EDH Optimizer
Sauron, the Dark Lord
Legendary Creature — Avatar Horror · 3UBR
Color identity: Black · Red · Blue · Grixis
Sauron, the Dark Lord is Grixis (black, red and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Ward—Sacrifice a legendary artifact or legendary creature.
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, amass Orcs 1.
Whenever an Army you control deals combat damage to a player, the Ring tempts you.
Whenever the Ring tempts you, you may discard your hand. If you do, draw four cards.
Reference price of the card: €18.75
Average lands in decks for Sauron, the Dark Lord: 36
ZombiesReanimatorAmass+1/+1 CountersTokensWraithsOrcsWheels
Build your Sauron, the Dark Lord deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Sauron, the Dark Lord 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Sauron, the Dark Lord 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+ (79/100)
- Consistency72
- Speed55
- Interaction93
- Resilience81
- Closing95
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (26 nonbasic, 3 Island, 5 Swamp, 2 Mountain)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Call of the Ring · Relic of Sauron · Saruman, the White Hand · Reanimate · Orcish Bowmasters · Blasphemous Act · Nazgûl · Ringsight · Witch-king of Angmar · In the Darkness Bind Them · Mauhúr, Uruk-hai Captain · The One Ring · Arcane Denial · Orcish Siegemaster · Sauron, Lord of the Rings · Dark Ritual · Feed the Swarm · Lord of the Nazgûl · Anger · Talisman of Dominance · March from the Black Gate · Saruman's Trickery · Talisman of Indulgence · Corsairs of Umbar · Counterspell · Grishnákh, Brash Instigator · Gothmog, Morgul Lieutenant · Living Death · One Ring to Rule Them All · Talisman of Creativity · Moria Scavenger · Claim the Precious · The Mouth of Sauron · Commander's Sphere · Faithless Looting · Orcish Medicine · Summons of Saruman · Sauron's Ransom · The Balrog of Moria · Warg Rider · Fellwar Stone · The Great Goblin · Treason of Isengard · Toxic Deluge · Dimir Signet · Foray of Orcs · Sauron, the Necromancer · Rakdos Signet · Inherited Envelope · Palantír of Orthanc · Bilbo, Retired Burglar · Soothing of Sméagol · Cavern-Hoard Dragon · Dreadhorde Invasion · Archfiend of Ifnir · Birthday Escape · Too Greedily, Too Deep · Victimize · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Mind Stone · Nightscape Familiar · Command Tower · Barad-dûr · Dragonskull Summit · Crumbling Necropolis · Drowned Catacomb · The Black Gate · Sulfur Falls · Smoldering Marsh · Rogue's Passage · Sunken Hollow · Sulfurous Springs · Underground River · Mount Doom · Exotic Orchard · Watery Grave · Blood Crypt · Choked Estuary · Foreboding Ruins · Steam Vents · Path of Ancestry · Minas Morgul, Dark Fortress · Xander's Lounge · Frostboil Snarl · Evolving Wilds · Bloodstained Mire · Polluted Delta
🃏 Recommended cards for Sauron, the Dark Lord
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Sauron, the Dark Lord, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Call of the Ring | 78% | +70% |
| Saruman, the White Hand | 68% | +61% |
| Barad-dûr | 67% | +59% |
| Relic of Sauron | 74% | +55% |
| Witch-king of Angmar | 59% | +53% |
| The Black Gate | 62% | +53% |
| Nazgûl | 59% | +53% |
| Ringsight | 59% | +51% |
| In the Darkness Bind Them | 56% | +50% |
| Mauhúr, Uruk-hai Captain | 55% | +49% |
| Sauron, Lord of the Rings | 53% | +48% |
| Orcish Siegemaster | 53% | +46% |
| Orcish Bowmasters | 62% | +44% |
| Lord of the Nazgûl | 49% | +43% |
| Mount Doom | 49% | +42% |
| The One Ring | 54% | +41% |
| Reanimate | 66% | +41% |
| March from the Black Gate | 43% | +38% |
| Saruman's Trickery | 43% | +38% |
| Anger | 47% | +36% |
| Corsairs of Umbar | 40% | +35% |
| Gothmog, Morgul Lieutenant | 39% | +35% |
| One Ring to Rule Them All | 39% | +35% |
| Grishnákh, Brash Instigator | 40% | +35% |
💰 The best cards for your Sauron, the Dark Lord 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.
- Saruman, the White Hand
- Barad-dûr
- Ringsight
- Mauhúr, Uruk-hai Captain
- Sauron, Lord of the Rings
- Orcish Siegemaster
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Call of the Ring
- Witch-king of Angmar
- In the Darkness Bind Them
- Lord of the Nazgûl
- Mount Doom
- Reanimate
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Relic of Sauron
- The Black Gate
- Nazgûl
- Orcish Bowmasters
- The One Ring
- Warg Rider
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Sauron, the Dark Lord
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Demonic Consultation + Thassa's Oracle → Exile your library, Win the game
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- 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
👥 Community decks with Sauron, the Dark Lord
Full decklists published by players on EDH Optimizer, with their analysis, bracket and health. Clone them to your account and optimize them for free.
🎬 Videos and guides about Sauron, the Dark Lord
The written version of our videos (in Spanish): deck checks, mulligans, duels and precon upgrades.
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Sauron, the Dark Lord's color identity?
Sauron, the Dark Lord 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 Sauron, the Dark Lord come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Sauron, the Dark Lord deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 36 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 3 %. Deck health: B+ (79/100).
How many lands should a Sauron, the Dark Lord deck run?
Real Sauron, the Dark Lord decks run 36 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 Sauron, the Dark Lord?
The three highest-synergy cards are Call of the Ring, Saruman, the White Hand, Barad-dûr. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Sauron, the Dark Lord decks.
What combos does Sauron, the Dark Lord have?
Sauron, the Dark Lord 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 Sauron, the Dark Lord deck cost?
You can start cheap: Saruman, the White Hand, Barad-dûr, Ringsight 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.