Art by Yigit Koroglu
Commander deckBR
Rakdos, Lord of Riots
Deal early incremental damage to cast Rakdos on curve, then leverage his massive mana discount to deploy game-ending Eldrazi and Demon threats for next to nothing.
Asked for“Rakdos, Lord of Riots *Lands** 35 cards **Ramp** 10-12 cards **Draw** 10-12 cards **Removal** 10-12 cards **Theme Cards / Creatures** 25-30 cards **Wincon** 2-3 cards”
Deck anatomy
What this list actually runs on: how cheaply it casts things, and whether it has enough ramp, card draw and interaction to keep up at the table. Each block is one card — hover for its name.
Mana curve · 62 nonland cards
The working parts
Counted from Scryfall’s community card tags, not from the builder’s own labels. A card that does two jobs counts twice, so these add up to more than the deck. The hatched band is a common rule of thumb, not a law — combo decks run leaner, battlecruiser decks heavier.
Colored mana symbols
Commander
1Rakdos, Lord of Riots
BBRRLegendary Creature — Demon
Chosen commander for the requested strategy.
Ramp
10
Crypt Ghast
3BCreature — Spirit
Doubles swamp mana and extort pings enable Rakdos
Neheb, the Eternal
3RRLegendary Creature — Zombie Minotaur Warrior
Converts life loss into immense postcombat red mana
Palladium Myr
3Artifact Creature — Myr
Colorless ramp creature that can be cast for free with Rakdos
Card Draw
10
Sign in Blood
BBSorcery
Cheap card draw that can also target an opponent to trigger Rakdos
Wheel of Misfortune
2RSorcery
Refills empty hands while potentially burning opponents
Disciple of Bolas
3BCreature — Human Wizard
Sacs a discounted giant creature to draw tons of cards and gain life
Morbid Curiosity
1BBSorcery
Sacrifices a high-mana-value discounted threat to draw massive cards
Sandstone Oracle
7Artifact Creature — Sphinx
Colorless flyer that refills hand based on the opponent with the most cards
Vilis, Broker of Blood
5BBBLegendary Creature — Demon
Huge demon that turns any life loss into massive card draw
Removal
10
Baleful Mastery
3BInstant
Exile removal at instant speed with a discounted alternate cost
Meteor Golem
7Artifact Creature — Golem
Can be cast for free with Rakdos to destroy any nonland permanent
Vandalblast
RSorcery
Flexible artifact removal with one-sided board wipe potential
Toxic Deluge
2BSorcery
Cheap and reliable board wipe that bypasses indestructible
Blasphemous Act
8RSorcery
Premier red board wipe that almost always costs one mana
Threats/Wincons
26
Conduit of Ruin
6Creature — Eldrazi
Tutors up massive colorless creatures and reduces their cost further
Ancestral Statue
4Artifact Creature — Golem
Bounces itself repeatedly for infinite storm and cast triggers with four life lost
Combustible Gearhulk
4RRArtifact Creature — Construct
Either burns opponents for huge damage or draws three cards
Steel Hellkite
6Artifact Creature — Dragon
Flying threat with repeatable selective board wipe capabilities
Wurmcoil Engine
6Artifact Creature — Phyrexian Wurm
Resilient colorless threat that provides lifegain and tokens
Cityscape Leveler
8Artifact Creature — Construct
Destroys problem permanents on cast and attack triggers
Artisan of Kozilek
9Creature — Eldrazi
Annihilator threat that reanimates another creature on cast
Desolation Twin
10Creature — Eldrazi
Produces twenty power across two bodies for negligible mana with Rakdos
Void Winnower
9Creature — Eldrazi
Hard stax piece that prevents opponents from casting half their spells
Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
10Legendary Creature — Eldrazi
Refills hand with four cards and annihilates opponent boards
Kozilek, the Great Distortion
8CCLegendary Creature — Eldrazi
Draws up to seven cards and counters opposing spells
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
10Legendary Creature — Eldrazi
Exiles two permanents on cast and mills twenty cards on attack
It That Betrays
12Creature — Eldrazi
Steals permanents that opponents sacrifice from annihilator triggers
Blightsteel Colossus
12Artifact Creature — Phyrexian Golem
Indestructible lethal infect threat that ends games in one swing
Platinum Angel
7Artifact Creature — Angel
Colorless flyer that prevents defeat while deploying lethal attacks
Rune-Scarred Demon
5BBCreature — Demon
Huge flying body with a built-in Demonic Tutor on ETB
Lord of the Void
4BBBCreature — Demon
Evasive demon that steals opponent creatures directly from their library
Balor
3RRCreature — Demon
Punishe opponents by destroying artifacts, burning players, and forcing discards
Archfiend of Despair
6BBCreature — Demon
Doubles all damage dealt to opponents each turn and shuts off lifegain
Bloodgift Demon
3BBCreature — Demon
Consistent upkeep card draw or targeted ping to trigger Rakdos
Twilight Prophet
2BBCreature — Vampire Cleric
Ascend engine that drains each opponent and draws high-cost cards
Loyal Subordinate
2BCreature — Zombie
Drains each opponent for three every combat while Rakdos is on the field
Terror of the Peaks
3RRCreature — Dragon
Turns casting gigantic discounted creatures into lethal direct damage
Heartless Hidetsugu
3RRLegendary Creature — Ogre Shaman
Halves all life totals to provide massive cost reduction for the entire turn
Scytheclaw
5Artifact — Equipment
Living weapon that cuts opponent life in half when it connects
Anger
3RCreature — Incarnation
Gives the entire team haste from the graveyard to alpha strike immediately
Utility
6
Spear Spewer
RCreature — Goblin Warrior
One-drop tap ability guarantees Rakdos can be cast turn four
Thermo-Alchemist
1RCreature — Human Shaman
Taps directly to damage opponents and enable Rakdos
Nettle Drone
2RCreature — Eldrazi Drone
Repeatedly damages all opponents and untaps whenever colorless spells are cast
Cryptolith Fragment // Aurora of Emrakul
3Artifact // Creature — Eldrazi Reflection
Mana rock that drains each player when tapped to enable Rakdos
Lightning Greaves
2Artifact — Equipment
Zero-cost equip providing vital protection and haste to Rakdos
Swiftfoot Boots
2Artifact — Equipment
Protects Rakdos with hexproof and gives him immediate haste
