Rakdos has always been an under appreciated archetype in standard for the last couple years. With the new additions of Demon of Dark Schemes, Harnessed Lightning and the best planes walker in Standard in Chandra, Torch of Defiance this archetype is set to grind out your opponents. We lose languish and Kolaghan's command but that won't stop us from being a part of the meta!
Land Base Smoldering Marsh : 4 Each- The basics Foreboding Ruins : 4 Each- The basics Cinder Barrens : 4 Each. Gets us both colors, Evolving wilds could be used here. Blighted Fen : 2 Each- Game goes long and having access to a sac effect is huge. Mountain : 4 basics Swamp : 8 basics
Creature Choices Demon of Dark Schemes : 0-2 Each- People call this Flying Massacre Worm and could potentially steal Emrakul from graveyard decks. Kalitas, Traitor go Ghet : 0-3 Each- Excellent against Aggro and provides essential life gain. Goblin Dark-Dwellers 4 Each : Easily the best card in the deck. Menace and able to 2-1 again and again. It gets a little worse without Kolaghan's Command but still powerful.
Other Creature Options Dragonmaster Outcast : Late game threat to pump out dragons Noxious Gearhulk : Kills creature but lackluster only doing one thing Combustible Gearhulk : People say this is the worst Gearhulk but it might be okay in the right shell. Mindwrack Demon : 4/5 Trample Flyer is great but this deck doesn't use delirium enough to make this see play.
The Spells/ Walkers Chandra, Torch of Defiance : 2-4 Each- Needs to find the right shell but a walker that needs to be answered Ob Nixilis, Reignited : 0-2 Each- Great way to get pure card advantage and kill opposing creatures. Liliana, the Last Hope : 2-4 Each- Great way to get shrink opposing creatures and get back late threats. Harnessed Lightning : 1-4 Each- Great way to gain energy and kill big creatures. Grasp of Darkness : 2-4 Each- Great answer to get around Avacyn and kills almost everything in the meta. Unlicensed Disinegration : 1-2 Each- Easier to cast than Murder but no upside of Bolt. Ruinous Path : 3 Each- Great for answering any problematic threat with awaken upside. Transgress the Mind : 2-4 Each- Early hand disruption and great to exile cards they can't get back. Live Fast : 3-4 Each- Best card draw for black that helps us gain energy to fuel Harnessed Lightning.
Enjoy the Grind!
This archetype has lots of strong elements to it but Combining a third color is definitely viable!
Feel free to make suggestions and share your success with this archetype.
I try to find the perfect place to be with my list, and somehow it feels like I keep on dialing things back to what Grixis was in the past. I think I want the 2nd Kalitas in the 75 in any bigger tournament where I'm anticipating burn and zoo - right now one is ok.
I have the same idea however Grixis in general is always a fluctuating decklist based on the meta at your store vs the meta at large events. I currently have a very similar main deck such as the older lists and feel like ancestral visions isn't needed in the mainboard as well. It may be served better in the side but once again everyone's decklist is going to be suited for their local meta. To me having access to a sweeper just acts as an insurance policy against random decks you may encounter whether it's anger of the gods or damnation.
I think for Gameday I'll try Burn from within. Worst case it's a fireball at their face if we have dealt a lot of damage to them already. I've almost considered something too cute like act of treason but I'm not going to waste a sideboard spot. I'll post my 75 later this week with my FNM matches and matches from gameday.
Rakdos has always been an under appreciated archetype in standard for the last couple years. With the new additions of Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet, Goblin Dark-Dwellers, and the best planes walker in Standard in Chandra, Flamecaller, this archetype is set to grind out your opponents. We lose the dragon package but this color combination gives us the best removal of the format and recursion spell with Kolaghan's command. Rakdos will always be viable so don't let Bant company, Humans, and Aristocrat decks shy you away. This version of B/R is the most defined and positioned compared to other versions such as Vampires or madness.
Land Base Smoldering Marsh : 4 Each- The basics Foreboding Ruins : 4 Each- The basics Cinder Barrens : 3 Each. Gets us both colors, Evolving wilds could be used here. Blighted Fen : 2 Each- Game goes long and having access to a sac effect is huge. Mountain : 6 basics Swamp : 7 basics
Creature Choices Hangarback Walker : 0-4 Each- Gives us early game and useful against aggro. Pia and Kiraan Nalar : 0-2 Each- 3 creatures for 1 and able to shock is great! Also great with Hangarback Walker. Kalitas, Traitor go Ghet : 0-3 Each- Excellent against Aristocrats and source of life gain. Goblin Dark-Dwellers 4 Each : Easily the best card in the deck. Menace and able to 2-1 again and again.
