Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls is the most built Rakdos (black-red) commander, with 29,269 decks on EDHREC as of November 13, 2026. Kuja, Genome Sorcerer (23,872) and Deadpool, Trading Card (17,913) come next. The best budget pick is Kuja at about $1.42, and Judith, Carnage Connoisseur costs about $0.39.
Updated November 13, 2026 · Deck counts: EDHREC, November 13, 2026 · Prices: TCGplayer market price of each card’s cheapest printing, via Scryfall, checked November 13, 2026
Rakdos is black and red together: the guild of sacrifice, burn and making opponents lose life. Rakdos decks are aggressive and a lot of fun at the table, and with two colors you only need a few dual lands to keep your mana working.
We ranked these by how many decks each commander leads on EDHREC, the biggest Commander deck database, so this is what players actually build, not just our opinion. Then we added the Rakdos commanders from Avatar and The Hobbit, why Deadpool costs so much, the best budget commanders and the easiest ones for new players. Every card links to its TCGplayer page.
Table of Contents
Best Rakdos commanders at a glance
| # | Commander | Decks | Deck style | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls | 29,269 | Drain on their turns | $25.58 |
| 2 | Kuja, Genome Sorcerer | 23,872 | Spells and Wizards | $1.42 |
| 3 | Deadpool, Trading Card | 17,913 | Ability swapping | $74.37 |
| 4 | Prosper, Tome-Bound | 14,480 | Exile and Treasure | $2.03 |
| 5 | Shadow the Hedgehog | 12,475 | Haste creatures | $5.41 |
| 6 | Judith, Carnage Connoisseur | 12,355 | Spells and Imps | $0.39 |
| 7 | Rakdos, Lord of Riots | 10,951 | Cheap big creatures | $0.72 |
| 8 | Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin | 10,899 | 1-damage pings | $16.17 |
| 9 | Gev, Scaled Scorch | 10,186 | Lizards | $0.47 |
| 10 | Rowan, Scion of War | 9,394 | Pay life, cast cheap | $0.43 |
| 11 | The Infamous Cruelclaw | 8,827 | Free spells | $1.36 |
| 12 | Strefan, Maurer Progenitor | 8,602 | Vampires | $0.65 |
Prices move fast. Follow @HelloNerdsnack on X for price drops and new chase cards.
Decks = decks led by that commander on EDHREC on November 13, 2026. Price = TCGplayer market price of the cheapest printing, via Scryfall. Deadpool and Shadow have only been printed in Secret Lair drops.
What are the best Rakdos commanders in MTG?
These are the 12 most built Rakdos commanders. Tap any card to see it on TCGplayer.
29,269 decks · $25.58
23,872 decks · $1.42
17,913 decks · $74.37
14,480 decks · $2.03
12,475 decks · $5.41
12,355 decks · $0.39
10,951 decks · $0.72
10,899 decks · $16.17
10,186 decks · $0.47
9,394 decks · $0.43
8,827 decks · $1.36
8,602 decks · $0.65
1. Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls
A flying Demon from the Duskmourn Commander decks. The first time each opponent loses life during their own turn, Valgavoth gets a +1/+1 counter and you draw a card. Build around damage that happens on their turns and it draws you a card per opponent every round. It’s only been printed once, which is why it costs about $25.58.
2. Kuja, Genome Sorcerer
From the Final Fantasy set. At your end step, Kuja makes a 0/1 Wizard that deals 1 damage to each opponent whenever you cast a noncreature spell. Once you control four Wizards, Kuja transforms into Trance Kuja, Fate Defied. A spells deck that turns every instant into table-wide damage, for about $1.42.
3. Deadpool, Trading Card
The Marvel Secret Lair card. As Deadpool enters, you can swap his text box with another creature’s: Deadpool gets that creature’s abilities, and the other creature gets his “lose 3 life every upkeep.” Swap with an opponent’s best creature and they pay the price. It’s the priciest commander on this list at about $74.37.
