Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder
This commander offers a bit of everything for our strategies. At , it is very competitively cost. However, its not exactly something we need to try to Dark Ritual out on turn 1. Its better to make sure we have a solid plan from our starting hand before considering when to get this card online. The goal with it is simple, we buff Evereth's power using cards like Hatred and sacrifice it to fling damage at all opponents. Ideally, the plan is to make this an alpha-strike against the table, as it is very difficult to interact with once primed. Don't overlook that we can also use treasures to have this gain lifelink, which is nice utility in colors that tend to pay a lot of life for effects. This is extended to the death trigger as well, so in an emergency we can gain quite a bit even if the rest of the table isn't quite dead to the resolution. Some stax/aggro player coming after the deck to limit the life total resource (Even if we aren't on Ad Nauseam players will tend to assume this because of our color identity)? We have some breathing room with an out to aggression.
Additionally, Evereth is evasive. This can be great to deal damage to a specific player before throwing her at the table, making more efficient use of pump effects. Notice that the built in sacrifice outlet is a pump effect as well, but it is at sorcery speed. Many of the includes in the deck work around this, but if we need some extra +1/+1 counters or a lifegain burst we will need to set that up in a main phase. The combat step is usually not a serious choice when it comes to most pods, but its there so we might as well use it.
Dauthi Voidwalker
In a world where we have decks like Inalla, Archmage Ritualist, Birthing Pod chains, and Underworld Breach exist, we need to have some measure against getting ruined by these combos if we can determine it is present by the commanders present at the pod. This is not an all-inclusive list, of course. But without heavy stack interaction provided by , we need to be proactive about reading threats at the table. With the recursion packages this deck offers it is easier to protect a creature than it would for an enchantment like Leyline of the Void. Also, don't forget that if we can snag a Thassa's Oracle and a way to deck ourselves, or even just bank a clutch counter spell, we can crack the Voidwalker to cast it then recur it later.
There is an argument for using a card like Faerie Macabre instead if we were also using Tortured Existence instead of Chthonian Nightmare, but when it comes to stax effects it can be very meta-dependent so it is worth mentioning when swaps might be made for better effect. Tortured Existence is lower to the ground, and when combined with Faerie Macabre we would only be utilizing activated abilities. This provides protection against a lot of stack interaction, but is noticeably still weak to something like Deflecting Swat. Dauthi Voidwalker is a safer all-rounder for lists, so it is the primary include.
Dualcaster Mage
The combo line for this card is super straight forward, and is a primary win condition for the deck as we have outlined in the "Combos" section. Here is a breakdown of how it works though, just in case this happens to be new to someone reading this:
1) Cast Molten Duplication or Twinflame targeting one of our other creatures (Dualcaster must not be in play yet!)
2) Cast Dualcaster Mage while the prior spell is still on the stack. When Dualcaster resolves, have it copy that spell, targeting itself.
3) When the new copy resolves, have the Dualcaster Mage it makes enter and copy the original cloning spell again.
4) Explain that this is a loop and declare an arbitrarily large number (infinite isn't a valid number for iterations!) of hasty Dualcasters.
5) If all continues to go well, win in the combat step.
Despite being a win condition, we shouldn't get tunnel vision. This card still represents a powerful effect, as well as a piece of stack interaction in our colors. If we need to, we can always use this to copy a counter spell or hose a Deflecting Swat from our opponents if we are trying to prevent their win or set up a critical turn of our own. It does us no good as a win condition if we lose the game or stumble getting to our own win. When copying a spell, also know that it copies the exact state of the instant or sorcery. This means we can use this to copy an enormous Burnt Offering from a Broodlord line, or push the life we pay towards a Hatred further. If we stay open to the options before us and don't get lost in factory default lines we have studied for our cards then we will have more powerful avenues open to our play.
Glaring Fleshraker
Despite not being an eldrazi-synergy deck, we still have plenty of ways to abuse this thing. The important interaction we need to focus on is that it creates an Eldrazi Spawn whenever we cast a colorless spell. Our artifacts are colorless. It provides an extra bit of ramp or a creature to sacrifice to our commander for ever mana rock we accelerate with. Stuff like Lion's Eye Diamond is colorless. Usually it's looped in Underworld Breach lines too. This can give us a kill condition for all opponents for little investment, as every colorless creature that enters (namely, the tokens this makes) ping all opponents each time. So we have a boost to ramp and a win condition, all on a creature we can recur. Not much downside here.
