Welcome back to Vorthos Wednesday. We may have taken a break the past couple of weeks for more general topics, but we can never stay away from the flavor for too long.

We’re returning with a vengeance. Today, I’ll be revisiting Vorthos deck-building, an idea I first presented just over three months ago, and one I received a ton of great feedback on. I took advice and opinions and threw it all into a giant blender with the initial idea. The result is, I’m happy to say, chaotic. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the painful taste of Rakdos! (Blood flavors not included.)

The Cult of Rakdos

While Rakdos—the namesake and master of the guild—is a cruel and monstrous demon, the majority of the Rakdos just want to have fun. It just so happens that their idea of fun involves a lot of pain, blood splatter, and death.

A lot of the feedback I received last time around was that I stayed too true to the story and that the decks presented were weak because of that. Today, I’m approaching Rakdos thematically rather than literally. My goal is not to have every piece belong as a part of Rakdos, but instead, to have the overall deck give off the feeling of hedonism and debauchery.

The Commander

Strangely enough, Rakdos himself doesn’t feel like a great fit. He’s powerful, no doubt about that, but building around Demons seems fairly narrow, and Rakdos’s ranks are filled with a lot more than those pesky Angel killers. Kaervek seems like a lot of fun in multiplayer, allowing you to help or punish your opponents as you please. Yet, his ability still doesn’t hit the right note for Rakdos. In addition, I’m hoping for something with a lower casting cost. It doesn’t have to be cheap, but I want to make sure to see my commander more than once or twice a game. Lyzolda gets things right where the other two fail, so let’s choose her and begin building.

The Supporting Cast

Ad Nauseam – I need to actually test the deck to know if this card pulls its weight, but the flavor is so yummy it had to make the initial cut.

Avatar of Slaughter – Rakdos recruits aren’t ones to wait around. They’re also more likely to do damage others wouldn’t normally commit thanks to rational thought. This guy gets all of your creatures into the spirit of Rakdos.

Blood Artist – Not only does this guy sound like a Rakdos member already, but his ability plays very nicely with what we’re trying to do. Falkenrath Noble might fit better in this slot with the bigger body, but it just doesn’t come with the flavor.

Bloodgift Demon – Pretty much anything with “blood” in its name fits well.

Braid of Fire – It’s one of the few cards picked solely for its abilities, but I’m a bit worried about acceleration in this deck. Neither color is well known for it, but we have a lot of things we want to be doing every single turn.

Coffin Queen – I originally had Recurring Nightmare in this slot, as I wanted one good source of renewable recursion. Luckily, my editor (thanks, Andrew!) nudged me softly and spoke the word, “Banned.” While this deck isn’t attempting to do ridiculous things with the card, I am trying to give you one hundred cards you can take anywhere. Thus, Coffin Queen makes the cut.

Decree of Pain – This is one of the few wraths in the deck—and perhaps more flavorful if it were a Blasphemous Act—but this deck really wants card-draw to keep itself fueled. We can also interpret this as a “decree of sport” for Rakdos members, which would be interpreted as pain by others. (Stretching too much?)

Demonic Tutor – Tutors always give a deck extra power. Vampiric Tutor is perhaps more flavorful via game mechanics, but with a demon leading the guild, I’ll choose the original tutor over it.

Fulminator Mage – Here’s a great example of picking bodies with needed abilities over a (possibly) cheaper spell. We like bodies in this deck, especially multicolored ones. Moriok Replica is another similar pick without the color bonus.

Grave Pact – You cannot have a Commander deck with sacrifice abilities and not include this card. Sadly, there’s not a whole lot of specific flavor.

Hellkite Charger – Hellkite Charger and World at War are included to show the Rakdos’s love for prolonging pleasure. Why swing once with your hammer when you can swing multiple times? Aggravated Assault is more flavorful, but I don’t want all methods to be permanents and thus removable.

Infernal Tribute – I can just picture Rakdos recruits offering up limbs and other tasty morsels to Rakdos himself.

Kathari Bomber – This is one of only two token makers that makes the cut. Tokens work great with Lyzolda, but that’s not Rakdos’s style. They want to experience the pleasure and pain themselves—not through a copy.

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed – Probably one of the first cuts I would make if I were to add more flavor, Mikaeus is extremely powerful in this deck. Combine him with Murderous Redcap or Puppeteer Clique for craziness.

Red Sun's Zenith – I enjoy the flavor of this and Black Sun's Zenith. If only Ravnica had multiple suns.

Rix Maadi Guildmage – This is the other big inclusion from Return to Ravnica. This is a much better fit mechanic and flavor-wise than Rakdos Guildmage.

Xathrid Demon – Here’s a better Demon even than Rakdos. You shouldn’t have much trouble finding a spare body or two for this guy. If you do, just sac him!

Mountain and Swamp – No specific cards identified for this slot this time around, but a true Vorthos would use Mountains and Swamps from either Ravnica block. Just sayin’.