4. Prosper, Tome-Bound
A Tiefling Warlock from Dungeons & Dragons. At your end step, Prosper exiles the top card of your library and you can play it until the end of your next turn. Whenever you play a card from exile, you make a Treasure. It’s card advantage and ramp in one, and it costs about $2.03.
5. Shadow the Hedgehog
From the Sonic the Hedgehog Secret Lair. Shadow has haste, and whenever he or another creature of yours with flash or haste dies, you draw a card. His Chaos Control ability gives your spells split second when you cast them with mana from an artifact. It’s a fast haste deck, and it costs about $5.41.
6. Judith, Carnage Connoisseur
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery, choose: the spell gains deathtouch and lifelink, or you make a 2/2 Imp that deals 2 damage to each opponent when it dies. Cheap spells become an army of exploding Imps. At about $0.39, it’s one of the cheapest commanders in the top 12.
7. Rakdos, Lord of Riots
The guild’s namesake. You can only cast it after an opponent has lost life this turn, but then your creature spells cost {1} less for each point of life your opponents lost. Hit hard early and huge creatures come out for almost nothing.
8. Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin
Whenever one or more opponents each lose exactly 1 life, Ob Nixilis gets a +1/+1 counter and you exile the top card of your library to play. Fill the deck with cards that ping for 1 and it grows and draws every time. It costs about $16.17.
9. Gev, Scaled Scorch
The Lizard commander from Bloomburrow. Your other creatures enter with an extra +1/+1 counter for each opponent who lost life this turn, and every Lizard you cast deals 1 damage to an opponent, which turns the counters on.
10. Rowan, Scion of War
Tap Rowan and your black and red spells cost less this turn, by however much life you lost. Pay life with your other cards, then cast big spells cheaply. It costs about $0.43.
11. The Infamous Cruelclaw
Whenever this Weasel deals combat damage to a player, you exile cards from the top of your library until you hit a nonland card, then you can cast it by discarding a card instead of paying its mana cost. Fill the deck with expensive spells and cast them for free.
12. Strefan, Maurer Progenitor
The Vampire commander. At your end step you make a Blood token for each player who lost life this turn, and when Strefan attacks you can sacrifice two Blood tokens to put a Vampire from your hand onto the battlefield attacking.
Which Rakdos commanders come from other franchises?
Rakdos is full of famous characters. Three of the top five aren’t from Magic’s own worlds: Kuja (Final Fantasy), Deadpool (Marvel) and Shadow (Sonic). Further down the list are four more, from Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Hobbit:
$3.58
$15.88
$0.47
$1.31
- Ozai, the Phoenix King (#13, 8,405 decks, $3.58): from the Avatar: The Last Airbender set. A 6-mana trampler with firebending and haste whose unspent mana turns red instead of emptying, and it gains flying and indestructible while you have six or more mana floating
- Smaug the Impenetrable (#15, 7,705 decks, $15.88): from The Hobbit Eternal, its only printing. A flying, indestructible, hasty Dragon that makes a Treasure for each point of noncombat damage dealt to it
- The Great Goblin (#17, 7,473 decks, $0.47): from The Hobbit set. Putting counters on your Goblins, Orcs or Armies deals 2 damage to an opponent, and when one dies you exile the top card of your library to play
- Smaug, Wicked Worm (#37, 4,179 decks, $1.31): also from The Hobbit. It makes Treasures based on your opponents’ artifacts and draws you a card whenever you spend Treasure mana on a spell
For more on those sets, see our most expensive Avatar MTG cards and Bilbo and Smaug Commander decks guides.
Why is Deadpool so expensive?
Because it’s only been sold through Secret Lair. Scryfall lists three printings of Deadpool, Trading Card, and all three are Secret Lair cards, so it costs about $74.37. Being Secret Lair-only doesn’t always mean expensive, though: Shadow the Hedgehog has one printing, also Secret Lair, and costs about $5.41. Valgavoth is the other pricey one at about $25.58, because it’s only been printed once, in a 2024 Commander deck. If you want a Rakdos deck without the cost, every budget commander below is under $1.
