EDH Optimizer
Rakdos, the Muscle
Legendary Creature — Demon Mercenary · 2BBR
Color identity: Black · Red · Rakdos
Rakdos, the Muscle is Rakdos (black and red): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Flying, trample
Whenever you sacrifice another creature, exile cards equal to its mana value from the top of target player's library. Until your next end step, you may play those cards, and mana of any type can be spent to cast those spells.
Sacrifice another creature: Rakdos gains indestructible until end of turn. Tap it. Activate only once each turn.
Reference price of the card: €1.64
Average lands in decks for Rakdos, the Muscle: 32
SacrificeAristocratsComboTheftStormTreasureReanimatorExile
Build your Rakdos, the Muscle deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Rakdos, the Muscle 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Rakdos, the Muscle 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 (67/100)
- Consistency42
- Speed72
- Interaction36
- Resilience72
- Closing100
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 32 lands (22 nonbasic, 7 Swamp, 3 Mountain)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Shriekmaw · Ingot Chewer · Ashnod's Altar · Talisman of Indulgence · Dark Ritual · Burnt Offering · Forsaken Miner · Poxwalkers · Viscera Seer · Reanimate · Warren Soultrader · Reckless Barbarian · Fury · Mayhem Devil · Culling the Weak · Phyrexian Altar · Rakdos Signet · Grief · Pitiless Plunderer · Priest of Gix · Sacrifice · Impulsive Pilferer · Infernal Plunge · Victimize · Fellwar Stone · Priest of Urabrask · Prosper, Tome-Bound · Diabolic Intent · Chthonian Nightmare · Flare of Duplication · Blasphemous Act · Dargo, the Shipwrecker · Deadly Dispute · Deflecting Swat · Blood Artist · Party Thrasher · Saw in Half · Cabal Ritual · Greedy Freebooter · Timeline Culler · Boggart Trawler // Boggart Bog · Demonic Tutor · Skittering Precursor · Blood Pet · Jeska's Will · Pinnacle Monk // Mystic Peak · Reassembling Skeleton · Solemn Simulacrum · Accursed Marauder · Carrion Feeder · Entomb · Umbral Collar Zealot · Vampiric Tutor · Braids, Arisen Nightmare · Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer · Red Elemental Blast · Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty · Feed the Swarm · Goblin Bombardment · Hoarding Broodlord · Lotus Petal · Underworld Breach · Animate Dead · Chaos Warp · Golgari Thug · Command Tower · Sulfurous Springs · Blood Crypt · Dragonskull Summit · Bloodstained Mire · Phyrexian Tower · Luxury Suite · Smoldering Marsh · Blazemire Verge · Exotic Orchard · Raucous Theater · Tainted Peak · Foreboding Ruins · Haunted Ridge · Mount Doom · Ancient Tomb · Badlands · Shadowblood Ridge · Bojuka Bog · City of Brass · Marsh Flats · Polluted Delta
🃏 Recommended cards for Rakdos, the Muscle
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Rakdos, the Muscle, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Shriekmaw | 74% | +71% |
| Ingot Chewer | 73% | +71% |
| Forsaken Miner | 68% | +65% |
| Poxwalkers | 64% | +63% |
| Burnt Offering | 68% | +62% |
| Ashnod's Altar | 72% | +62% |
| Fury | 57% | +56% |
| Reckless Barbarian | 58% | +56% |
| Viscera Seer | 61% | +52% |
| Warren Soultrader | 59% | +51% |
| Grief | 50% | +48% |
| Sacrifice | 50% | +48% |
| Priest of Gix | 50% | +47% |
| Phyrexian Altar | 52% | +46% |
| Culling the Weak | 52% | +46% |
| Phyrexian Tower | 52% | +42% |
| Infernal Plunge | 44% | +41% |
| Priest of Urabrask | 42% | +40% |
| Impulsive Pilferer | 45% | +38% |
| Chthonian Nightmare | 40% | +37% |
| Pitiless Plunderer | 50% | +37% |
| Dargo, the Shipwrecker | 37% | +36% |
| Reanimate | 59% | +36% |
| Prosper, Tome-Bound | 42% | +35% |
💰 The best cards for your Rakdos, the Muscle 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.
- Shriekmaw
- Ingot Chewer
- Forsaken Miner
- Burnt Offering
- Fury
- Reckless Barbarian
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Ashnod's Altar
- Grief
- Sacrifice
- Culling the Weak
- Pitiless Plunderer
- Reanimate
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Poxwalkers
- Warren Soultrader
- Phyrexian Altar
- Phyrexian Tower
- Diabolic Intent
- Lotus Petal
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Rakdos, the Muscle
- Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, 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
- Dualcaster Mage + Molten Duplication → Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature tokens with haste, Infinite magecraft triggers
- 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
- Pitiless Plunderer + Reassembling Skeleton + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Rakdos, the Muscle's color identity?
Rakdos, the Muscle 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 Muscle come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Rakdos, the Muscle deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 32 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.0 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 11 % of the time and floods 33 %. Deck health: B (67/100).
How many lands should a Rakdos, the Muscle deck run?
Real Rakdos, the Muscle decks run 32 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 Muscle?
The three highest-synergy cards are Shriekmaw, Ingot Chewer, Forsaken Miner. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Rakdos, the Muscle decks.
What combos does Rakdos, the Muscle have?
Rakdos, the Muscle has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar. 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 Muscle deck cost?
You can start cheap: Shriekmaw, Ingot Chewer, Forsaken Miner 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.