Rakdos, Lord of Riots : Pingers and fatties

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Dunharrow
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Post by Dunharrow » 2 years ago

Are there good strategies you could use to make a Rakdos deck? Maybe, I haven't bothered to look.
I just figured I would make a deck where curving out means I cast 40 mana of creatures in one turn, and where an opponent killing my general means I have 40 mana of creatures in hand with nothing to do.
Should I put backup plans in the deck? All the Sneak Attack effects maybe? Probably. But will I? No. That's not what this deck is about.

Should a jank deck like this have several infinite combos? Yes. I mean, if a successful turn is casting multiple eldrazi titans opponents are not going to be happy anyway, so might as well go infinite with my Nettle Drone while I'm at it.

Should a commander that costs BBRR have colorless lands in it? Meh, I doubt it. But I wanted to slot in Kozilek, the Great Distortion and honestly I enjoyed tweaking the mana to make it work. It usually works out.
Rakdos, Lord of Riots

Commander (1)

Planeswakers (1)

Approximate Total Cost:

Infinite Combos:
Ancestral Statue + Nettle Drone/Purphoros
Cloudstone Curio + 2 Eldrazi for infinite cast triggers
Cloudstone Curio + Ruthless Ripper + black card in hand + an eldrazi with no winning cast trigger
Last edited by Dunharrow 1 year ago, edited 2 times in total.
The New World fell not to a sword but to a meme

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Tevesh
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Post by Tevesh » 2 years ago

If you're looking for more ways to go Infinite, there's Grenzo, Dungeon Warden, Ashnod's Altar and The Cauldron of Eternity. Then you might need other supporting Creatures like Anathemancer and the like off of the top of my head.

In my personal take on Rakdos, I go Infinite with Razaketh, the Foulblooded, Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Chainer, Dementia Master and K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth. I do use Wurmcoil Engine quite frequently to aid in the Sac-Chain.

I don't think Gut Shot is terribly effectively. A few pingers I noticed you're missing: Lim-Dûl's Hex, Sanctum of Stone Fangs, Spear Spewer, Shepherd of Rot and Stormfist Crusader.

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Dunharrow
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Post by Dunharrow » 2 years ago

Tevesh wrote:
2 years ago
If you're looking for more ways to go Infinite, there's Grenzo, Dungeon Warden, Ashnod's Altar and The Cauldron of Eternity. Then you might need other supporting Creatures like Anathemancer and the like off of the top of my head.
I don't really fill my yard so I feel like Cauldron is going to be hard to cast.
In my personal take on Rakdos, I go Infinite with Razaketh, the Foulblooded, Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Chainer, Dementia Master and K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth. I do use Wurmcoil Engine quite frequently to aid in the Sac-Chain.
Cool combo. I have been thinking of K'rrik.
I don't think Gut Shot is terribly effectively. A few pingers I noticed you're missing: Lim-Dûl's Hex, Sanctum of Stone Fangs, Spear Spewer, Shepherd of Rot and Stormfist Crusader.
Gut shot is pretty bad, but not that bad? It basically enables me to cast Rakdos on 4 mana without telegraphing it. Opponents should be leaving up removal to deal with Rakdos immediately, and they may not be as diligent when I have no way to cast him in play.
Those pingers are good ideas. I think there are a lot of good pingers I excluded.

Thanks for the feedback!
The New World fell not to a sword but to a meme

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Tevesh
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Post by Tevesh » 2 years ago

Dunharrow wrote:
2 years ago
Tevesh wrote:
2 years ago
If you're looking for more ways to go Infinite, there's Grenzo, Dungeon Warden, Ashnod's Altar and The Cauldron of Eternity. Then you might need other supporting Creatures like Anathemancer and the like off of the top of my head.
I don't really fill my yard so I feel like Cauldron is going to be hard to cast.
In my personal take on Rakdos, I go Infinite with Razaketh, the Foulblooded, Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Chainer, Dementia Master and K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth. I do use Wurmcoil Engine quite frequently to aid in the Sac-Chain.
Cool combo. I have been thinking of K'rrik.
I don't think Gut Shot is terribly effectively. A few pingers I noticed you're missing: Lim-Dûl's Hex, Sanctum of Stone Fangs, Spear Spewer, Shepherd of Rot and Stormfist Crusader.
Gut shot is pretty bad, but not that bad? It basically enables me to cast Rakdos on 4 mana without telegraphing it. Opponents should be leaving up removal to deal with Rakdos immediately, and they may not be as diligent when I have no way to cast him in play.
Those pingers are good ideas. I think there are a lot of good pingers I excluded.

