Rakdos the Defiler
Flying, trample Whenever Rakdos attacks, sacrifice half the non-Demon permanents you control, rounded up. Whenever Rakdos deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices half the non-Demon permanents they control of their choice, rounded up.
How Rakdos the Defiler decks play in EDH
Rakdos the Defiler is a Rakdos commander in black and red costing 2BBRR, and its legendary creature - demon line shapes the whole deck around it. Sacrifice is built into the card, which pairs it with cheap recursive creatures and payoffs that trigger when something dies. The payoff is combat damage, so evasion and extra-combat effects matter more than raw power. The cards below are the ones Rakdos the Defiler decks actually play most often, grouped by the job they do.
Most-played cards
20 cards · about $73.18Play rates from EDHREC. Prices from Scryfall, refreshed daily.
Ramp (2)
Card draw (3)
Creatures (7)
Synergy & payoffs (5)
Lands (3)
Build the full 100
Grimoire generates a complete, Commander-legal Rakdos the Defiler 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 Rakdos the DefilerRakdos the Defiler deck questions
What colours can I use in a Rakdos the Defiler deck?
Rakdos the Defiler has a Rakdos colour identity, so every card in the deck must be black and red or colourless. That includes mana symbols in rules text, not just casting cost.
What are the best cards for Rakdos the Defiler?
The cards played most often in Rakdos the Defiler decks include Curse-Marred Demon, Thrór's Map, Supper for Spiders. 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 Rakdos the Defiler deck cost?
The 20 most-played cards shown above come to roughly $73.18 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 Rakdos the Defiler 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.