EDH Optimizer
Szadek, Lord of Secrets
Legendary Creature — Vampire · 3UUBB
Color identity: Black · Blue · Dimir
Szadek, Lord of Secrets is Dimir (black and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Flying
If Szadek would deal combat damage to a player, instead put that many +1/+1 counters on Szadek and that player mills that many cards.
Reference price of the card: €0.20
Average lands in decks for Szadek, Lord of Secrets: 34
MillVoltronGraveyardVampires+1/+1 CountersAggroFlyingReanimator
Build your Szadek, Lord of Secrets deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Szadek, Lord of Secrets 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Szadek, Lord of Secrets 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+ (63/100)
- Consistency23
- Speed47
- Interaction100
- Resilience69
- Closing71
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 34 lands (21 nonbasic, 9 Island, 4 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Consuming Aberration · Dimir Signet · Arcane Signet · Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker · Counterspell · Duskmantle Guildmage · Mind Grind · Maddening Cacophony · The Mindskinner · Lazav, Dimir Mastermind · Swiftfoot Boots · Ruin Crab · Fireshrieker · Fractured Sanity · Glimpse the Unthinkable · Singularity Rupture · Mindcrank · Psychic Strike · Talisman of Dominance · The Water Crystal · Thought Collapse · Nemesis of Reason · Traumatize · Didn't Say Please · Drown in the Loch · Syr Konrad, the Grim · Trepanation Blade · Whispersilk Cloak · Lightning Greaves · Dark Ritual · Bruvac the Grandiloquent · Terisian Mindbreaker · Commander's Sphere · Extract from Darkness · Fleet Swallower · Induce Paranoia · Memory Erosion · Fraying Sanity · Mind Funeral · Nighthowler · Propaganda · Dimir Doppelganger · Hedron Crab · Psychic Corrosion · Bonehoard · Court of Cunning · Negate · Notion Thief · Perplex · Psychic Drain · Cruel Somnophage // Can't Wake Up · Cut Your Losses · Mind Stone · Thief of Sanity · Thought Scour · Wight of Precinct Six · Fellwar Stone · Tasha's Hideous Laughter · Imperious Mindbreaker · Phenax, God of Deception · Thought Vessel · Grisly Spectacle · Pilfered Plans · Sphinx's Tutelage · Command Tower · Dimir Aqueduct · Sunken Hollow · Rogue's Passage · Watery Grave · Drowned Catacomb · Choked Estuary · Bojuka Bog · Reliquary Tower · Darkwater Catacombs · Dismal Backwater · Dimir Guildgate · Temple of Deceit · Duskmantle, House of Shadow · Shipwreck Marsh · Nephalia Drownyard · Evolving Wilds · Tainted Isle · Myriad Landscape · Underground River · Morphic Pool
🃏 Recommended cards for Szadek, Lord of Secrets
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Szadek, Lord of Secrets, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker | 54% | +52% |
| Consuming Aberration | 64% | +49% |
| Duskmantle Guildmage | 44% | +39% |
| Fireshrieker | 38% | +37% |
| Mind Grind | 42% | +36% |
| Lazav, Dimir Mastermind | 40% | +36% |
| The Mindskinner | 41% | +34% |
| Psychic Strike | 36% | +34% |
| Trepanation Blade | 34% | +33% |
| Glimpse the Unthinkable | 38% | +33% |
| Thought Collapse | 36% | +33% |
| Ruin Crab | 39% | +31% |
| Traumatize | 35% | +31% |
| Maddening Cacophony | 41% | +30% |
| Fractured Sanity | 38% | +29% |
| Didn't Say Please | 34% | +29% |
| Induce Paranoia | 28% | +27% |
| The Water Crystal | 36% | +27% |
| Nemesis of Reason | 35% | +27% |
| Whispersilk Cloak | 33% | +27% |
| Duskmantle, House of Shadow | 28% | +26% |
| Terisian Mindbreaker | 29% | +26% |
| Singularity Rupture | 38% | +25% |
| Psychic Drain | 25% | +25% |
💰 The best cards for your Szadek, Lord of Secrets 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.
- Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker
- Consuming Aberration
- Duskmantle Guildmage
- Fireshrieker
- Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
- The Mindskinner
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Mind Grind
- Maddening Cacophony
- The Water Crystal
- Mindcrank
- Memory Erosion
- Hedron Crab
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Bruvac the Grandiloquent
- Phenax, God of Deception
- Mesmeric Orb
- Zellix, Sanity Flayer
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Szadek, Lord of Secrets
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Bloodchief Ascension + Mindcrank → Infinite mill, Near-infinite lifegain, Near-infinite lifegain triggers, Near-infinite lifeloss
- Bruvac the Grandiloquent + Maddening Cacophony → Infinite mill
- Maddening Cacophony + Fraying Sanity → Infinite mill for target opponent, Near-infinite mill
- Bruvac the Grandiloquent + Traumatize → Infinite mill for target opponent, Near-infinite self-mill
- Riverchurn Monument + Maddening Cacophony → Infinite mill
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Szadek, Lord of Secrets's color identity?
Szadek, Lord of Secrets is Dimir (black 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 Szadek, Lord of Secrets come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Szadek, Lord of Secrets deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 34 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 7.4 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 56 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 36 % of the time and floods 22 %. Deck health: C+ (63/100).
How many lands should a Szadek, Lord of Secrets deck run?
Real Szadek, Lord of Secrets 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 Szadek, Lord of Secrets?
The three highest-synergy cards are Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker, Consuming Aberration, Duskmantle Guildmage. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Szadek, Lord of Secrets decks.
What combos does Szadek, Lord of Secrets have?
Szadek, Lord of Secrets 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 Szadek, Lord of Secrets deck cost?
You can start cheap: Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker, Consuming Aberration, Duskmantle Guildmage 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.