Other Creature Options Thunderbreak Regent : 4/4 body with bolt upside but lost its contribution card of Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury. Dragonlord Kolaghan : Good in some situations but Chandra competes with this spot. Sin Prodder : Speculation that this was good. But overall it is very lackluster and not right for this deck. Mindwrack Demon : 4/5 Trample Flyer is great but this deck doesn't use delirium enough to make this see play.
The Spells/ Walkers Chandra, Flamecaller : 2-3 Each- Fantastic card and one of the best cards in Standard Ob Nixilis, Reignited : 0-1 Each- Great way to get pure card advantage and kill opposing creatures. Fiery Impulse : 3 Each- Gives us early removal against Humans and Company decks. Grasp of Darkness : 2-4 Each- Great answer to get around Avacyn and kills almost everything in the meta. Ultimate Price : 2-4 Each- Another Great answer to remove creatures Ruinous Path : 3 Each- Great for answering any problematic threat with awaken upside. Languish : 0-2 Each- The premier sweeper of the format. Transgress the Mind : 2-3 Each- Early hand disruption and great to exile cards they can't get back. Read the Bones : 3 Each- Best card drawn engine for our colors and can recur with GDD unlike Painful Truths Kolaghan's Command : 3 Each- Excellent utility and combined with GDD again will help out 2 for 1 your opponent.
Played in two game days and won both and all my matches. Sideboard was a little different but main deck was the same as I posted it with two links to starcitygames. I can post sideboard and match results later on tonight.
Flipdipple already knows this but I like this style deck too. If not for D Roar, I think the dragons, while good, are just a hair shy of other red and or black threats but being able to consistent kill a creature and bolt to the face is amazing value. Then recast T5 with GDD.
Not saying Dragons is the only way to go but right now, but all the testing is done without major tournament support, which means all the spikes who only play what the pros do aren't testing it, so we have to rely on MTGO and local reports until the pros realize how good R/B is situated in the meta right now.
Right now, our way around Ormendhal is to just not let him get summoned. If he is, the 9 point life swing alone basically ends the game against any R/B deck. If life gain starts dominating the meta tho, tainted remedy is a wicked hate card which basically negates their ormendhal or lantern scout.
I have most of the pieces for the R/B deck and am just waiting for Kalitas Online to come back down to earth in price. Online prices tendy to be extremely swingy, whereas paper, he has been increasing in price for about 3 months solid.
I wouldn't mind merging/collaborating with the other thread. To me it's all B/R midrange or control since people define things differently. Scg had states results come up and I found 2 Rakdos decks containing the same 75 but different sideboards and placed 2nd in each of those. There was another Rakdos deck but it was vastly different. He are the two links to those decks from Starcitygames and a list view of one of them. List posted is of Reza Soulati.
I played a list similar to vidianto wijaya's list to a 3-1 result. I knew a lot of people would be playing tron or eldrazi so I packed my board loaded of hate.
23 lands
4 jace, vp
3 snapcasters
2 tasigurs
2 pia and Kira's naalar
2 fulminator Mage
4 serum visions
4 lightning bolts
4 inquisition of kosilek
3 kolaghans command
3 terminate
2 mana leak
1 rise/fall
1 thought scour
1 damnation
1 dispel
Game 1: I got nothing going and didn't last long before I was dead by etched champion
Game 2: He had me at 9 with ravager out and I snapped k-command to shock his ornithopter with a plating on it. He sacked his whole board to ravaged thinking I was dead but forgot we didn't go to blocker step. I was able to play tasigur and beat him down after that.
Game 3: I top deck serum visions and drew k-command again to kill another ravager and get back snapcaster. I was pretty much flooding by that point with 7 lands on field and one in hand.
Round 2: 0-2 B/W eldrazi
Game 1: Stuck on 2 lands and got beat in by turn 2 though knot seer and company and reality smasher
Game 2: Stuck on 5 lands but couldn't find any creatures to have a clock and lost to a blight herder and friends.
Round 3: 2-1 Tron/eldrazi
Game 1: He assembled tron and had eldrazi lands and eventually casted emrakul which I died shortly after.
Game 2: Had turn two jace,vp into turn 3 blood moon and turn 4 crumble to dust. Turn 5 flashback crumble to dust. I beat him down with a couple thopters from pia and kiran and he scooped with only 2 lands left in play and a bribery which I stole his ulamog since he had emrakul in hand.
Game 3: More land destruction happened and I found a tasigur to ride to victory for 16 points of damage and card advantage.
Round 4: 2-1 B/W eldrazi
Game 1: Stuck on 3 lands and didn't play anything relevant and lost to 4 lingering soul tokens and an oblivion sower.
