EDH Optimizer
Xanathar, Guild Kingpin
Legendary Creature — Beholder · 4UB
Color identity: Black · Blue · Dimir
Xanathar, Guild Kingpin is Dimir (black and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
At the beginning of your upkeep, choose target opponent. Until end of turn, that player can't cast spells, you may look at the top card of their library any time, you may play the top card of their library, and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast spells this way.
Reference price of the card: €1.94
Average lands in decks for Xanathar, Guild Kingpin: 36
TheftControlExileMillComboClonesCounterspellsChaos
Build your Xanathar, Guild Kingpin deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Xanathar, Guild Kingpin 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Xanathar, Guild Kingpin 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 (69/100)
- Consistency42
- Speed46
- Interaction100
- Resilience80
- Closing75
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (25 nonbasic, 5 Island, 6 Swamp)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Thief of Sanity · Dimir Signet · Counterspell · Tasha, the Witch Queen · Gonti, Lord of Luxury · Lantern of Insight · Bribery · Siphon Insight · Talisman of Dominance · Hostage Taker · Memory Lapse · Codex Shredder · Ghoulcaller's Bell · Drown in the Loch · Baleful Strix · Paradox Haze · Dark Ritual · Elder Brain · Mind Stone · Fellwar Stone · Notion Thief · Lightning Greaves · Nightveil Specter · Propaganda · Swiftfoot Boots · Thieving Skydiver · Brainstealer Dragon · Intellect Devourer · Negate · Agent of Treachery · Thought Vessel · Gríma, Saruman's Footman · Thran Dynamo · Cunning Rhetoric · Memory Plunder · Dauthi Voidwalker · Evil Twin · Mind Flayer · Blood Money · Feed the Swarm · Gonti, Night Minister · Mind's Dilation · Strionic Resonator · Lazav, Dimir Mastermind · Sphinx of the Second Sun · Thieving Varmint · Opposition Agent · Wizened Snitches · Inevitable Betrayal · Scheming Symmetry · Scrib Nibblers · Toxic Deluge · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Solemn Simulacrum · Stifle · Portent · Telepathy · Delay · Fallen Shinobi · Outrageous Robbery · Reanimate · Command Tower · Sunken Hollow · Drowned Catacomb · Dimir Aqueduct · Watery Grave · Exotic Orchard · Temple of Deceit · Choked Estuary · Reliquary Tower · Darkwater Catacombs · Bojuka Bog · Shipwreck Marsh · Underground River · Tainted Isle · Morphic Pool · Duskmantle, House of Shadow · Myriad Landscape · Polluted Delta · Clearwater Pathway // Murkwater Pathway · Nephalia Drownyard · Evolving Wilds · Dismal Backwater · Fetid Pools · Gloomlake Verge · Mystic Sanctuary
🃏 Recommended cards for Xanathar, Guild Kingpin
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Xanathar, Guild Kingpin, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Thief of Sanity | 68% | +64% |
| Tasha, the Witch Queen | 59% | +58% |
| Lantern of Insight | 58% | +55% |
| Bribery | 57% | +55% |
| Gonti, Lord of Luxury | 58% | +55% |
| Memory Lapse | 56% | +54% |
| Siphon Insight | 57% | +53% |
| Codex Shredder | 54% | +52% |
| Hostage Taker | 56% | +51% |
| Ghoulcaller's Bell | 49% | +48% |
| Paradox Haze | 46% | +45% |
| Elder Brain | 45% | +42% |
| Nightveil Specter | 43% | +41% |
| Thieving Skydiver | 42% | +39% |
| Intellect Devourer | 41% | +39% |
| Agent of Treachery | 39% | +36% |
| Brainstealer Dragon | 41% | +35% |
| Gríma, Saruman's Footman | 38% | +34% |
| Cunning Rhetoric | 36% | +33% |
| Notion Thief | 44% | +33% |
| Duskmantle, House of Shadow | 34% | +33% |
| Thran Dynamo | 37% | +32% |
| Blood Money | 33% | +31% |
| Memory Plunder | 36% | +31% |
💰 The best cards for your Xanathar, Guild Kingpin 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.
- Thief of Sanity
- Lantern of Insight
- Gonti, Lord of Luxury
- Memory Lapse
- Siphon Insight
- Codex Shredder
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Tasha, the Witch Queen
- Bribery
- Agent of Treachery
- Brainstealer Dragon
- Gríma, Saruman's Footman
- Blood Money
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Opposition Agent
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Xanathar, Guild Kingpin
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Demonic Consultation + Thassa's Oracle → Exile your library, Win the game
- Sanguine Bond + Exquisite Blood → Infinite lifegain triggers, Infinite lifeloss, Infinite lifegain
- Tainted Pact + Thassa's Oracle → Win the game
- 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
- Hullbreaker Horror + Mana Vault → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Xanathar, Guild Kingpin's color identity?
Xanathar, Guild Kingpin 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 Xanathar, Guild Kingpin come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Xanathar, Guild Kingpin deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 5.8 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 86 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 25 % of the time and floods 30 %. Deck health: B (69/100).
How many lands should a Xanathar, Guild Kingpin deck run?
Real Xanathar, Guild Kingpin decks run 36 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 Xanathar, Guild Kingpin?
The three highest-synergy cards are Thief of Sanity, Tasha, the Witch Queen, Lantern of Insight. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Xanathar, Guild Kingpin decks.
What combos does Xanathar, Guild Kingpin have?
Xanathar, Guild Kingpin 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 Xanathar, Guild Kingpin deck cost?
You can start cheap: Thief of Sanity, Lantern of Insight, Gonti, Lord of Luxury 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.