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Commander Nexus
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  3. Rakdos, Lord of Riots

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Rakdos, Lord of Riots

Rakdos, Lord of Riots

Legendary Creature — Demon

Rakdos wants a deck that hurts every player at once and outlasts the pain. It also works in a deck built around Demons.

  • Mana costblackblackredred
  • Black, Red ()
  • Power / toughness6 / 6
  • RarityMythic

You can't cast Rakdos unless an opponent lost life this turn.

Flying, trample

Creature spells you cast cost 1 generic less to cast for each 1 life your opponents have lost this turn.

Build a deck with Rakdos Find it in the app

Archetypes
Themes

Cards That Fit Rakdos, Lord of Riots

Picked for what they do in Rakdos's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Rakdos's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Sol RingOpen the full glossary

plan6

The 6 Cards

Does what Rakdos, Lord of Riots does6

The 6 Cards

Rulings for Rakdos, Lord of Riots

explain how Rakdos works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary

Wizards of the Coast 10 Nov 2020

Damage dealt to a player causes that player to lose that much life.

Wizards of the Coast 10 Nov 2020

If an opponent lost life and subsequently lost the game, Rakdos's first ability is satisfied, and its last ability counts that loss of life.

Wizards of the Coast 10 Nov 2020

If there are additional costs to cast a creature spell, such as a kicker cost or the commander tax, apply those increases before applying cost reductions.

Wizards of the Coast 10 Nov 2020

Rakdos can be put onto the battlefield by another spell or ability even if no opponent has lost life that turn.

Wizards of the Coast 10 Nov 2020

Rakdos's last ability can't reduce the colored mana requirement of a creature spell you cast.

Wizards of the Coast 10 Nov 2020

Rakdos's last ability cares about the total life lost, not necessarily what an opponent's life total is compared to what it was at the beginning of the turn. For example, if an opponent loses 5 life and then gains 10 life in a turn, creature spells you cast will cost {5} less to cast.

Wizards of the Coast 10 Nov 2020

Rakdos's last ability won't reduce the cost to cast Rakdos itself. It applies only to creature spells you cast once Rakdos is on the battlefield.

7 rulings, all written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Rakdos, and what they share.

Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryBRPlayers write colors as letters: B for black, R for red.Group SlugGroup Slug decks hurt every player at the table at once, then make sure they can survive the pain better than anyone else. Typical cards make each player take damage or lose life whenever they draw, cast a spell or tap a land for mana.Open the Group Slug pageCost ModificationChanges what a spell costs to cast: cheaper for you, or more expensive for everyone. It is the broad family; Cost Reducer and Spell Tax say which direction a given card goes. Herald's Horn, Foundry InspectorOpen the Cost Modification pageCost ReducerMakes your own spells cheaper to cast. A discount every turn adds up faster than a single burst of mana. Herald's Horn, Foundry InspectorOpen the Cost Reducer pageEvasionAn ability that makes a creature hard to block, so its attacks reach the player. Flying, menace, landwalk and plain 'can't be blocked' are the common kinds.Open the Evasion page