Game 2: Jace Aot ticked up to 9 and removal did the rest until he scooped.
Game 3: Pretty close game as I had blood moon out after he tapped out since I knew he had a disenchat. Found some removal to clear the board and tasigur. Nothing exciting happened for a couple turns and I was at 3 and he was at 5. He played wasteland strangler and I top decked E.E with a dispel and another blood moon in hand. I popped it for 3 swung in and he scooped as I had a creeping tar pit for next turn. After this match he was so salty since this was a GREAT matchup for him and expected to win like every other week.
Overall I think it's still a hard matchup against eltrazi but not winnable. Blood moons certainly helped and I would main deck them. Although there wasn't a lot of aggro I think the deck is still a fine choice and could have some sideboard adjustments. I originally had Keranos and 2 dispel in the board with a spell snare in the main but these changes felt like I had a chance with the big ramp decks. If anyone has any questions or feedback let me know!
1
Rakdos has always been an under appreciated archetype in standard for the last couple years. With the new additions of Demon of Dark Schemes, Harnessed Lightning and the best planes walker in Standard in Chandra, Torch of Defiance this archetype is set to grind out your opponents. We lose languish and Kolaghan's command but that won't stop us from being a part of the meta!
2 Demon of Dark Schemes
2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
4 Goblin Dark Dwellers
7 Planeswalkers
3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3 Liliana, the Last Hope
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
19 Spells
4 Grasp of Darkness
4 Live Fast
4 Transgress the Mind
3 Ruinous Path
2 Harnessed Lightning
1 Unlicensed Disintegration
1 Oath of Liliana
4 Smoldering Marsh
4 Forboding Ruins
4 Cinder Barrens
2 Blighted Fen
4 Mountain
8 Swamp
3 Essence Extraction
4 Galvanic Bombardment
1 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 Diabolic Tutor
2 Lost Legacy
3 Mind Rot
Land Base
Smoldering Marsh : 4 Each- The basics
Foreboding Ruins : 4 Each- The basics
Cinder Barrens : 4 Each. Gets us both colors, Evolving wilds could be used here.
Blighted Fen : 2 Each- Game goes long and having access to a sac effect is huge.
Mountain : 4 basics
Swamp : 8 basics
Creature Choices
Demon of Dark Schemes : 0-2 Each- People call this Flying Massacre Worm and could potentially steal Emrakul from graveyard decks.
Kalitas, Traitor go Ghet : 0-3 Each- Excellent against Aggro and provides essential life gain.
Goblin Dark-Dwellers 4 Each : Easily the best card in the deck. Menace and able to 2-1 again and again. It gets a little worse without Kolaghan's Command but still powerful.
Other Creature Options
Dragonmaster Outcast : Late game threat to pump out dragons
Noxious Gearhulk : Kills creature but lackluster only doing one thing
Combustible Gearhulk : People say this is the worst Gearhulk but it might be okay in the right shell.
Mindwrack Demon : 4/5 Trample Flyer is great but this deck doesn't use delirium enough to make this see play.
The Spells/ Walkers
Chandra, Torch of Defiance : 2-4 Each- Needs to find the right shell but a walker that needs to be answered
Ob Nixilis, Reignited : 0-2 Each- Great way to get pure card advantage and kill opposing creatures.
Liliana, the Last Hope : 2-4 Each- Great way to get shrink opposing creatures and get back late threats.
Harnessed Lightning : 1-4 Each- Great way to gain energy and kill big creatures.
Grasp of Darkness : 2-4 Each- Great answer to get around Avacyn and kills almost everything in the meta.
Unlicensed Disinegration : 1-2 Each- Easier to cast than Murder but no upside of Bolt.
Ruinous Path : 3 Each- Great for answering any problematic threat with awaken upside.
Transgress the Mind : 2-4 Each- Early hand disruption and great to exile cards they can't get back.
Live Fast : 3-4 Each- Best card draw for black that helps us gain energy to fuel Harnessed Lightning.
This archetype has lots of strong elements to it but Combining a third color is definitely viable!
Feel free to make suggestions and share your success with this archetype.
List: Saheen Soorani
http://www.starcitygames.com/article/33729_Control-Like-Youve-Never-Seen.html
1
I have the same idea however Grixis in general is always a fluctuating decklist based on the meta at your store vs the meta at large events. I currently have a very similar main deck such as the older lists and feel like ancestral visions isn't needed in the mainboard as well. It may be served better in the side but once again everyone's decklist is going to be suited for their local meta. To me having access to a sweeper just acts as an insurance policy against random decks you may encounter whether it's anger of the gods or damnation.
