Making a new deck, figured Rakdos was the most budget friendly thing I could build while still keeping it optimized and would be less degenerate than my main deck. Trying to make something semi competitive, but fun in nature (like most EDH decks...) and looking for ideas. I'm told Olivia Voldaren is the best commander and I'm torn on a few strategies: Burn/Pain, Mass Removal/Discard w/ Reanimator, or sac synergy w/ reanimtor (which validates Lyzolda, the Blood Witch as a commander?).
Any thoughts on what seems to be the most successful routes? I play with a Spike mentality so I'm often looking for things that have well rounded matchups and won't just lose to combo or pillowfort control decks.
Been thinking of how I'd build Rakdos for a while, and I feel like Rakdos, Lord of Riots is oddly enough the strongest Rakdos build. Black/red goodstuff, damage/lifeloss, eldrazi+blightsteel. He's capable of hardcasting Ulamog/Kozilek about as fast as can be done. And you can do some real shenanigans with Vedalken Orrery and Shimmer Myr. Casting artifact creatures for free in other people's turns is pretty cool
Mostly because the best part of black/red is artifacts (and tutors), though.
Now that I look into it deeper I see a lot of potential combo victories. That new statue from the Tarkir block and Purphoros/warstorm surge/pandemonium is the most obvious brutal one "hey uh, I'll cast this guy 8000 times and you're all dead."
You could play Alesha, who smiles at death as a BR general. I find white has a lot of good cards, but you could go straight BR and maybe one day add white.
Making a new deck, figured Rakdos was the most budget friendly thing I could build while still keeping it optimized and would be less degenerate than my main deck. Trying to make something semi competitive, but fun in nature (like most EDH decks...) and looking for ideas. I'm told Olivia Voldaren is the best commander and I'm torn on a few strategies: Burn/Pain, Mass Removal/Discard w/ Reanimator, or sac synergy w/ reanimtor (which validates Lyzolda, the Blood Witch as a commander?).
Any thoughts on what seems to be the most successful routes? I play with a Spike mentality so I'm often looking for things that have well rounded matchups and won't just lose to combo or pillowfort control decks.
I have a pretty good list that can beat blue decks.
It's Mid-range control, and they are budget options for all the cards in my list.
I know most people do not have Dark Confidant and Imperial Recruiter.
The 2 most powerful Rakdos decks by a long shot are:
Lyzolda, the Blood Witch Combo
Just tutor up Worldgorger Dragon and Animate Dead, no other cards required other than some protection. This will exile your board if it's disrupted, but you can get this off as early as turn 1. Infinite mana into repeatable Lyzolda sac for lethal damage; and
People tend to go into 3 modes in response to this:
- Go into Arch-enemy mode and kill the Pidgeon lord before he does too much damage to us all
- betray eachother and kill the other players at the table while they waste resources with you.
- See that the other players will betray them if they spend resources on you, so they will sit idly by and all die slowly.
I have a Rakdos the Defiler EDH deck which focuses on opponent control/manipulation. I run mainly demons with a few smaller ramp/utility creatures for early game. My spells and enchantments focus mainly on forcing opponents to sac stuff or shut them down with cards like War's Toll and Wake of Destruction. I do enjoy the shut down effects, but I've been trying to redo it so it doesn't rely so much on the generic red damage spell slinging, but haven't been sure what to do or how to go about thinking of a new direction for the deck
One of my favorite Rakdos colored decks to play against is Kaervek the Merciless. While he can get expensive to cast, he has an immediate impact on the board.
My Rakdos the Defiler deck is a Demon Tribal with a Sacrifice is good for me as well theme. It is pretty good in 1v1 but not great in large multiplayer games.
I have a kid at my LGS who built a colorless Rakdos that's filled with alot of underpowered guys. It's still pretty impressive to watch him drop his hand into play from a pandemonium to shock, play Rakdos then drop his hand of artifacts. He always gets blown out, but it's still impressive.
Any thoughts on what seems to be the most successful routes? I play with a Spike mentality so I'm often looking for things that have well rounded matchups and won't just lose to combo or pillowfort control decks.
Mostly because the best part of black/red is artifacts (and tutors), though.
