Sauron, the Dark Lord
Ward—Sacrifice a legendary artifact or legendary creature. Whenever an opponent casts a spell, amass Orcs 1. Whenever an Army you control deals combat damage to a player, the Ring tempts you. Whenever the Ring tempts you, you may discard your hand. If you do, draw four cards.
How Sauron decks play in EDH
Sauron, the Dark Lord is a Grixis commander in blue, black and red costing 3UBR, and its legendary creature - avatar horror 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 Sauron, the Dark Lord decks actually play most often, grouped by the job they do.
Most-played cards
20 cards · about $48.26Play rates from EDHREC. Prices from Scryfall, refreshed daily.
Ramp (1)
Card draw (5)
Removal (5)
Creatures (6)
Synergy & payoffs (3)
Build the full 100
Grimoire generates a complete, Commander-legal Sauron, the Dark Lord 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 SauronSauron deck questions
What colours can I use in a Sauron, the Dark Lord deck?
Sauron, the Dark Lord 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 Sauron, the Dark Lord?
The cards played most often in Sauron, the Dark Lord decks include The Great Goblin, Bothersome Noisemaker, Smaug, Wicked Worm. 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 Sauron, the Dark Lord deck cost?
The 20 most-played cards shown above come to roughly $48.26 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 Sauron, the Dark Lord 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.