2
1
Rakdos has always been an under appreciated archetype in standard for the last couple years. With the new additions of Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet, Goblin Dark-Dwellers, and the best planes walker in Standard in Chandra, Flamecaller, this archetype is set to grind out your opponents. We lose the dragon package but this color combination gives us the best removal of the format and recursion spell with Kolaghan's command. Rakdos will always be viable so don't let Bant company, Humans, and Aristocrat decks shy you away. This version of B/R is the most defined and positioned compared to other versions such as Vampires or madness.
4 Hangarback Walker
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
3 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
4 Goblin Dark Dwellers
3 Planeswalkers
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
18 Spells
3 Fiery Impulse
3 Transgress the Mind
2 Ultimate Price
3 Grasp of Darkness
2 Kolaghan's Command
1 To the Slaughter
2 Ruinous Path
2 Read the Bones
4 Smoldering Marsh
4 Forboding Ruins
2 Cinder Barrens
2 Evolving Wilds
1 Blighted Fen
6 Mountain
7 Swamp
1 Dragonmaster Outcast
1 Languish
3 Duress
3 Tears of Valakut
3 Kozilek's Return
2 Roast
2 Infinite Obliteration
Land Base
Smoldering Marsh : 4 Each- The basics
Foreboding Ruins : 4 Each- The basics
Cinder Barrens : 3 Each. Gets us both colors, Evolving wilds could be used here.
Blighted Fen : 2 Each- Game goes long and having access to a sac effect is huge.
Mountain : 6 basics
Swamp : 7 basics
Creature Choices
Hangarback Walker : 0-4 Each- Gives us early game and useful against aggro.
Pia and Kiraan Nalar : 0-2 Each- 3 creatures for 1 and able to shock is great! Also great with Hangarback Walker.
Kalitas, Traitor go Ghet : 0-3 Each- Excellent against Aristocrats and source of life gain.
Goblin Dark-Dwellers 4 Each : Easily the best card in the deck. Menace and able to 2-1 again and again.
Other Creature Options
Thunderbreak Regent : 4/4 body with bolt upside but lost its contribution card of Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury.
Dragonlord Kolaghan : Good in some situations but Chandra competes with this spot.
Sin Prodder : Speculation that this was good. But overall it is very lackluster and not right for this deck.
Mindwrack Demon : 4/5 Trample Flyer is great but this deck doesn't use delirium enough to make this see play.
The Spells/ Walkers
Chandra, Flamecaller : 2-3 Each- Fantastic card and one of the best cards in Standard
Ob Nixilis, Reignited : 0-1 Each- Great way to get pure card advantage and kill opposing creatures.
Fiery Impulse : 3 Each- Gives us early removal against Humans and Company decks.
Grasp of Darkness : 2-4 Each- Great answer to get around Avacyn and kills almost everything in the meta.
Ultimate Price : 2-4 Each- Another Great answer to remove creatures
Ruinous Path : 3 Each- Great for answering any problematic threat with awaken upside.
Languish : 0-2 Each- The premier sweeper of the format.
Transgress the Mind : 2-3 Each- Early hand disruption and great to exile cards they can't get back.
Read the Bones : 3 Each- Best card drawn engine for our colors and can recur with GDD unlike Painful Truths
Kolaghan's Command : 3 Each- Excellent utility and combined with GDD again will help out 2 for 1 your opponent.
3 Hangarback Walker
3 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
4 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
Planeswalkers (3)
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
Lands (26)
4 Foreboding Ruins
4 Smoldering Marsh
3 Cinder Barrens
7 Swamp
6 Mountain
2 Blighted Fen
3 Fiery Impulse
2 Grasp of Darkness
2 Ultimate Price
3 Ruinous Path
2 Languish
2 Transgress the Mind
3 Read the Bones
3 Kolaghan's Command
1 Dragonmaster Outcast
1 Crumble to Dust
1 Languish
1 Dark Petition
1 Dragonlord Kolaghan
2 Infinite Obliteration
2 Transgress the Mind
3 Duress
3 Pitiless Horde
This archetype is the most defined out of all the other B/R decks. Combining a third color is definitely viable to either go: Jund : http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/standard-type-2/established-standard/684158-primer-jund-midrange
Grixis : http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/standard-type-2/established-standard/692561-grixis-control
Mardu :http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/standard-type-2/deck-creation-standard/690400-mardu-control
Feel free to make suggestions and share your success with this archetype.
2
1
I wouldn't mind merging/collaborating with the other thread. To me it's all B/R midrange or control since people define things differently. Scg had states results come up and I found 2 Rakdos decks containing the same 75 but different sideboards and placed 2nd in each of those. There was another Rakdos deck but it was vastly different. He are the two links to those decks from Starcitygames and a list view of one of them. List posted is of Reza Soulati.