UW Ephara Hatebears [Primer], GB Gitrog Lands, BRU Inalla Combo-Control, URG Maelstrom Wanderer Landfall
UW Ephara Hatebears [Primer], GB Gitrog Lands, BRU Inalla Combo-Control, URG Maelstrom Wanderer Landfall
UW Ephara Hatebears [Primer], GB Gitrog Lands, BRU Inalla Combo-Control, URG Maelstrom Wanderer Landfall
Lyzolda, the Blood Witch
Current Decks
GTitania midrange
RGThromok tokens/goodstuff | UB Grimgrin zombie tribal
GW Sigarda enchantress | R Godo voltron
U Braids aggro | WR Kalemne punisher
RU Mizzix storm | BUG Mimeoplasm competitive reanimator | UG Ezuri infect
Some cards that could fit the strategy are Grenzo, Dungeon Warden and Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker.
Also bear in mind that cards that have 0 power and toughness in other zones work, like Arcbound Ravager (artifact deck), Sewer Nemesis (because no player is chosen unless it is in play), Clockwork Dragon, Drakestown Forgotten, Ignition Team, Magmasaur (Did not know this existed!), Minion of the Wastes, Nighthowler, Workhorse (Ramp?)... you could play Savage Firecat! Be careful though, most */* creatures have defined Power/Toughness in the graveyard (for example, Nightmare with 3 swamps in plays is a 3/3 in the graveyard).
Also, Master of Cruelties.
8.RG Green Devotion Ramp/Combo 9.UR Draw Triggers 10.WUR Group stalling 11.WUR Voltron Spellslinger 12.WB Sacrificial Shenanigans
13.BR Creatureless Panharmonicon 14.BR Pingers and Eldrazi 15.URG Untapped Cascading
16.Reyhan, last of the Abzan's WUBG +1/+1 Counter Craziness 17.WUBRG Dragons aka Why did I make this?
Building: The Gitrog Monster lands, Glissa the Traitor stax, Muldrotha, the Gravetide Planeswalker Combo, Kydele, Chosen of Kruphix + Sidar Kondo of Jamuraa Clues, and Tribal Scarecrow Planeswalkers
Token generators and baby dragons ramping into Kolaghan can do a lot of damage, but it is very fair and fun.
I like baby fowl.
I have a pretty good list that can beat blue decks.
It's Mid-range control, and they are budget options for all the cards in my list.
I know most people do not have Dark Confidant and Imperial Recruiter.
Lyzolda, the Blood Witch Combo
Just tutor up Worldgorger Dragon and Animate Dead, no other cards required other than some protection. This will exile your board if it's disrupted, but you can get this off as early as turn 1. Infinite mana into repeatable Lyzolda sac for lethal damage; and
Grenzo, Dungeon Warden Combo
Just brutal with Goblin Recruiter into Goblin Ringleader. It's so easy to assemble Kiki combo in this deck or just Krenko / Goblin Chieftan shenanigans. Goblin decks practically write themselves, and this is one of the best.
cEDH: [G(U/R) Animar] - [(U/B)(G/W) Redless Wheels] - [(G/U)(W/B) Redless Pod] - [(B/G)W Ghave Metapod]
People tend to go into 3 modes in response to this:
- Go into Arch-enemy mode and kill the Pidgeon lord before he does too much damage to us all
- betray eachother and kill the other players at the table while they waste resources with you.
- See that the other players will betray them if they spend resources on you, so they will sit idly by and all die slowly.
The Mimeoplasm || Karador, Ghost Chieftain
Prossh, Skyraider of Kher || Vial Smasher/Tymna Group Slug
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief || Talrand, Sky Summoner
Yidris - Unblockable Saboteurs || Kiki-Jiki, ETB breaker
Kess, Dissident Mage
Rakdos the Defiler
Nicol Bolas, a balance of Vorthos and PowerUBR
Nath of the Gilt LeafBG
Others
Squee, Goblin of AwesomenessR
Nekusar, the Mindblazer!UBR
Vela the NightcladUB
I used to be a world champion, but then I took a wolf to the knee. And three Galvanic Blasts to the face.
Concerning when returning to Kamigawa would be acceptable