Rakdos, the Muscle
Flying, trample Whenever you sacrifice another creature, exile cards equal to its mana value from the top of target player's library. Until your next end step, you may play those cards, and mana of any type can be spent to cast those spells. Sacrifice another creature: Rakdos gains indestructible until end of turn. Tap it. Activate only once each turn.
How Rakdos decks play in EDH
Rakdos, the Muscle is a Rakdos commander in black and red costing 2BBR, and its legendary creature - demon mercenary 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. 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 Rakdos, the Muscle decks actually play most often, grouped by the job they do.
Most-played cards
20 cards · about $100Play rates from EDHREC. Prices from Scryfall, refreshed daily.
Ramp (4)
Removal (4)
Creatures (10)
Synergy & payoffs (2)
Build the full 100
Grimoire generates a complete, Commander-legal Rakdos, the Muscle 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 RakdosRakdos deck questions
What colours can I use in a Rakdos, the Muscle deck?
Rakdos, the Muscle 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 Muscle?
The cards played most often in Rakdos, the Muscle decks include The Sackville-Bagginses, Avacyn, Angel of Horror, Darklight Phoenix. 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 Muscle deck cost?
The 20 most-played cards shown above come to roughly $100 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 Muscle 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.