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=102084 By Ray Tautic 4/23 States VA
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=101825 By Reza Soulati 4/23 States WI
3 Hangarback Walker
4 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
3 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
Planeswalkers (3)
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
Lands (26)
6 Mountain
7 Swamp
2 Blighted Fen
3 Cinder Barrens
4 Foreboding Ruins
4 Smoldering Marsh
3 Fiery Impulse
2 Grasp of Darkness
3 Kolaghan's Command
2 Ultimate Price
2 Languish
3 Read the Bones
3 Ruinous Path
2 Transgress the Mind
1 Virulent Plague
2 Rending Volley
1 Chandra, Flamecaller
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 Dark Petition
1 Duress
2 Flaying Tendrils
1 Infinite Obliteration
1 Languish
2 Roast
2 Transgress the Mind
1
1
Creatures (17)
4 Den Protector
3 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
4 Sylvan Advocate
3 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
3 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
Planeswalkers (4)
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
2 Ob Nixilis Reignited
Lands (25)
3 Forest
2 Mountain
2 Swamp
4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Cinder Glade
4 Hissing Quagmire
2 Llanowar Wastes
2 Smoldering Marsh
4 Wooded Foothills
Spells (14)
4 Fiery Impulse
2 Grasp of Darkness
2 Kolaghan's Command
2 Murderous Cut
2 Duress
2 Ruinous Path
Sideboard
2 Kozilek's Return
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
1 Duress
2 Flaying Tendrils
3 Painful
1
23 lands
4 jace, vp
3 snapcasters
2 tasigurs
2 pia and Kira's naalar
2 fulminator Mage
4 serum visions
4 lightning bolts
4 inquisition of kosilek
3 kolaghans command
3 terminate
2 mana leak
1 rise/fall
1 thought scour
1 damnation
1 dispel
Sideboard:
3 blood moons
1 crumble to dust
1 bribery
1 countersqual
1 anger of the gods
1 damnation
1 engineered explosives
1 izzet staticaster
1 shatterstorm
1 spellskite
1 jace, aot
1 olivia voldaren
1 distainful stroke
Round 1: 2-1 against affinity
Game 1: I got nothing going and didn't last long before I was dead by etched champion
Game 2: He had me at 9 with ravager out and I snapped k-command to shock his ornithopter with a plating on it. He sacked his whole board to ravaged thinking I was dead but forgot we didn't go to blocker step. I was able to play tasigur and beat him down after that.
Game 3: I top deck serum visions and drew k-command again to kill another ravager and get back snapcaster. I was pretty much flooding by that point with 7 lands on field and one in hand.
Round 2: 0-2 B/W eldrazi
Game 1: Stuck on 2 lands and got beat in by turn 2 though knot seer and company and reality smasher
Game 2: Stuck on 5 lands but couldn't find any creatures to have a clock and lost to a blight herder and friends.
Round 3: 2-1 Tron/eldrazi
Game 1: He assembled tron and had eldrazi lands and eventually casted emrakul which I died shortly after.
Game 2: Had turn two jace,vp into turn 3 blood moon and turn 4 crumble to dust. Turn 5 flashback crumble to dust. I beat him down with a couple thopters from pia and kiran and he scooped with only 2 lands left in play and a bribery which I stole his ulamog since he had emrakul in hand.
Game 3: More land destruction happened and I found a tasigur to ride to victory for 16 points of damage and card advantage.
Round 4: 2-1 B/W eldrazi
Game 1: Stuck on 3 lands and didn't play anything relevant and lost to 4 lingering soul tokens and an oblivion sower.
Game 2: Jace Aot ticked up to 9 and removal did the rest until he scooped.
Game 3: Pretty close game as I had blood moon out after he tapped out since I knew he had a disenchat. Found some removal to clear the board and tasigur. Nothing exciting happened for a couple turns and I was at 3 and he was at 5. He played wasteland strangler and I top decked E.E with a dispel and another blood moon in hand. I popped it for 3 swung in and he scooped as I had a creeping tar pit for next turn. After this match he was so salty since this was a GREAT matchup for him and expected to win like every other week.
Overall I think it's still a hard matchup against eltrazi but not winnable. Blood moons certainly helped and I would main deck them. Although there wasn't a lot of aggro I think the deck is still a fine choice and could have some sideboard adjustments. I originally had Keranos and 2 dispel in the board with a spell snare in the main but these changes felt like I had a chance with the big ramp decks. If anyone has any questions or feedback let me know!
Thanks