MTG: Top Five EDH – Rakdos (BR) Commanders
A Rakdos party isn’t over until half the guests are dead. Let’s talk Rakdos (Red/Black) Commanders.
Welcome Planeswalkers and Praetors to our ongoing series about the best casual experience in Magic: Commander. For the uninitiated, Commander is a semi-casual format for Magic: the Gathering, where you use a deck of 100 cards led by a legendary creature, your Commander.
Aside from basic lands, you are only allowed one copy of each card in the deck. Moreover, you can only include cards in your Commander’s “color identity” or artifacts. Each color and color combo has a unique playstyle and a wealth of mighty generals to lead your deck to victory. EDHRec.com is a great source for Commander info and can give you ideas to build your next Commander deck or tune an existing one.
Unlike the politics of Azorius or the shadowy deals of Dimir, Rakdos prefers to be aggressive with their actions. Should their own followers get caught up in the blast, so be it. Rakdos rewards the player willing to sacrifice their own creatures, hand, and possibly even their life. If you’re willing to spill a little blood, this color combination will reward you with a lot more of your opponent’s.
Prosper, Tome-Bound
Starting the bidding off with a bang is one of the strongest cards not only in Rakdos, but in all of Commander. Prosper gives you circumstantial card advantage, mana advantage from Treasures, and sacrifice fodder. There are several ways to play from exile in these colors, like madness (which we’ll see more of later), so Prosper will be netting you tons of Treasure early and keeping you well stocked. Since Rakdos loves sacrifice, Prosper is one of the best of both worlds for these colors. Even if he isn’t in the command zone, he finds his way into the 99 of almost every Rakdos deck.
Rakdos, Lord of Riots
It wouldn’t be a Rakdos article without the titular demon party animal. Rakdos has always been the true king of wild parties (sorry Jetmir) and this iteration is one of his best. A 6/6 with flying and trample for four is great value, and all Rakdos asks in exchange is a little bloodshed. After he’s out, he’s willing to share the love by reducing all your creature costs, so long as your opponents are losing life. In two of the most aggressive colors in Magic, that’s an easy ask.
Strefan, Maurer Progenitor
Vampires, card draw, and sacrifice fodder? Must be Rakdos’s birthday! Strefan is an incredible Commander, able to make tokens and slingshot your biggest Vampires at your opponent. He’s a bit more of a planner than most Rakdos leaders, but he’s still amazing if you’re feeling devious.
Anje Falkenrath
Madness is one of my favorite mechanics, and Anje is the queen. Since madness cards are exiled once they’re discarded, you can trigger all the “from exile” abilites for cards like Prosper or Passionate Archaeologist. Plus, Anje ALSO gives you card advantage, and the more madness you cause, the more cards you can draw. Don’t be afraid to empty your hand; Anje will fill it again.
Juri, Master of the Revue
If you can’t get the king, the jester will do. Juri starts out small as a 1/1 for two with no offensive abilities, but he doesn’t stay that way for long. Every time you sacrifice a permanent, Juri gets a little bit bigger. Then, if Juri pops (which he will in Rakdos), he sends a face-sized fireball at whatever you want. You can nuke creatures, ice planeswalkers, or practice aggresive player removal with just a Phyrexian Tower. If you like the sacrifice play, then Juri might just be the murder clown for you.