What are the best budget Rakdos commanders?
Judith, Rakdos, Lord of Riots, Gev, Rowan and Strefan from the top 12 all cost under $1. These six are also popular and cost about 50 cents or less:
$0.53
$0.48
$0.29
$0.27
$0.34
$0.45
- Raphael, Fiendish Savior ($0.53, 5,591 decks): a Baldur’s Gate Devil lord: your Demons, Devils, Imps and Tieflings get +1/+1 and lifelink, and it makes a Devil token at each end step when a creature card hit your graveyard
- Laughing Jasper Flint ($0.48, 7,387 decks): each upkeep it exiles cards from an opponent’s library, one per outlaw you control, and you can cast them with any type of mana
- Juri, Master of the Revue ($0.29, 6,993 decks): a 2-mana sacrifice commander that grows whenever you sacrifice a permanent and deals its power in damage when it dies
- Blim, Comedic Genius ($0.27, 6,207 decks): a chaos deck that gives your worst permanents to opponents, then makes everyone lose life and discard for each gift they hold
- Black Waltz No. 3 ($0.34, 5,241 decks): from Final Fantasy: a flying deathtouch Wizard that deals 2 damage to each opponent whenever you cast a noncreature spell
- Grenzo, Dungeon Warden ($0.45, 5,520 decks): pay {2} to put the bottom card of your library into your graveyard, and if it’s a small enough creature it goes straight onto the battlefield
A cheap commander is only half the deck. Our budget Commander decks under $100 guide shows how to build the other 99 cards cheaply, and the best budget Commander staples under $5 covers black and red staples.
Which Rakdos commander is best for beginners?
The easiest commanders do one simple thing well and don’t need a long combo to win. These four are straightforward and fairly cheap:
$1.70
$2.33
$5.69
$3.31
- Kardur, Doomscourge ($1.70, 7,766 decks): when it enters, your opponents’ creatures have to attack someone other than you, and every attacking creature that dies drains each opponent for 1.
- Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate ($2.33, 5,099 decks): it grows every time it attacks, and at the end of your turn it brings back a small creature from your graveyard.
- Mogis, God of Slaughter ($5.69, 4,834 decks): an indestructible God that deals 2 damage to each opponent on their upkeep unless they sacrifice a creature.
- Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder ($3.31, 7,647 decks): sacrifice creatures or Treasures to grow it, and when it dies it can hit every opponent for its power. It costs only black mana, but it counts as black-red for your deck.
New to Commander? Our beginner’s guide to building a Commander deck walks through all 100 cards.
Are any Rakdos commanders Game Changers?
No. Commander’s bracket system rates decks from 1 to 5, and the Game Changers list is a set of cards strong enough to push a deck into a higher bracket. None of the commanders in this guide are on it, per Scryfall’s Game Changer data on November 13, 2026. Valgavoth and Ob Nixilis can still take over a casual game, so tell your table what you’re bringing.
What cards does every Rakdos deck need?
Rakdos is great at damage, removal and sacrifice, but it struggles to draw cards and can’t remove enchantments. Most Rakdos decks want:
- Mana rocks and Treasure, because neither color has much land ramp. See the best mana rocks in Commander.
- Card draw that costs life or exiles cards, black’s pay-life draw and red’s “exile the top card and play it.”
- Board wipes: Rakdos has some of the best. See the best board wipes in Commander.
- Colorless answers to enchantments, since neither color can destroy them on its own.
Read next: Best Mono-Black Commanders · Best Mono-Red Commanders · Best Grixis Commanders
Rakdos commanders
Sources: commander deck counts from EDHREC’s Rakdos commanders page, November 13, 2026; card text, printings, legality and Game Changer status from Scryfall; prices are TCGplayer market prices via Scryfall, checked November 13, 2026. Card images: Wizards of the Coast.
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