EDH Optimizer
Sauron, the Lidless Eye
Legendary Creature — Avatar Horror · 3BR
Color identity: Black · Red · Rakdos
Sauron, the Lidless Eye is Rakdos (black and red): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
When Sauron enters, gain control of target creature an opponent controls until end of turn. Untap it. It gains haste until end of turn.
{1}{B}{R}: Creatures you control get +2/+0 until end of turn. Each opponent loses 2 life.
Reference price of the card: €2.74
Average lands in decks for Sauron, the Lidless Eye: 34
TheftAristocratsSacrificeReanimatorAggroMidrangeComboControl
Build your Sauron, the Lidless Eye deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Sauron, the Lidless Eye 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Sauron, the Lidless Eye 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: C+ (63/100)
- Consistency49
- Speed55
- Interaction51
- Resilience71
- Closing83
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 34 lands (21 nonbasic, 7 Swamp, 6 Mountain)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Feed the Swarm · Nasty End · Rakdos Signet · Grishnákh, Brash Instigator · Blasphemous Act · Talisman of Indulgence · Uglúk of the White Hand · Village Rites · Gothmog, Morgul Lieutenant · Deadly Dispute · Mind Stone · Witch-king, Bringer of Ruin · Mauhúr, Uruk-hai Captain · Dark Ritual · Foray of Orcs · Dunland Crebain · Ashnod's Altar · Chaos Warp · Swarming of Moria · Fires of Mount Doom · Gríma Wormtongue · Terminate · The One Ring · Zealous Conscripts · Easterling Vanguard · Reanimate · Viscera Seer · Goblin Bombardment · Gollum, Scheming Guide · Mayhem Devil · Mordor Trebuchet · Voracious Fell Beast · Act of Treason · Cast into the Fire · Lash of the Balrog · The Balrog, Durin's Bane · Bedevil · Commander's Sphere · Corrupted Conviction · Fellwar Stone · Oliphaunt · Victimize · Captivating Crew · March from the Black Gate · Orcish Bowmasters · Azog, Moria's Ruin · Braids, Arisen Nightmare · Fire of Orthanc · Rakdos Charm · Conjurer's Closet · Mordor Muster · Solemn Simulacrum · Faithless Looting · Kardur, Doomscourge · Orcish Medicine · The Balrog, Flame of Udûn · Animate Dead · Call of the Ring · Fling · Goblin Fireleaper · Insurrection · Mahadi, Emporium Master · Mob Rule · Command Tower · Dragonskull Summit · Smoldering Marsh · Foreboding Ruins · Barad-dûr · Sulfurous Springs · Blood Crypt · Mount Doom · Evolving Wilds · Luxury Suite · Tainted Peak · Bloodfell Caves · Bojuka Bog · Temple of Malice · Rakdos Carnarium · Haunted Ridge · Bloodstained Mire · Phyrexian Tower · Blazemire Verge · Mines of Moria · Shadowblood Ridge
🃏 Recommended cards for Sauron, the Lidless Eye
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Sauron, the Lidless Eye, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Grishnákh, Brash Instigator | 46% | +45% |
| Nasty End | 49% | +45% |
| Uglúk of the White Hand | 39% | +38% |
| Gothmog, Morgul Lieutenant | 38% | +37% |
| Witch-king, Bringer of Ruin | 37% | +37% |
| Barad-dûr | 38% | +36% |
| Mauhúr, Uruk-hai Captain | 36% | +34% |
| Foray of Orcs | 34% | +33% |
| Dunland Crebain | 33% | +33% |
| Swarming of Moria | 31% | +30% |
| Fires of Mount Doom | 30% | +30% |
| Gríma Wormtongue | 30% | +29% |
| Easterling Vanguard | 28% | +28% |
| Zealous Conscripts | 29% | +27% |
| Gollum, Scheming Guide | 27% | +27% |
| Mordor Trebuchet | 27% | +26% |
| Voracious Fell Beast | 27% | +26% |
| Lash of the Balrog | 26% | +25% |
| Cast into the Fire | 26% | +25% |
| Act of Treason | 26% | +24% |
| The Balrog, Durin's Bane | 26% | +24% |
| Oliphaunt | 25% | +24% |
| Village Rites | 39% | +24% |
| Captivating Crew | 24% | +23% |
💰 The best cards for your Sauron, the Lidless Eye 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.
- Grishnákh, Brash Instigator
- Nasty End
- Uglúk of the White Hand
- Gothmog, Morgul Lieutenant
- Barad-dûr
- Mauhúr, Uruk-hai Captain
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Witch-king, Bringer of Ruin
- Mount Doom
- Call of the Ring
- Insurrection
- Conjurer's Closet
- Witch-king of Angmar
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Ashnod's Altar
- The One Ring
- Nazgûl
- Orcish Bowmasters
- Phyrexian Tower
- Phyrexian Altar
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Sauron, the Lidless Eye
- 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
- Underworld Breach + Lion's Eye Diamond + Wheel of Fortune → Infinite draw triggers, Infinite looting, Infinite looting for opponents, Near-infinite storm count
- 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
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Sauron, the Lidless Eye's color identity?
Sauron, the Lidless Eye 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 Sauron, the Lidless Eye come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Sauron, the Lidless Eye deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 34 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.7 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 96 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 27 % of the time and floods 19 %. Deck health: C+ (63/100).
How many lands should a Sauron, the Lidless Eye deck run?
Real Sauron, the Lidless Eye decks run 34 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 Lidless Eye?
The three highest-synergy cards are Grishnákh, Brash Instigator, Nasty End, Uglúk of the White Hand. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Sauron, the Lidless Eye decks.
What combos does Sauron, the Lidless Eye have?
Sauron, the Lidless Eye 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 Sauron, the Lidless Eye deck cost?
You can start cheap: Grishnákh, Brash Instigator, Nasty End, Uglúk of the White Hand 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.