EDH Optimizer
Nicol Bolas
Legendary Creature — Elder Dragon · 2UUBBRR
Color identity: Black · Red · Blue · Grixis
Nicol Bolas is Grixis (black, red and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Flying
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice Nicol Bolas unless you pay {U}{B}{R}.
Whenever Nicol Bolas deals damage to an opponent, that player discards their hand.
Reference price of the card: €1.31
Average lands in decks for Nicol Bolas: 37
DiscardControlSpellslingerDragonsWheelsPlaneswalkersFlyingLegends
Build your Nicol Bolas deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Nicol Bolas 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Nicol Bolas 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 (55/100)
- Consistency86
- Speed56
- Interaction73
- Resilience85
- Closing19
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 37 lands (27 nonbasic, 3 Island, 5 Swamp, 2 Mountain)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Counterspell · Dimir Signet · Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker · Rakdos Signet · Izzet Signet · Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh · Dark Ritual · Fellwar Stone · Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God · Nightscape Familiar · Cruel Ultimatum · Talisman of Dominance · Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen · Talisman of Indulgence · Talisman of Creativity · Terminate · Megrim · Waste Not · Crux of Fate · The Eldest Reborn · Blasphemous Act · Bolas's Citadel · Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver · Lightning Greaves · Windfall · Arcane Denial · Demonic Tutor · Syphon Mind · Torment of Hailfire · Slave of Bolas · Liliana's Caress · Reanimate · Chaos Warp · Animate Dead · Chromatic Lantern · Dark Intimations · Geth's Grimoire · Hypnotic Specter · Propaganda · Relic of Sauron · Brainstorm · Commander's Sphere · Crosis, the Purger · Mana Drain · Rhystic Study · Solemn Simulacrum · Cyclonic Rift · Fell Specter · Hour of Devastation · Negate · Rakdos Charm · Swiftfoot Boots · Baleful Strix · Deliver Unto Evil · Sangromancer · Crosis's Charm · Damnation · Deep Analysis · Phyrexian Arena · Raiders' Wake · Command Tower · Crumbling Necropolis · Exotic Orchard · Watery Grave · Blood Crypt · Dragonskull Summit · Steam Vents · Drowned Catacomb · Sulfur Falls · Xander's Lounge · Bloodstained Mire · Polluted Delta · Reliquary Tower · Sunken Hollow · Shivan Reef · Sulfurous Springs · Bojuka Bog · Smoldering Marsh · Underground River · Scalding Tarn · Badlands · Evolving Wilds · Luxury Suite · Morphic Pool · Underground Sea · Training Center · Volcanic Island
🃏 Recommended cards for Nicol Bolas
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Nicol Bolas, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker | 43% | +40% |
| Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh | 42% | +39% |
| Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God | 41% | +38% |
| Cruel Ultimatum | 40% | +35% |
| Nicol Bolas, the Ravager | 36% | +35% |
| The Eldest Reborn | 30% | +28% |
| Crux of Fate | 30% | +28% |
| Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver | 29% | +28% |
| Megrim | 32% | +25% |
| Slave of Bolas | 26% | +25% |
| Bolas's Citadel | 29% | +25% |
| Syphon Mind | 27% | +23% |
| Torment of Hailfire | 27% | +23% |
| Hypnotic Specter | 23% | +23% |
| Dark Intimations | 23% | +21% |
| Crosis, the Purger | 22% | +21% |
| Hour of Devastation | 21% | +20% |
| Waste Not | 32% | +20% |
| Deliver Unto Evil | 20% | +19% |
| Geth's Grimoire | 23% | +18% |
| Fell Specter | 21% | +18% |
| Liliana's Caress | 25% | +18% |
| Visage of Bolas | 18% | +18% |
| Sangromancer | 20% | +17% |
💰 The best cards for your Nicol Bolas 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.
- Cruel Ultimatum
- The Eldest Reborn
- Crux of Fate
- Megrim
- Slave of Bolas
- Syphon Mind
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
- Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh
- Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver
- Bolas's Citadel
- Waste Not
- Geth's Grimoire
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God
- Torment of Hailfire
- Damnation
- Braingeyser
- Badlands
- Wheel of Fortune
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Nicol Bolas
- 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 + Wheel of Fortune + Jeska's Will → Infinite draw triggers for all players, Infinite looting for all players, Near-infinite magecraft triggers, Near-infinite storm count
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Nicol Bolas's color identity?
Nicol Bolas 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 Nicol Bolas come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Nicol Bolas deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 37 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 6.8 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 69 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 14 % of the time and floods 12 %. Deck health: C (55/100).
How many lands should a Nicol Bolas deck run?
Real Nicol Bolas decks run 37 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 Nicol Bolas?
The three highest-synergy cards are Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker, Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh, Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Nicol Bolas decks.
What combos does Nicol Bolas have?
Nicol Bolas 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 Nicol Bolas deck cost?
You can start cheap: Cruel Ultimatum, The Eldest Reborn, Crux of Fate 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.