EDH Optimizer
Taborax, Hope's Demise
Legendary Creature — Demon Cleric · 2B
Color identity: Black
Taborax, Hope's Demise is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Flying
Taborax has lifelink as long as it has five or more +1/+1 counters on it.
Whenever another nontoken creature you control dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Taborax. If that creature was a Cleric, you may draw a card. If you do, you lose 1 life.
Reference price of the card: €0.06
Average lands in decks for Taborax, Hope's Demise: 34
Shadowborn ApostlesDemonsClericsAristocratsReanimatorSacrifice+1/+1 CountersCombo
Build your Taborax, Hope's Demise deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Taborax, Hope's Demise 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Taborax, Hope's Demise 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: B (70/100)
- Consistency75
- Speed67
- Interaction38
- Resilience77
- Closing92
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 34 lands (11 nonbasic, 23 Swamp)
Shadowborn Apostle · Sol Ring · Dark Ritual · Echoing Return · Shadow-Rite Priest · Thrumming Stone · Razaketh, the Foulblooded · Rune-Scarred Demon · Vilis, Broker of Blood · Arcane Signet · Feed the Swarm · Harvester of Souls · Master of Dark Rites · Village Rites · Liliana's Contract · Skullclamp · Archfiend of Depravity · Archfiend of Despair · Patriarch's Bidding · Songs of the Damned · Secret Salvage · Valgavoth, Terror Eater · Ob Nixilis, Unshackled · Reaper from the Abyss · Victimize · Priest of Forgotten Gods · Sower of Discord · Defile · Phyrexian Arena · Bloodletter of Aclazotz · Corrupted Conviction · Grave Pact · Withering Torment · Black Market · Sign in Blood · Crypt Ghast · Lightning Greaves · Relic Vial · Toxic Deluge · Jet Medallion · Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker · Tragic Slip · Deadly Dispute · Reanimate · Bolas's Citadel · Bontu's Monument · Lord of the Void · Culling the Weak · Demonic Tutor · Gray Merchant of Asphodel · Infernal Grasp · Swiftfoot Boots · Whisper, Blood Liturgist · Dreadfeast Demon · Skirsdag High Priest · Thought Vessel · Demon of Death's Gate · Doomed Necromancer · Living Death · Demon's Disciple · Rotlung Reanimator · Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber · Zulaport Cutthroat · Charcoal Diamond · Dictate of Erebos · Cabal Coffers · Westvale Abbey // Ormendahl, Profane Prince · Bojuka Bog · Crypt of Agadeem · Reliquary Tower · Cabal Stronghold · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Phyrexian Tower · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Witch's Cottage · Path of Ancestry
🃏 Recommended cards for Taborax, Hope's Demise
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Taborax, Hope's Demise, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Shadowborn Apostle | 80% | +79% |
| Echoing Return | 63% | +60% |
| Shadow-Rite Priest | 58% | +57% |
| Thrumming Stone | 56% | +52% |
| Razaketh, the Foulblooded | 54% | +48% |
| Rune-Scarred Demon | 52% | +48% |
| Master of Dark Rites | 46% | +45% |
| Harvester of Souls | 48% | +42% |
| Liliana's Contract | 44% | +42% |
| Vilis, Broker of Blood | 52% | +39% |
| Archfiend of Despair | 41% | +38% |
| Westvale Abbey | 44% | +37% |
| Secret Salvage | 39% | +37% |
| Patriarch's Bidding | 41% | +36% |
| Songs of the Damned | 40% | +35% |
| Archfiend of Depravity | 41% | +34% |
| Valgavoth, Terror Eater | 38% | +33% |
| Ob Nixilis, Unshackled | 36% | +33% |
| Reaper from the Abyss | 35% | +32% |
| Sower of Discord | 33% | +31% |
| Relic Vial | 28% | +28% |
| Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker | 26% | +26% |
| Priest of Forgotten Gods | 34% | +25% |
| Crypt of Agadeem | 36% | +24% |
💰 The best cards for your Taborax, Hope's Demise 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.
- Shadowborn Apostle
- Echoing Return
- Shadow-Rite Priest
- Rune-Scarred Demon
- Harvester of Souls
- Archfiend of Despair
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Thrumming Stone
- Master of Dark Rites
- Liliana's Contract
- Vilis, Broker of Blood
- Patriarch's Bidding
- Sower of Discord
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Razaketh, the Foulblooded
- Valgavoth, Terror Eater
- Bloodletter of Aclazotz
- Rotlung Reanimator
- Grave Pact
- Dictate of Erebos
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Taborax, Hope's Demise
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB, Infinite LTB, Infinite sacrifice triggers, Infinite storm count
- Sanguine Bond + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Exquisite Blood + Enduring Tenacity → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Taborax, Hope's Demise's color identity?
Taborax, Hope's Demise is black: its deck can only run cards of that color 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 Taborax, Hope's Demise come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Taborax, Hope's Demise deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 34 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 2.9 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 23 % of the time and floods 10 %. Deck health: B (70/100).
How many lands should a Taborax, Hope's Demise deck run?
Real Taborax, Hope's Demise 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 Taborax, Hope's Demise?
The three highest-synergy cards are Shadowborn Apostle, Echoing Return, Shadow-Rite Priest. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Taborax, Hope's Demise decks.
What combos does Taborax, Hope's Demise have?
Taborax, Hope's Demise 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 Taborax, Hope's Demise deck cost?
You can start cheap: Shadowborn Apostle, Echoing Return, Shadow-Rite Priest 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.