EDH Optimizer
Rakdos the Defiler
Legendary Creature — Demon · 2BBRR
Color identity: Black · Red · Rakdos
Rakdos the Defiler is Rakdos (black and red): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Flying, trample
Whenever Rakdos attacks, sacrifice half the non-Demon permanents you control, rounded up.
Whenever Rakdos deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices half the non-Demon permanents they control of their choice, rounded up.
Reference price of the card: €1.03
Average lands in decks for Rakdos the Defiler: 37
DemonsReanimatorSacrificeChaosGroup SlugAristocratsAggroTreasure
Build your Rakdos the Defiler deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Rakdos the Defiler 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Rakdos the Defiler 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 (70/100)
- Consistency71
- Speed61
- Interaction46
- Resilience75
- Closing96
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 37 lands (20 nonbasic, 13 Swamp, 4 Mountain)
Sol Ring · Rakdos Signet · Arcane Signet · Dark Ritual · Rakdos, Lord of Riots · Herald of Slaanesh · Harvester of Souls · Talisman of Indulgence · Lightning Greaves · Sire of Insanity · Mayhem Devil · Rakdos Charm · Rakdos, the Showstopper · Reanimate · Archfiend of Depravity · Bedevil · Liliana's Contract · Terminate · Anger · Kardur, Doomscourge · Swiftfoot Boots · Blasphemous Act · Rune-Scarred Demon · Demonic Counsel · Faithless Looting · Master of Cruelties · Reaper from the Abyss · Chaos Warp · Bloodgift Demon · Rakdos, Patron of Chaos · Overseer of the Damned · Archfiend of Despair · Black Market · Bloodthirster · Burnt Offering · Mahadi, Emporium Master · Ob Nixilis, Unshackled · Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire · Feed the Swarm · It That Betrays · Demonic Tutor · Solemn Simulacrum · The Balrog, Durin's Bane · Animate Dead · Bloodletter of Aclazotz · Dreadbore · Indulgent Tormentor · Victimize · Commander's Sphere · Living Death · Sign in Blood · Tergrid, God of Fright // Tergrid's Lantern · Vilis, Broker of Blood · Cabal Ritual · Exhume · Lord of the Void · Rakdos Joins Up · Seething Song · Toxic Deluge · Mind Stone · Phyrexian Arena · Blood Speaker · Command Tower · Dragonskull Summit · Blood Crypt · Rakdos Carnarium · Smoldering Marsh · Sulfurous Springs · Foreboding Ruins · Shadowblood Ridge · Bojuka Bog · Graven Cairns · Luxury Suite · Tainted Peak · Bloodstained Mire · Rogue's Passage · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Temple of Malice · Blazemire Verge · Path of Ancestry · Raucous Theater · Haunted Ridge
🃏 Recommended cards for Rakdos the Defiler
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Rakdos the Defiler, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Herald of Slaanesh | 53% | +51% |
| Harvester of Souls | 52% | +49% |
| Rakdos, Lord of Riots | 55% | +48% |
| Sire of Insanity | 50% | +48% |
| Rakdos, the Showstopper | 47% | +44% |
| Liliana's Contract | 45% | +44% |
| Archfiend of Depravity | 46% | +42% |
| Reaper from the Abyss | 39% | +38% |
| Rune-Scarred Demon | 40% | +37% |
| Master of Cruelties | 39% | +36% |
| Demonic Counsel | 39% | +36% |
| Bloodgift Demon | 36% | +33% |
| Rakdos, Patron of Chaos | 36% | +31% |
| Overseer of the Damned | 32% | +30% |
| Anger | 42% | +30% |
| Ob Nixilis, Unshackled | 31% | +30% |
| Bloodthirster | 31% | +29% |
| Rakdos Carnarium | 58% | +29% |
| Archfiend of Despair | 31% | +28% |
| It That Betrays | 30% | +28% |
| Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire | 31% | +28% |
| Black Market | 31% | +27% |
| The Balrog, Durin's Bane | 29% | +27% |
| Burnt Offering | 31% | +26% |
💰 The best cards for your Rakdos the Defiler 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.
- Harvester of Souls
- Rakdos, Lord of Riots
- Sire of Insanity
- Rakdos, the Showstopper
- Archfiend of Depravity
- Reaper from the Abyss
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Herald of Slaanesh
- Liliana's Contract
- Master of Cruelties
- Rakdos, Patron of Chaos
- Archfiend of Despair
- Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Bloodthirster
- It That Betrays
- Bloodletter of Aclazotz
- Crucible of Worlds
- Valgavoth, Terror Eater
- The Reaver Cleaver
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Rakdos the Defiler
- 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
- Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar + Reassembling Skeleton → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- The Reaver Cleaver + Aggravated Assault → Infinite artifact ETB, Infinite artifact LTB, Infinite artifact sacrifice triggers, Infinite artifact tokens, Infinite colored mana, Infinite combat damage, Infinite combat phases, Infinite mana creatures you control can produce, Infinite Treasure tokens, Infinite untap of creatures you control
- Warren Soultrader + Gravecrawler + Blood Artist → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Rakdos the Defiler's color identity?
Rakdos the Defiler 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 the Defiler come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Rakdos the Defiler deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 37 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 5.7 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 88 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 23 % of the time and floods 15 %. Deck health: B (70/100).
How many lands should a Rakdos the Defiler deck run?
Real Rakdos the Defiler 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 Rakdos the Defiler?
The three highest-synergy cards are Herald of Slaanesh, Harvester of Souls, Rakdos, Lord of Riots. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Rakdos the Defiler decks.
What combos does Rakdos the Defiler have?
Rakdos the Defiler 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 the Defiler deck cost?
You can start cheap: Harvester of Souls, Rakdos, Lord of Riots, Sire of Insanity 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.