Goblin Engineer
A tutor for many of the artifacts we have in this list. Agatha's Soul Cauldron is used in winning lines, and the engineer can help recur it after. If we need a Lotus Petal or Lion's Eye Diamond for our breach line, this thing sends it to the graveyard where we need it. The only artifact in our deck this cannot weld back into play is The One Ring. Prior versions also included its older brother Goblin Welder, but was found too narrow to make the final cut. It can absolutely be rationalized as an inclusion alongside Goblin Engineer, since it provides extra utility by welding our opponents things in and out of play too, unlike the card which made the list. Generically, it didn't do enough on its own to fit the current list and summoning sickness can be a deal breaker since it doesn't also tutor.
Hoarding Broodlord
Combo piece that also happens to be a powerful tutor with its own section in "Combos". Classically paired with Saw in Half to perform really broken search chains to set up combos. Due to that amount of recursion this deck has with creatures, this card edged out Ad Nauseam as an inclusion. While very different cards, they typically don't exist in the same lists as hitting it during a Naus is usually too scary and as a result limits the effectiveness of the draw. This is because as a potential hit we would always have to stay above 9 life or risk being killed. Since we can make tons of mana in this deck, Peer into the Abyss serves a similar purpose. If converting this list to one which supports Ad Nauseam, remove Hoarding Broodlord and Peer into the Abyss for lower cmc options. We would also want to look at the 4-cmc slots and replace with similar effects at a lower cmc. Overall, this build prefers the more powerful effects since we have the resources to lean into them. This is an important consideration when building this commander though, so that's why we need to spend all of this time not talking about Broodlord in the Broodlord section.
An important synergy with this card that can end up overlooked is that it also allows us to convoke all spells we cast from exile, not just the one we tutored up. This makes Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer and Rev, Tithe Extractor even more powerful effects as a result. We often cheat Broodlord into play via Reanimate-effects, allowing the steep casting cost to be circumvented.
Mayhem Devil
This card is so good, and one of my favorite control effects in . Whenever any player sacrifices anything it allows us to send a point of damage at anything. We can make quite a few treasure Tokens and Eldrazi Spawn on our own, but opponents will also be cracking fetchlands or treasures of their own. Even without Dockside Extortionist in the format anymore, there are still plenty of relevant triggers. Even if not specifically using it as a combo finisher, picking off an Orcish Bowmasters or subtlely taxing life totals over the course of a game can help drop players into range for a lethal Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder death trigger. Never discount the greed of commander players, they pay tons of life throughout the course of a game.
Opposition Agent
Flash this in when an opponent tries to resolve a tutor effect. Its as simple as that, sometimes strong effects don't need to have layers of secret technology to them. This is a format where tutors happen almost every turn, so we apply some relevant stax to it.
Orcish Bowmasters
One of the strongest creatures in the format, for good reason. Flash it in before an opponent's draw effect resolves. Do damage to something or someone. Effect resolves. Do more damage to somethings or someones. Plus, I guess we get to make an Orc Army which grows. There is a world where we can even brew a synergy with the Army token using something like The Ozolith to move the counters to Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder when it sacrifices the token. The current list doesn't do that though, but its worth a mention. Bowmasters comes up a few times in our "Combos" section due to the ability to kill opponents in conjunction with our own Wheel of Fortune loops to force draw. This becomes similarly redundant to Sheoldred, the Apocalypse as a way we pressure our opponents' life totals throughout a game. We could cut Sheoldred for Ozolith, as they both present win potential within combo, but in a vacuum the praetor is a stronger card on its own due to its stax-like effect so it is preferred here.
It doesn't take much to push an Orcish Bowmasters into lethal territory. One benefit it has over Sheoldred, the Apocalypse aside from policing creatures and planeswalkers is our ability to clone it. Molten Duplication and Twinflame are not just for Dualcaster Mage. Even one extra copy and only a single cast of Wheel of Fortune represents 42 points of damage we can bukkake onto our opponents. That's insane value, which is more reason why we opt to recur creatures. Our opponents tend to frown upon this sort of thing, so be ready for it to draw out interaction.
Phyrexian Devourer
We will never cast this card. It exists solely to be placed under an Agatha's Soul Cauldron so other creatures like Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder and Walking Ballista can combo kill the table. At 6cmc it is another reason Peer into the Abyss is preferred here over Ad Nauseam in this list for mass draw strategy. Normally its better to include combo pieces in decks where the synergy can be salvaged for utility if the combo it exists for can't be executed. But because we can easily tutor this, and it enables instant-speed wins through abusing additional casting cost, activated abilities, and triggers rather than spells to deny priority to our opponents, Devourer gets a pass as most counter magic can be bypassed. The combo it provides is even resistant to Silence and Deflecting Swat, and once the card is under the Cauldron, all creatures with a +1/+1 counter are already primed with no change in priority. If this deck had access to more stack interaction like other color identities, we would probably find another way. Here, it fits. This is an older card as well as being a somewhat obscure combo, so here is how it works:
1) Get Phyrexian Devourer into the graveyard. As part of setup, we ideally want to have a +1/+1 counter on Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder or Walking Ballista already, but if we need to place the counter on Evereth, do so if there isn't one already. If we have a choice we should always use our commander rather than Ballista to execute this combo.
