Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen
Flying When Nicol Bolas enters, each opponent discards a card. {4}{U}{B}{R}: Exile Nicol Bolas, then return him to the battlefield transformed under his owner's control. Activate only as a sorcery. // +2: Draw two cards. −3: Nicol Bolas deals 10 damage to target creature or planeswalker. −4: Put target creature or planeswalker card from a graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. −12: Exile all but the bottom card of target player's library.
How Nicol Bolas decks play in EDH
Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen is a Grixis commander in blue, black and red, and its legendary creature - elder dragon // legendary planeswalker - bolas line shapes the whole deck around it. It draws extra cards, so the deck can afford a lower curve and lean on volume. Built-in evasion means damage gets through reliably, so effects that scale that damage are worth more than extra bodies. The cards below are the ones Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen decks actually play most often, grouped by the job they do.
Most-played cards
20 cards · about $90.51Play rates from EDHREC. Prices from Scryfall, refreshed daily.
Ramp (1)
Card draw (2)
Removal (6)
Counterspells (1)
Creatures (2)
Synergy & payoffs (7)
Lands (1)
Build the full 100
Grimoire generates a complete, Commander-legal Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen decklist with a written strategy, a full mana base and live prices — from the whole card pool, or only from cards you already own.
Start with Nicol BolasNicol Bolas deck questions
What colours can I use in a Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen deck?
Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen has a Grixis colour identity, so every card in the deck must be blue, black and red or colourless. That includes mana symbols in rules text, not just casting cost.
What are the best cards for Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen?
The cards played most often in Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen decks include Sanctum Lurker, The Theorist, Jace Beleren, Overwrite the Multiverse. The full list of staples above is grouped by the job each card does, so you can see the deck's skeleton rather than just a pile of names.
How much does a Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen deck cost?
The 20 most-played cards shown above come to roughly $90.51 at current market prices. A complete 100-card build costs more, and Grimoire can generate a budget version instead if you set a price ceiling.
Can I build a Nicol Bolas, the Ravager // Nicol Bolas, the Arisen deck from cards I already own?
Yes. Import your collection into Grimoire and choose "my cards" when you build. The generator will only use cards you actually own, and the Missing Cards page shows what you would need to buy to finish any list.