EDH Optimizer
Rufus Shinra
Legendary Creature — Human Noble · 1WB
Color identity: Black · White · Orzhov
Rufus Shinra is Orzhov (black and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Whenever Rufus Shinra attacks, if you don't control a creature named Darkstar, create Darkstar, a legendary 2/2 white and black Dog creature token.
Reference price of the card: €0.06
Average lands in decks for Rufus Shinra: 35
TokensAristocratsLegendsEquipmentSacrificeSoldiersAggroCombo
Build your Rufus Shinra deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Rufus Shinra 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Rufus Shinra 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: C+ (57/100)
- Consistency43
- Speed51
- Interaction56
- Resilience83
- Closing56
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (25 nonbasic, 5 Plains, 5 Swamp)
Arcane Signet · Sol Ring · Heidegger, Shinra Executive · Reno and Rude · Bastion of Remembrance · SOLDIER Military Program · Bastion Protector · Skullclamp · Swords to Plowshares · Elena, Turk Recruit · Deadly Dispute · Village Rites · Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER // Sephiroth, One-Winged Angel · Morbid Opportunist · Path to Exile · Talisman of Hierarchy · Zack Fair · Austere Command · Orzhov Signet · Unfinished Business · Blood Artist · Corrupted Conviction · General's Enforcer · Victimize · Zulaport Cutthroat · Anguished Unmaking · Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim · Vincent Valentine // Galian Beast · Helitrooper · Champion's Helm · Nasty End · Cloud, Midgar Mercenary · Cruel Celebrant · Pitiless Plunderer · Reanimate · Solemn Simulacrum · Teysa Karlov · The Masamune · Shinra Reinforcements · Judge Magister Gabranth · Lightning Greaves · Swiftfoot Boots · Buster Sword · Fight On! · Damn · Idol of Oblivion · Darksteel Plate · Hardened Tactician · Vincent's Limit Break · Black Market Connections · Aerith Gainsborough · Elenda, the Dusk Rose · Grave Pact · Kingpin, Wilson Fisk · Matt Murdock, Justice Seeker · Mortify · Puresteel Paladin · Sephiroth's Intervention · Adeline, Resplendent Cathar · Summon: Knights of Round · Ashnod's Altar · Inkshield · Overkill · Vindicate · Command Tower · Isolated Chapel · Midgar, City of Mako // Reactor Raid · Shattered Sanctum · Shineshadow Snarl · Fetid Heath · Rogue's Passage · Tainted Field · Caves of Koilos · Godless Shrine · Bojuka Bog · Orzhov Basilica · Temple of Silence · Vault of Champions · Vault of the Archangel · Path of Ancestry · Phyrexian Tower · Desolate Mire · Insomnia, Crown City · Bleachbone Verge · Scoured Barrens · Shadowy Backstreet · High Market · Brightclimb Pathway // Grimclimb Pathway · Reliquary Tower
🃏 Recommended cards for Rufus Shinra
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Rufus Shinra, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Heidegger, Shinra Executive | 60% | +60% |
| Reno and Rude | 60% | +60% |
| SOLDIER Military Program | 58% | +58% |
| Midgar, City of Mako | 59% | +54% |
| Bastion Protector | 56% | +53% |
| Elena, Turk Recruit | 50% | +49% |
| Zack Fair | 45% | +41% |
| Unfinished Business | 41% | +41% |
| Bastion of Remembrance | 58% | +40% |
| Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER | 46% | +39% |
| Helitrooper | 38% | +38% |
| Vincent Valentine | 39% | +38% |
| General's Enforcer | 40% | +37% |
| Champion's Helm | 37% | +35% |
| Cloud, Midgar Mercenary | 36% | +34% |
| The Masamune | 35% | +34% |
| Shinra Reinforcements | 34% | +34% |
| Nasty End | 37% | +34% |
| Morbid Opportunist | 45% | +32% |
| Fight On! | 31% | +30% |
| Judge Magister Gabranth | 33% | +30% |
| Buster Sword | 31% | +29% |
| Corrupted Conviction | 40% | +29% |
| Skullclamp | 55% | +29% |
💰 The best cards for your Rufus Shinra 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.
- Heidegger, Shinra Executive
- Reno and Rude
- SOLDIER Military Program
- Bastion Protector
- Elena, Turk Recruit
- Zack Fair
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Skullclamp
- Darksteel Plate
- Reanimate
- Pitiless Plunderer
- Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
- Clever Concealment
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Cloud, Midgar Mercenary
- Buster Sword
- Summon: Knights of Round
- Commissar Severina Raine
- Grave Pact
- Elspeth, Storm Slayer
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Rufus Shinra
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Pitiless Plunderer + Ashnod's Altar + Reassembling Skeleton → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite sacrifice triggers
- Marauding Blight-Priest + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Gravecrawler + Pitiless Plunderer + Viscera Seer → Infinite LTB, Infinite ETB, Infinite sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers, Infinite scry 1, Infinite storm count
- Luminous Broodmoth + Ashnod's Altar → Infinite LTB, Infinite ETB, Infinite sacrifice triggers, Infinite death triggers, Infinite colorless mana
- Ashnod's Altar + Cathars' Crusade → Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite +1/+1 counters on most creatures you control, Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite sacrifice triggers
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Rufus Shinra's color identity?
Rufus Shinra is Orzhov (black and white): 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 Rufus Shinra come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Rufus Shinra deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.1 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 100 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 29 % of the time and floods 18 %. Deck health: C+ (57/100).
How many lands should a Rufus Shinra deck run?
Real Rufus Shinra 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 Rufus Shinra?
The three highest-synergy cards are Heidegger, Shinra Executive, Reno and Rude, SOLDIER Military Program. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Rufus Shinra decks.
What combos does Rufus Shinra have?
Rufus Shinra 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 Rufus Shinra deck cost?
You can start cheap: Heidegger, Shinra Executive, Reno and Rude, SOLDIER Military Program 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.