2) Use Agatha's Soul Cauldron to exile this. Once Devourer is exiled, we are much more resistant to interaction.
3) Holding priority, activate the ability gained from Devourer to exile the top card of our library. Repeat these activations even if targeted by opponents to continue through interaction. This makes our creature arbitrarily large with +1/+1 counters (limited by the total remaining cmc among cards in our deck). Since we have higher cmc cards, this shouldn't be much of a problem but we should be aware.
4) Use any of the cards from the "Sacrifice Outlets" section to sacrifice Evereth (Except Infernal Plunge since casting a sorcery opens up a window for opponents' priority). This allows us to remain holding priority throughout the combo to prevent interaction from opponents. Because our commander is being sacrificed as a cost to pay for an effect, the ability goes to the stack and we don't have to care if the spell resolves. Walking Ballista is slightly more risky as each activation to remove counters and deal damage may be responded to. This is why our commander is preferred (and dangerous to our opponents).
5) Pay for Evereth's trigger. If it is not Stifled, we get indicted on 3 counts of murder and win the game.
This all occurs without meaningfully passing priority to our opponents, making this the most protected combo in the deck. Save any stack interaction we have for protecting Agatha's Soul Cauldron when attempting to exile Phyrexian Devourer.
Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
This might be the best one-drop in red, and since there is no longer Dockside Extortionist it might be the best mono- creature in the format. Even if we can't cast the spell it will exile from its combat damage trigger, the ramp it provides us and light denial it inflicts on opponents is a nice include. Dash can be seen by some as a way to get in and make a treasure, but don't overlook utilizing the exile trigger to interfere with an opponent who has set up their top deck. While we cannot play lands with these triggers, we can play other acceleration, draw, tutor effects, or anything we happen to find the turn that we exile it. Because of this it can be beneficial to leave a few extra mana up. The more competitive the pod, the lower cmc most cards will be in decks. Because of this, Ragavan is always ramp when it connects but also provides more card advantage proportional to the power level of the deck you exile from as more cards will likely be castable.
The dash ability also provides built in protection, as it can often be safer to keep this card in hand when it doesn't stand a high chance of connecting. We can then redeploy Ragavan as an efficient enabler for something like Chthonian Nightmare, allowing for extra energy to be stockpiled by using it as a sacrifice to reanimate something else. It even represents an energy-positive loop if we need to recur our commander several times when trying to win or simply if we need to tax some life totals due to rampant The One Rings or Ad Nauseam players at the table. Keeping these value loops lean on mana cost help make them a more viable decision point in a game, and with the gain to energy it is possible to build up to other creatures (Treasonous Ogre, Skirge Familiar, or even Hoarding Broodlord) we may need more at the moment than the monkey.
Rev, Tithe Extractor
Speaking of Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Rev is cut from a very similar design. Except now every creature we have is a monkey. Even our monkey is now an extra monkey. Additionally, all spells we exile from these specific combat damage triggers may be cast for as long as they are exiled. This means that we can aim to shore up weaknesses by attacking players with the types of cards we need for the matchup and current game position. The wording on this card does carry the Tymna the Weaver *f-etch* restriction so we can only trigger once from each opponent each turn. But with evasive creatures like our commander and Dauthi Voidwalker we can often connect with one or more opponents a turn. The ceiling is very strong, as we can exile three cards and gain three treasures per turn.
Despite the hype this card has gotten recently for being able to gain massive advantage and make plays with our opponents' resources, the first line of text on the card can get overlooked. Giving a creature deathtouch on the attack trigger can be very useful. Look at Orcish Bowmasters and Mayhem Devil. Even if they don't attack, they can still receive this trigger. This turns any treasures or other sacrifices made into removal when used with the Mayhem Devil. Wheel of Fortune turns into a much more efficient board wipe when it comes to Orcish Bowmasters. Even Walking Ballista becomes pinpoint removal if needed. While this may not always be a necessary interaction, it can be easy to overlook. Since we can easily set this up while not diverging from any of our normal game plans, sending this trigger to one of these creatures should be a play on our radar.
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
There sure is a lot of players on The One Ring. It shouldn't be hard to see why, and we are certainly abusing it too. Sheoldred allows us to punish this kind of greed at the best case, or just tax life totals turn over turn at the worst, all on a body that is often better than most of the creatures we can face in the combat step. It even offsets our own life loss for our own ring activations. Along with Orcish Bowmasters it represents a win if not dealt with during Underworld Breach lines that use Wheel of Fortune.