"Rakdos – The Deck"

• Commander (0)

• Creatures (40)
• 1 Anathemancer
• 1 Ashenmoor Gouger
• 1 Avatar of Slaughter
• 1 Blood Artist
• 1 Bloodgift Demon
• 1 Coffin Queen
• 1 Falkenrath Aristocrat
• 1 Fulminator Mage
• 1 Goblin Deathraiders
• 1 Harvester of Souls
• 1 Hellkite Charger
• 1 Hissing Iguanar
• 1 Hoard-Smelter Dragon
• 1 Igneous Pouncer
• 1 Instigator Gang
• 1 Kathari Bomber
• 1 Kederekt Parasite
• 1 Manaforge Cinder
• 1 Manic Vandal
• 1 Mortician Beetle
• 1 Murderous Redcap
• 1 Pawn of Ulamog
• 1 Phyrexian Rager
• 1 Puppeteer Clique
• 1 Rix Maadi Guildmage
• 1 Scavenger Drake
• 1 Shambling Remains
• 1 Shriekmaw
• 1 Skirsdag High Priest
• 1 Sootstoke Kindler
• 1 Soulcage Fiend
• 1 Spiteflame Witch
• 1 Stalking Vengeance
• 1 Xathrid Demon
• 1 Zealous Conscripts
• 1 Moriok Replica
• 1 Mikaeus, the Unhallowed
• 1 Olivia Voldaren
• 1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
• 1 Urabrask the Hidden

• Spells (24)
• 1 Ad Nauseam
• 1 Bond of Agony
• 1 Decree of Pain
• 1 Demonic Tutor
• 1 Dreadbore
• 1 Exsanguinate
• 1 Hex
• 1 Lab Rats
• 1 Living Death
• 1 Plague Wind
• 1 Red Sun's Zenith
• 1 Syphon Flesh
• 1 Twilight's Call
• 1 World at War
• 1 Braid of Fire
• 1 Enslave
• 1 Grave Pact
• 1 Havoc Festival
• 1 Infernal Tribute
• 1 Sulfuric Vortex
• 1 Carnage Altar
• 1 Rakdos Signet
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Talisman of Indulgence

• Lands (35)
• 1 Badlands
• 1 Barren Moor
• 1 Blood Crypt
• 1 Bloodstained Mire
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Cabal Coffers
• 1 Crypt of Agadeem
• 1 Dragonskull Summit
• 1 Forgotten Cave
• 1 Ghitu Encampment
• 1 Graven Cairns
• 1 Lavaclaw Reaches
• 1 Leechridden Swamp
• 1 Rakdos Carnarium
• 1 Rix Maadi, Dungeon Palace
• 1 Shadowblood Ridge
• 1 Stensia Bloodhall
• 1 Sulfurous Springs
• 1 Tainted Peak
• 1 Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
• 1 Volrath's Stronghold
• 7 Mountain
• 7 Swamp

Buy This Deck

Cutting Room Floor

Act of Aggression – Zealous Conscripts was the only card of this kind that made the deck. Again, bodies are important, and two are better than one.

Ashenmoor Liege – It’s a great addition for all of the cheap multicolored creatures, but there just wasn’t room.

Bedlam – This is another good flavor card, and it’s probably powerful in the right version of this deck.

Black Market – I really liked this, and I would have used it if it were any cheaper than 5.

Dark Confidant – Ths is solely here because I know someone will ask. I think it can be made to work flavor-wise, but I don’t think the benefit is worth it.

Deepfire Elemental – This is an interesting choice I considered, but both its casting cost and ability were just too expensive.

Heartless Hidetsugu – This was cut because we already have Havoc Festival.

Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker – I really wanted this in the deck, but I just couldn’t justify it. It’s another great card if you modify the deck.

Lifeline – This was included until I saw the errata text. I don’t want to help my opponents!

Mindclaw Shaman – Something about this card’s flavor rubbed me the wrong way. Otherwise, it’s a powerful card.

Mutilate – This is probably the first additional wrath I would consider for the deck. Great flavor!

Onyx Mage – This is a card I had in when I initially thought the deck would be chock-full of small creatures. He’s something to consider if you want to go that direction.

Rakdos Augermage – Originally in the deck, this card just didn’t fit.

Shivan Gorge – This could easily go in the deck, but it just doesn’t have any flavor benefits.

Songs of the Damned – Here’s an acceleration spell that goes well with the deck’s theme and flavor. Luckily, there were more permanent options.

Tuktuk the Explorer – Here’s a card that would be fun to include. There were a number of cards I had to catch myself on for including just for mechanical benefit. I probably didn’t catch them all. (Darn you, Pikachu!)

Until Next Time

There you have it: a messy masterpiece of riotous revelry. Return to Ravnica has a lot more in store for us, and I’m sure there will be more great cards to throw into this kind of deck. We still have a new version of Rakdos himself! Keep your eyes peeled on GM’s spoiler to see what will be coming at the end of the month. You can also get some good ideas on building your own Rakdos Commander deck in Daryl’s article two weeks ago.

I know a number of people were clamoring for decks other than Commander in my last article. With our return to Ravnica, you can bet I’ll be sure to satisfy those desires in the near future. For now, let me know what you think of this iteration of Vorthos Deck Building. Send me a tweet (@bweisko) or yell at me in the comments below. Even better, take a quick second to answer this poll.

[poll id=201]

Last Week’s Comments

I put out a call for stories about your experiences with different play groups. I was happily surprised to find the majority of them were positive! For your reading pleasure:

Joe Scharphorn wrote:

Learning someone’s name is incredibly easy. Just look at the pairings!

Tyler McNally wrote:

Great example, Tyler!

Tommy Sullivan wrote:

Awesome. If I ever find myself in Missouri, I’m definitely heading to Fantasy Shop.

Finally, I received an extremely long letter from Peter Snoha in Slovokia. I promise. It’s worth the read.