EDH Optimizer
The Destined Black Mage
Legendary Creature — Human Wizard · 2B
Color identity: Black
The Destined Black Mage is black: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Deathtouch
{B}, {T}: Another target creature you control gains deathtouch until end of turn.
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, The Destined Black Mage deals 1 damage to each opponent. If you have a full party, it deals 3 damage to each opponent instead.
Reference price of the card: €15.98
Average lands in decks for The Destined Black Mage: 34
SpellslingerBurnPartyInfectComboStormArtifactsLifegain
Build your The Destined Black Mage deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for The Destined Black Mage 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average The Destined Black Mage 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 (67/100)
- Consistency31
- Speed67
- Interaction49
- Resilience82
- Closing95
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 34 lands (11 nonbasic, 23 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Dark Ritual · Black Mage's Rod · Circle of Power · Jet Medallion · Transpose · Burakos, Party Leader · Cornered by Black Mages · Night's Whisper · Changeling Outcast · Sign in Blood · Arcane Signet · Black Market Connections · Maskwood Nexus · Feed the Swarm · Multiclass Baldric · Universal Automaton · Imp's Mischief · The Darkness Crystal · Withering Torment · Defile · Morbid Opportunist · Read the Bones · Deadly Rollick · Bubbling Muck · Cabal Ritual · Coveted Prize · Darkness · Exsanguinate · Fandaniel, Telophoroi Ascian · Basilisk Collar · Reassembling Skeleton · Crypt Ghast · Snuff Out · Fell the Profane // Fell Mire · Reanimate · Graveshifter · Malakir Blood-Priest · Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire · Phyrexian Arena · Skeletal Changeling · Consuming Corruption · Dauthi Voidwalker · Dark Confidant · Swiftfoot Boots · Twilight Prophet · Decorum Dissertation · Infernal Grasp · Toxic Deluge · Insatiable Avarice · Stonework Packbeast · Bolas's Citadel · Professor Onyx · Priest of Gix · Diresight · Go for the Throat · Stalactite Dagger · Vampiric Link · Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose · Dismember · Phyresis · Bitterblossom · Changeling Wayfinder · Not Dead After All · Lightning Greaves · Cabal Coffers · Bojuka Bog · Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth · Cabal Stronghold · Mutavault · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Witch's Clinic · Castle Locthwain · War Room · Reliquary Tower · Myriad Landscape
🃏 Recommended cards for The Destined Black Mage
The highest-synergy cards in decks for The Destined Black Mage, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Black Mage's Rod | 82% | +82% |
| Circle of Power | 78% | +77% |
| Transpose | 77% | +77% |
| Burakos, Party Leader | 76% | +76% |
| Cornered by Black Mages | 74% | +73% |
| Changeling Outcast | 71% | +67% |
| Maskwood Nexus | 58% | +57% |
| Multiclass Baldric | 55% | +55% |
| Universal Automaton | 54% | +54% |
| Night's Whisper | 74% | +49% |
| Coveted Prize | 44% | +44% |
| Fandaniel, Telophoroi Ascian | 44% | +43% |
| Black Market Connections | 66% | +41% |
| Basilisk Collar | 43% | +40% |
| Malakir Blood-Priest | 39% | +39% |
| Skeletal Changeling | 39% | +38% |
| Graveshifter | 39% | +38% |
| Sign in Blood | 69% | +34% |
| Darkness | 44% | +34% |
| Stonework Packbeast | 33% | +33% |
| Read the Bones | 48% | +33% |
| The Darkness Crystal | 53% | +32% |
| Twilight Prophet | 37% | +32% |
| Decorum Dissertation | 36% | +30% |
💰 The best cards for your The Destined Black Mage 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.
- Black Mage's Rod
- Circle of Power
- Transpose
- Burakos, Party Leader
- Cornered by Black Mages
- Changeling Outcast
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Basilisk Collar
- Darkness
- The Darkness Crystal
- Decorum Dissertation
- Dark Confidant
- Bubbling Muck
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Black Market Connections
- Deadly Rollick
- Shadowspear
- Roaming Throne
- Bitterblossom
- Throne of Eldraine
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with The Destined Black Mage
- 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
- Sanguine Bond + Bloodthirsty Conqueror → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Exquisite Blood + Enduring Tenacity → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- 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 The Destined Black Mage's color identity?
The Destined Black Mage 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 The Destined Black Mage come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average The Destined Black Mage deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 34 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.0 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 31 % of the time and floods 30 %. Deck health: B (67/100).
How many lands should a The Destined Black Mage deck run?
Real The Destined Black Mage 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 The Destined Black Mage?
The three highest-synergy cards are Black Mage's Rod, Circle of Power, Transpose. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in The Destined Black Mage decks.
What combos does The Destined Black Mage have?
The Destined Black Mage 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 The Destined Black Mage deck cost?
You can start cheap: Black Mage's Rod, Circle of Power, Transpose 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.