EDH Optimizer
Rakdos, Lord of Riots
Legendary Creature — Demon · BBRR
Color identity: Black · Red · Rakdos
Rakdos, Lord of Riots is Rakdos (black and red): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
You can't cast Rakdos unless an opponent lost life this turn.
Flying, trample
Creature spells you cast cost {1} less to cast for each 1 life your opponents have lost this turn.
Reference price of the card: €0.93
Comes in the precon Endless Punishment
Average lands in decks for Rakdos, Lord of Riots: 35
BurnAggroDemonsGroup SlugEldraziComboBig ManaChaos
Build your Rakdos, Lord of Riots deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Rakdos, Lord of Riots 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Rakdos, Lord of Riots 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 (68/100)
- Consistency81
- Speed72
- Interaction50
- Resilience76
- Closing60
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (25 nonbasic, 6 Swamp, 4 Mountain)
Arcane Signet · Sol Ring · Rakdos Signet · Rakdos Charm · Stormfist Crusader · Spear Spewer · Talisman of Indulgence · Thermo-Alchemist · Lightning Greaves · Cryptolith Fragment // Aurora of Emrakul · Rune-Scarred Demon · Creeping Bloodsucker · Terminate · Dark Ritual · Artisan of Kozilek · Blasphemous Act · Keen Duelist · Chaos Warp · Bedevil · Swiftfoot Boots · Rakdos, Patron of Chaos · Nettle Drone · Lightning Bolt · Boltwave · Florian, Voldaren Scion · Spawn of Mayhem · Feed the Swarm · Orcus, Prince of Undeath · Solemn Simulacrum · Plague Spitter · Fellwar Stone · Phyrexian Arena · Flame Rift · Lobber Crew · Indulgent Tormentor · Sanctum of Stone Fangs · Kardur, Doomscourge · Vilis, Broker of Blood · Archfiend of Despair · Ancient Cellarspawn · Sign in Blood · Descent into Avernus · Kaervek the Merciless · Neheb, the Eternal · Kozilek, Butcher of Truth · Bloodgift Demon · Archfiend of Depravity · Harvester of Souls · Sower of Discord · Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger · It That Betrays · Knollspine Dragon · Scrawling Crawler · Vandalblast · Deflecting Swat · Theater of Horrors · Unruly Catapult · Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre · Sandstone Oracle · Conduit of Ruin · Bolt Bend · Bloodletter of Aclazotz · Ob Nixilis, the Adversary · Sin Prodder · Command Tower · Dragonskull Summit · Smoldering Marsh · Sulfurous Springs · Blood Crypt · Foreboding Ruins · Tainted Peak · Graven Cairns · Haunted Ridge · Luxury Suite · Shadowblood Ridge · Rakdos Carnarium · Bloodstained Mire · Bojuka Bog · Temple of Malice · Blazemire Verge · Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway · Mount Doom · Leechridden Swamp · Jagged Barrens · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Exotic Orchard · Rogue's Passage · Blackcleave Cliffs · Evolving Wilds
🃏 Recommended cards for Rakdos, Lord of Riots
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Rakdos, Lord of Riots, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Spear Spewer | 65% | +62% |
| Thermo-Alchemist | 63% | +58% |
| Stormfist Crusader | 65% | +55% |
| Cryptolith Fragment | 57% | +53% |
| Rune-Scarred Demon | 55% | +52% |
| Creeping Bloodsucker | 54% | +49% |
| Artisan of Kozilek | 46% | +44% |
| Keen Duelist | 45% | +42% |
| Nettle Drone | 42% | +41% |
| Spawn of Mayhem | 40% | +38% |
| Rakdos, Patron of Chaos | 43% | +38% |
| Orcus, Prince of Undeath | 39% | +37% |
| Plague Spitter | 37% | +36% |
| Lobber Crew | 36% | +35% |
| Florian, Voldaren Scion | 41% | +35% |
| Boltwave | 41% | +35% |
| Flame Rift | 36% | +34% |
| Sanctum of Stone Fangs | 35% | +34% |
| Indulgent Tormentor | 35% | +32% |
| Kozilek, Butcher of Truth | 33% | +32% |
| Ancient Cellarspawn | 34% | +32% |
| Archfiend of Despair | 34% | +31% |
| Vilis, Broker of Blood | 34% | +30% |
| Rakdos Charm | 72% | +29% |
💰 The best cards for your Rakdos, Lord of Riots 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.
- Spear Spewer
- Thermo-Alchemist
- Stormfist Crusader
- Rune-Scarred Demon
- Artisan of Kozilek
- Keen Duelist
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Creeping Bloodsucker
- Rakdos, Patron of Chaos
- Boltwave
- Ancient Cellarspawn
- Archfiend of Despair
- Vilis, Broker of Blood
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
- Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
- It That Betrays
- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
- Descent into Avernus
- Ulamog, the Defiler
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Rakdos, Lord of Riots
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- 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
- Dualcaster Mage + Twinflame → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature tokens with haste, Infinite magecraft triggers
- Enduring Tenacity + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Orcish Bowmasters + Peer into the Abyss → Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature, Near-infinite card draw for target opponent, Near-infinite damage, Near-infinite draw triggers for target opponent, Target opponent loses the game
- Blasphemous Act + Repercussion → Near-infinite damage to all players
👥 Community decks with Rakdos, Lord of Riots
Full decklists published by players on EDH Optimizer, with their analysis, bracket and health. Clone them to your account and optimize them for free.
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Rakdos, Lord of Riots's color identity?
Rakdos, Lord of Riots is Rakdos (black and red): 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 Rakdos, Lord of Riots come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Rakdos, Lord of Riots deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.2 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 97 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 30 % of the time and floods 9 %. Deck health: B (68/100).
How many lands should a Rakdos, Lord of Riots deck run?
Real Rakdos, Lord of Riots 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 Rakdos, Lord of Riots?
The three highest-synergy cards are Spear Spewer, Thermo-Alchemist, Stormfist Crusader. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Rakdos, Lord of Riots decks.
What combos does Rakdos, Lord of Riots have?
Rakdos, Lord of Riots 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 Rakdos, Lord of Riots deck cost?
You can start cheap: Spear Spewer, Thermo-Alchemist, Stormfist Crusader 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.