Thanks for the feedback!
In no universe where you have some way to reliably damage a player would you not play that to hold back for a Gut Shot surprise. Another weakness to Gut Shot is that if Rakdos is answered, you're down a card. The other pingers continually provide you with value so that a turn or two later, you can re-cast Rakdos again. If I am going to blow a surprise 'Gotcha!' on an opponent, it's going to be Deflecting Swat, Darkness or a Undying Evil. Things that will save my life or protect my main game plan.

Considering that you require RRBB on Turn 4, I also think Shivan Gorge is too costly. The lack of coloured mana is actually a big deal. And even if it isn't, you're going to have 8 mana to cast Rakdos? Three plus Gorge Activation plus Rakdos' cost? Or ten if you're re-casting? By the time you've hit Turn 8 or so, this deck has lost because it's power is in cheating in fatties; something that's irrelevant by that turn because everyone can hard cast them. I think Piranha Marsh does a better job and it gives you access to Black after its done it job.

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Dunharrow
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Post by Dunharrow » 2 years ago

Tevesh wrote:
2 years ago
Dunharrow wrote:
2 years ago
Tevesh wrote:
2 years ago
If you're looking for more ways to go Infinite, there's Grenzo, Dungeon Warden, Ashnod's Altar and The Cauldron of Eternity. Then you might need other supporting Creatures like Anathemancer and the like off of the top of my head.
I don't really fill my yard so I feel like Cauldron is going to be hard to cast.
In my personal take on Rakdos, I go Infinite with Razaketh, the Foulblooded, Gray Merchant of Asphodel, Chainer, Dementia Master and K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth. I do use Wurmcoil Engine quite frequently to aid in the Sac-Chain.
Cool combo. I have been thinking of K'rrik.
I don't think Gut Shot is terribly effectively. A few pingers I noticed you're missing: Lim-Dûl's Hex, Sanctum of Stone Fangs, Spear Spewer, Shepherd of Rot and Stormfist Crusader.
Gut shot is pretty bad, but not that bad? It basically enables me to cast Rakdos on 4 mana without telegraphing it. Opponents should be leaving up removal to deal with Rakdos immediately, and they may not be as diligent when I have no way to cast him in play.
Those pingers are good ideas. I think there are a lot of good pingers I excluded.

Thanks for the feedback!
In no universe where you have some way to reliably damage a player would you not play that to hold back for a Gut Shot surprise. Another weakness to Gut Shot is that if Rakdos is answered, you're down a card. The other pingers continually provide you with value so that a turn or two later, you can re-cast Rakdos again. If I am going to blow a surprise 'Gotcha!' on an opponent, it's going to be Deflecting Swat, Darkness or a Undying Evil. Things that will save my life or protect my main game plan.

Considering that you require RRBB on Turn 4, I also think Shivan Gorge is too costly. The lack of coloured mana is actually a big deal. And even if it isn't, you're going to have 8 mana to cast Rakdos? Three plus Gorge Activation plus Rakdos' cost? Or ten if you're re-casting? By the time you've hit Turn 8 or so, this deck has lost because it's power is in cheating in fatties; something that's irrelevant by that turn because everyone can hard cast them. I think Piranha Marsh does a better job and it gives you access to Black after its done it job.
Pingers are not a way to reliably deal damage. They have summoning sickness. They may get killed before. Even if they don't, someone will likely see my plan to cast Rakdos and equip to greaves, and will hold up removal.
Gut shot is pretty good at deploying Rakdos. It doesn't telegraph my next turn. I think it is a lot better than you think.

Shivan Gorge you are probably right on.
The New World fell not to a sword but to a meme

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Dunharrow
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Post by Dunharrow » 1 year ago

out
Neheb, the Eternal
Shriekmaw
Steel Hellkite
Conduit of Ruin
Gut Shot
Smash to Smithereens
Dark Petition
Dismember

in
Noxious Gearhulk
Stormfist Crusader
Arvinox, the Mind Flail
Orcus, Prince of Undeath
Arcane Signet
Liliana's Contract
Baleful Mastery
Razaketh, the Foulblooded

Next on my list
Cut Shivan Gorge for a land from a more recent set (I have boxes waiting to be drafted)
Replace Brimstone Trebuchet and Lightning-Rig Crew for some of the better pingers Spear Spewer and Sanctum of Stone Fangs. I just don't own these cards.
I am also going to look into more looting effects and a couple reanimation spells. Plan is to play the deck and cut some fatties to replace by looting and reanimation.
The New World fell not to a sword but to a meme

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