EDH Optimizer
Winter, Cursed Rider
Legendary Creature — Human Warlock · UB
Color identity: Black · Blue · Dimir
Winter, Cursed Rider is Dimir (black and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Ward—Pay 2 life.
Artifacts you control have "Ward—Pay 2 life."
Exhaust — {2}{U}{B}, {T}, Exile X artifact cards from your graveyard: Each other nonartifact creature gets -X/-X until end of turn. (Activate each exhaust ability only once.)
Reference price of the card: €0.18
Average lands in decks for Winter, Cursed Rider: 35
ArtifactsVehiclesComboControlAffinityTokensReanimatorAristocrats
Build your Winter, Cursed Rider deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Winter, Cursed Rider 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Winter, Cursed Rider 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+ (74/100)
- Consistency63
- Speed61
- Interaction68
- Resilience81
- Closing96
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (25 nonbasic, 6 Island, 4 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Haunt the Network · Foundry Inspector · Pactdoll Terror · Demonic Junker · Sai, Master Thopterist · Solemn Simulacrum · Thopter Spy Network · Etherium Sculptor · Emry, Lurker of the Loch · Baleful Strix · Kappa Cannoneer · Possession Engine · Repurposing Bay · Dimir Signet · Haunted Hellride · Talisman of Dominance · Thought Monitor · Counterspell · Mind Stone · The Last Ride · Thoughtcast · Noxious Gearhulk · Mechanized Production · Transit Mage · Golbez, Crystal Collector · Midnight Mangler · Scrap Trawler · Padeem, Consul of Innovation · Thirst for Knowledge · Armix, Filigree Thrasher · Cyberdrive Awakener · Diversion Unit · Oildeep Gearhulk · Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge · Carrion Cruiser · Commander's Sphere · Myr Retriever · Their Name Is Death · Spectral Interference · Thought Vessel · Efficient Construction · Ornithopter of Paradise · Phyrexian Metamorph · Steel Overseer · The Speed Demon · Thopter Fabricator · Guidelight Optimizer · Grim Bauble · Hellish Sideswipe · Mm'menon, the Right Hand · Unwinding Clock · Withering Torment · Arcane Denial · Hulldrifter · Shimmer Myr · Time Sieve · Crystal Skull, Isu Spyglass · Cyberman Patrol · Deadly Dispute · Fabricate · Risky Shortcut · Ripclaw Wrangler · Command Tower · Seat of the Synod · Sunken Hollow · Vault of Whispers · Drowned Catacomb · Mistvault Bridge · Darksteel Citadel · Archway of Innovation · Dismal Backwater · Academy Ruins · Underground River · Shipwreck Marsh · Watery Grave · Muraganda Raceway · Tainted Isle · Darkwater Catacombs · Dimir Aqueduct · Gloomlake Verge · Reliquary Tower · Temple of Deceit · Amonkhet Raceway · Choked Estuary · Inventors' Fair · Evolving Wilds · Foul Roads
🃏 Recommended cards for Winter, Cursed Rider
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Winter, Cursed Rider, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Haunt the Network | 66% | +64% |
| Pactdoll Terror | 60% | +59% |
| Foundry Inspector | 62% | +59% |
| Demonic Junker | 57% | +56% |
| Thopter Spy Network | 56% | +54% |
| Sai, Master Thopterist | 57% | +53% |
| Etherium Sculptor | 55% | +51% |
| Seat of the Synod | 56% | +50% |
| Emry, Lurker of the Loch | 54% | +50% |
| Kappa Cannoneer | 50% | +47% |
| Possession Engine | 48% | +47% |
| Vault of Whispers | 52% | +47% |
| Repurposing Bay | 47% | +46% |
| Solemn Simulacrum | 57% | +45% |
| Haunted Hellride | 43% | +43% |
| The Last Ride | 40% | +39% |
| Thought Monitor | 42% | +39% |
| Mistvault Bridge | 44% | +38% |
| Darksteel Citadel | 42% | +38% |
| Thoughtcast | 40% | +38% |
| Transit Mage | 37% | +36% |
| Noxious Gearhulk | 39% | +36% |
| Midnight Mangler | 36% | +36% |
| Mechanized Production | 37% | +35% |
💰 The best cards for your Winter, Cursed Rider 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.
- Haunt the Network
- Pactdoll Terror
- Foundry Inspector
- Demonic Junker
- Thopter Spy Network
- Sai, Master Thopterist
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Cyberdrive Awakener
- Academy Ruins
- Their Name Is Death
- Baleful Strix
- Time Sieve
- Crystal Skull, Isu Spyglass
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge
- Unwinding Clock
- Cyberman Patrol
- Inventors' Fair
- Canoptek Spyder
- Uthros, Titanic Godcore
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Winter, Cursed Rider
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- 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
- Basalt Monolith + Forsaken Monument → Infinite colorless mana
- Sensei's Divining Top + Foundry Inspector + Mystic Forge → Infinite card draw, Near-infinite storm count, Infinite draw triggers
- Rings of Brighthearth + Basalt Monolith → Infinite colorless mana
- Sensei's Divining Top + Aetherflux Reservoir + Bolas's Citadel → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite damage, Near-infinite lifegain, Near-infinite lifegain triggers, Near-infinite storm count
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Winter, Cursed Rider's color identity?
Winter, Cursed Rider 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 Winter, Cursed Rider come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Winter, Cursed Rider deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 2.3 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 32 % of the time and floods 15 %. Deck health: B+ (74/100).
How many lands should a Winter, Cursed Rider deck run?
Real Winter, Cursed Rider decks run 35 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 Winter, Cursed Rider?
The three highest-synergy cards are Haunt the Network, Pactdoll Terror, Foundry Inspector. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Winter, Cursed Rider decks.
What combos does Winter, Cursed Rider have?
Winter, Cursed Rider 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 Winter, Cursed Rider deck cost?
You can start cheap: Haunt the Network, Pactdoll Terror, Foundry Inspector 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.