Best Rakdos Commanders of 2024
Best Rakdos Commanders of 2024
Rakdos is Magic: The Gathering's two-color guild representing . Known for its creature removal and direct damage spells, Rakdos focuses on aggression and destruction to win games. For instance, Bedevil and Terminate are two Rakdos instants that excel at destroying creatures.
Additionally, mechanics like unleash and unearth help Rakdos execute its gameplan by returning creatures from the graveyard to the battlefield and growing them in size.
In Commander, an abundance of strategies align with Rakdos' strengths. Many Rakdos commanders are available when building decks focused on Aggro, Chaos, Burn, and other themes. Prosper, Tome-Bound and Rowan, Scion of War are two prominent legendary creatures that excel at leading Rakdos to victory.
Moreover, Wizards of the Coast designed several potent commander choices found in more recent sets and supplemental products. Let's review the best Rakdos commanders released in 2024.
Gev, Scaled Scorch
Bloomburrow's (BLB) Gev, Scaled Scorch is a 3/2 legendary Lizard Mercenary for . Gev, Scaled Scorch is an aggressive creature with three different abilities, including a protective ward ability.
With Gev, Scaled Scorch on your battlefield, other creatures you control enter with an additional +1/+1 counter on them for each opponent who lost life this turn. Furthermore, Gev, Scaled Scorch deals one damage to a target opponent whenever you cast a Lizard spell.
Gev, Scaled Scorch is an amazing commander choice for a +1/+1 Counters-themed deck. Creatures with persist, such as Murderous Redcap and Putrid Goblin, synergize with Gev, Scaled Scorch due to its +1/+1 counter-granting ability. When a creature with persist dies, it returns to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter if it had no -1/-1 counters when it died.
Any creatures returning to the battlefield because of persist will have their -1/-1 counter nullified by a +1/+1 counter gifted from Gev, Scaled Scorch. Furthermore, pairing Gev, Scaled Scorch with a free sacrifice outlet (e.g., Goblin Bombardment, Viscera Seer) and a creature with persist can lead to multiple infinite loops.
At Commander Spellbook, you can find a comprehensive list of infinite combos for Gev, Scaled Scorch.
A second theme to consider for Gev, Scaled Scorch is leading a Lizard kindred deck. Excitingly, BLB and Bloomborrow Commander (BLC) offer a wealth of black and red Lizard creatures for the 99. Hired Claw, Agate Instigator, and Iridescent Vinelasher are merely three of the seventeen Lizard creature cards from BLB and BLC for consideration.
Fortunately for players, Wizards of the Coast made an errata to the Viashino creature type this year by changing it to Lizard. Players are now able to slot cards with Vashino typing, like Dagger Caster, Viashino Heretic, and Viashino Bladescout, in their Lizard kindred decks.
Gev, Scaled Scorch's damage-dealing ability triggered by casting a Viashino creature card may surprise your opponents.
The Infamous Cruelclaw
The Infamous Cruelclaw is another potent legendary creature from BLB. You receive an on-curve 3/3 Weasel Mercenary with menace and a fantastic ability for : dealing combat damage to a player with The Infamous Cruelclaw allows you to exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card. Upon doing so, you may cast that card by discarding another card rather than paying its mana cost.
Ensuring The Infamous Cruelclaw deals combat damage to an opponent may prove challenging as a Commander game progresses. However, several support cards are available to ensure The Infamous Cruelclaw's ability triggers each combat step.
Brotherhood Regalia and Silver Shroud Costume are relatively new Equipment cards that make a creature unblockable and provide some form of protection, while Whispersilk Cloak is an iconic Equipment card that gives a creature shroud and the ability not to be blocked.
After making The Infamous Cruelclaw, you need a way to get powerful cards such as Blood for the Blood God!, Ulamog, the Defiler, and Valgavoth, Terror Eater on top of your library. Thankfully, black has a few spells that can assist, like Insatiable Avarice, Scheming Symmetry, and Imperial Seal.
When you don't have a handy sorcery spell, you can utilize Into the Pit or Bolas's Citadel to view the top card of your library at any time. Players have several support card options to maximize The Infamous Cruelclaw's combat ability.
Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin
March of the Machine: Aftermath's (MAT) Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin is a 4/3 Demon with flying, trample, and an excellent triggered ability. Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin's ability triggers whenever one or more opponents lose precisely one life. When that happens, Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin receives a +1/+1 counter and you exile the top card of your library to play until your next end step. Generating card advantage via exiling the top card of your library and adding +1/+1 counters to Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin can become a disaster for your opponents to handle.
Causing opponents to lose exactly one life may seem challenging, but plenty of enablers are available. Duskmourn: House of Horror (DSK) and Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander (DSC) set provided players with Razorkin Needlehead and Gleeful Arsonist.
Both creatures possess a triggered ability that deals exactly one damage to an opponent. Foundations (FDN) is another Standard-legal set containing two practical enablers, Scrawling Crawler and Firebrand Archer. If you want black enablers, try playing Creeping Bloodsucker, Kederekt Parasite, and Blood Seeker.
Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin can shine as a competitive commander thanks to its two-card combo with All Will Be One. With Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin and All Will Be One on your battlefield, causing an opponent to lose just one life will trigger the infinite combo of placing a +1/+1 counter to Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin, exiling the top card of your library, and dealing one damage to an opponent with All Will Be One.
Tutor cards, like Vampiric Tutor, Demonic Tutor, and Diabolic Intent, make it easy to put All Will Be One into your hand from your library. Your opponents should anticipate the two-card combo assembling at any time with Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin on your battlefield.
Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls
Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls is a terrifying legendary Elder Demon from DSC. Paying nets a 4/4 flyer with ward, and whenever an opponent loses life for the first time during each of their turns, put a +1/+1 counter on Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls and draw a card. Including various ways in the 99 to trigger Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls's ability during opponents' turns is ideal.
Group Slug may be the most synergistic Commander strategy for Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls. Commander decks executing a Group Slug strategy try to evenly spread equal adverse effects on opponents, such as life loss or discarding. Many of the same deck inclusions for Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin also work well with Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls. Beyond the cards mentioned above, players should consider adding Rug of Smothering, Underworld Dreams, and Roiling Vortex.
Playing cards that inundate opponents with life loss and direct damage is also the main objective of a Burn-centric Commander deck. You can shift Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls to a Burn-oriented playstyle by running more cards with higher damage potential. The Lord of Pain and Kaervek the Merciless are two excellent choices in the 99 to damage opponents. DSK's Screaming Nemesis and Sunspine Lynx can keep opponents from gaining life to ensure their life total reaches zero.
Judith, Carnage Connoisseur
Judith, Carnage Connoisseur is an intriguing Human Shaman from Murders at Karlov Manor (MKM). The alluring appeal of Judith, Carnage Connoisseur is its ability triggered when casting an instant or sorcery spell.
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell with Judith, Carnage Connoisseur on your battlefield, you may grant the spell deathtouch and lifelink or make a 2/2 red Imp creature token with "When this creature dies, it deals two damage to each opponent."
There are no restrictions on Judith, Carnage Connoisseur's ability, allowing you to trigger it with every instant or sorcery spell cast during your or an opponent's turn.
Judith, Carnage Connoisseur wants to be the focal point of a Spellslinger or Burn-themed deck. Generating incremental value by gaining life off damage-dealing spells is fantastic. Adding deathtouch and lifelink to Chain Reaction, Blasphemous Act, or Star of Extinction will eliminate the battlefield and give you a plethora of life.
A timely Anger of the Gods or Brotherhood's End should deal considerable lifelink damage and keep Judith, Carnage Connoisseur alive on the battlefield.
Casting non-damaging spells to create 2/2 red Imp creature tokens with a damaging ability is helpful, too. For example, casting Seething Song into Big Score and then Chaos Warp could net you the removal of a threat, two new cards, and three 2/2 red Imp creature tokens.
Your Imp creature tokens may also serve as fodder for Plumb the Forbidden, Eviscerator's Insight, or Corrupted Conviction. Best of all, you may receive another 2/2 red Imp creature token along with drawing extra cards. Judith, Carnage Connoisseur can produce an incredible amount of value capable of stopping your opponents from winning the game.
Read more:
Five More cEDH Decks for Beginners
Duskmourn - A cEDH Set Review
