kahless | 50% | +50% |
| Planetary Bombardment | 50% | +50% |
| Tea, Earl Grey, Hot | 50% | +50% |
💰 The best cards for your Khan, Despot by Design 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.
- Consuming Sinkhole
- Ancient Ziggurat
- Beckett Mariner, Impetuous Ensign
- Dreamstalker Manticore
- Perils of the Past
- Cinder Storm
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- U.S.S. Enterprise-D, Galaxy-Class
- Captain James T. Kirk
- Desecrate Reality
- The Wrath of Khan
- Queen's Diamond
- Grilka, Widowed Warrior
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- The Beacon of Kahless
- Rom and Leeta, Unlikely Pair
- Quark, Humble Proprietor
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Khan, Despot by Design
- Blasphemous Act + Repercussion → Near-infinite damage to all players
- Ancient Copper Dragon + Aggravated Assault → Near-infinite colored mana, Near-infinite combat damage, Near-infinite Treasure tokens, Near-infinite combat phases, Near-infinite untap of creatures you control, Near-infinite mana creatures you control can produce
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Khan, Despot by Design's color identity?
Khan, Despot by Design 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 Khan, Despot by Design come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Khan, Despot by Design deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.8 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 95 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 29 % of the time and floods 21 %. Deck health: C (54/100).
How many lands should a Khan, Despot by Design deck run?
Real Khan, Despot by Design 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 Khan, Despot by Design?
The three highest-synergy cards are Kruge, Genesis Seeker, La'An Noonien-Singh, Security, Consuming Sinkhole. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Khan, Despot by Design decks.
What combos does Khan, Despot by Design have?
Khan, Despot by Design has 2 known combos. The most popular one is Blasphemous Act + Repercussion. 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 Khan, Despot by Design deck cost?
You can start cheap: Consuming Sinkhole, Ancient Ziggurat, Beckett Mariner, Impetuous Ensign 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.