If another player is representing a lethal combo of their own we can also use Sheoldred as targeted player removal with Peer into the Abyss, though this should be an absolute last resort due to several factors. Be aware that we would be aiming an incredibly powerful draw effect at a player already poised to win, but if the table is dead then it may be our only option. If Sheoldred gets removed before it resolves, that opponent gets a huge amount of draw. Another problem this provides is a concept called "king-making". This is where removing a player that was keeping other players in check stops one player from winning but guarantees another. If that other player isn't us, then we should avoid this play as well. Often when a player loses the game, players may not account for the loss of their board state. Take care to consider what stax pieces they may have which are keeping other players in check. However, if killing the player does not guarantee another player's win, but instead provides advantage to that opponent by releasing the lock the stax effect would have then it is still considered the correct play as the game continues but no coronation has occurred.
Simian Spirit Guide
Sometimes we just need an extra mana during our turn. This card can set up explosive early turns if used to power out more permanent ramp choices. It can also deny an opponent a Rhystic Study draw if we need to tap out to make a play. It may seem like card disadvantage, but its actually an even trade to expend a card to prevent a player from drawing. Keep in mind that it is still overall disadvantage to make 1-for-1 trades in a multiplayer game, so make sure to evaluate the importance of that draw to that opponent before denying it this way. We can even cast this if we need to, as a free or reduced cost Flare of Duplication might be a necessary component of our current plan. It can also be fodder for Chthonian Nightmare in a pinch. Lots of possible uses we could come up with, but its really just a Gray Ogre that does a pretty decent Rite of Flame impression.
Skirge Familiar
A very powerful mana producing effect that also acts as an enabler to fill our graveyard for Underworld Breach and Reanimate effects. Getting this online after resolving a Peer into the Abyss should be among our top priorities. If we are holding half our deck, then the mana this will provide along with any other artifact fixing should guarantee a win. It also has excellent synergy with Agatha's Soul Cauldron if it ends up in our graveyard, as we can exile it and provide this activated ability to any of our creatures. It also flies, and while we may never see this attack in all the time we play the commander format, knowing what our evasive options are can be the difference between winning and losing a game when it comes to scrambling for clutch plays.
Treasonous Ogre
Like Skirge Familiar, but for and a different resource. Life is absolutely a resource in commander, but that doesn't mean we can always go all-in. This can be a very dangerous effect if we fly too close to the sun. With plans like Reanimate and The One Ring among others that utilize this resource, Rakdos lists tend to go deep on trading life. This is a great facet of these lists actually, but we just need to be aware that we should be using this sort of effect to gain large amounts of advantage. Our opponents could have Orcish Bowmasters and Friends™ too, and we can easily be punished the same way we plan to tax our opponents. Like with Skirge Familiar, this is best used post-Peer into the Abyss and usually to help get the Skirge online. While life gain is not a viable strategy on its own in commander, this is why the incidental life gain options we have access to shouldn't be overlooked. It allows us to be a more robust version of this strategy by recouping this resource at very little divergence from our main strategies. This is a powerful effect with an equally powerful cost that can easily be abused and overextended in this format.
Walking Ballista
The main purpose of this creature is to be part of a combo kill for the table. There are a few forms it can take, but most are designed to be part of Agatha's Soul Cauldron. Usually we will try to get a Phyrexian Devourer under the Soul Cauldron, and have the Ballista use the exile effect to add enough +1/+1 counters to enable a win. At its worst it represents removal. We can even imprint the Ballista under the Soul Cauldron during a large-mana Underworld Breach line or post-Peer into the Abyss/Skirge Familiar shenanigans to allow our commander to convert mana to +1/+1 counters and win via sacrifice outlet. There is quite a bit of utility here, but the payoffs for this creature should stand out so we can formulate a game plan around what we have available. This is another card that caused initial drafts of this deck to include The Ozolith as a way to store and move counters if we couldn't immediately go for winning sequences, and its certainly a brew option. But as covered before, its something worth talking about but The Ozolith ultimately didn't do anything on its own so it couldn't fit this iteration of the list.
Warren Soultrader
There comes a time when every player needs to send their Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer to go live at the farm. This card helps facilitate that in a way which provides extra value. We can also convert Glaring Fleshraker and Orcish Bowmasters tokens to treasures, which can at times be strict upgrades. We just need to remember that if converting the Orc Army tokens to treasures, it should be done before each trigger resolves so we can make a new token each time. The creature to treasure conversion can also be used to salvage creatures being removed from play, or even as a makeshift sacrifice outlet for our commander if we need to drain our opponents. This also combos nicely with Mayhem Devils, allowing us to turn creatures into both damage and tokens which becomes powerful if we have a recursion loop via Chthonian Nightmare or Underworld Breach.
