The Commander
Flying, trample
Pay 2 life, Sacrifice another creature: Search your library for a card, put that card into your hand, then shuffle.
Guide
Gameplan
Cheat Razaketh into play early, then repeatedly pay 2 life and sacrifice creatures (ideally free tokens) to tutor any card from your deck straight to hand. Each sacrifice fetches a combo piece, ramp, or interaction, so you assemble a game-ending loop or alpha strike in a single turn. The 8/8 flying trample body can also just kill people if the game goes long.
Strengths
- Unlimited any-card tutoring lets you find exactly the combo or answer you need every turn
- Pairs perfectly with token generators and free sacrifice fodder for explosive tutor chains
- Mono-black gives access to deep ramp, reanimation, and tutors to cheat him out early
- Evasive 8/8 flying trample is a real clock and a backup wincon
- Turns dying creatures and aristocrat shells into card advantage
Weaknesses
- Eight mana means he's slow and reliant on ramp or reanimation to land early
- Pays life aggressively, opening you to burn, aggro, and your own combos backfiring
- Needs sacrifice fodder—without creatures to feed him, the ability does nothing
- High-priority removal target; spot removal sets you back hard
- Mono-black struggles with enchantments and resilient artifact hate
Key Cards
- Bitterblossom — Provides a steady stream of free tokens to sacrifice to Razaketh every turn.
- Pawn of Ulamog — Generates Eldrazi Spawn whenever a creature dies, refueling fodder as you sacrifice.
- Phyrexian Tower — Sacrifice outlet ramp that also helps cheat Razaketh into play faster.
- Reanimate — Cheats Razaketh onto the battlefield for one mana, dodging his eight-mana cost.
- Gravecrawler — Recurring sacrifice fodder you can replay endlessly with a Zombie around.
- Dark Ritual — Explosive ramp that helps deploy Razaketh or fuel the combos he tutors for.
Upgrade Path
Add fast mana (Dark Ritual, Cabal Coffers, Crypt Ghast) and reanimation (Animate Dead, Exhume, Entomb) to deploy him as early as turn 3-4. Build a tight two-card combo package—Gravecrawler/Phyrexian Altar/aristocrat payoff or Mikaeus + Walking Ballista—so a single tutor chain ends the game. Round out with cheap interaction and protection (Imp's Mischief, Malakir Rebirth, Heartless Act) to defend Razaketh once he resolves.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Tutor up a compact combo like Gravecrawler + Phyrexian Altar + Zulaport Cutthroat to drain the table
- ▸Assemble Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + a free sacrifice loop for infinite drain
- ▸Connect with the 8/8 flying trample for commander damage
- ▸Chain tutors into Torment of Hailfire or a big mana sink to empty everyone's life
Archetypes
- Combo — Tutoring any card on demand lets you reliably assemble two- and three-card kill combos.
- Reanimator — His high mana value invites cheating him out with reanimation and self-mill.
- Aristocrats — He thrives on sacrificing creatures, turning death triggers into card advantage and value.
- Sacrifice — Token and recursion engines feed his ability to chain tutors into a win.
Combos
- Razaketh, the Foulblooded + Nexus of Fate + Ophiomancer + Venser's Journal
→ Infinite turns, Lock
- Razaketh, the Foulblooded + Beacon of Tomorrows + Endless Ranks of the Dead + Palace Siege
→ Infinite turns, Lock
- Razaketh, the Foulblooded + Beacon of Tomorrows + Ophiomancer + Palace Siege
→ Infinite turns, Lock
- Razaketh, the Foulblooded + Beacon of Tomorrows + Ophiomancer + Venser's Journal
→ Infinite turns, Lock
- Razaketh, the Foulblooded + Nexus of Fate + Ophiomancer + Palace Siege
→ Infinite turns, Lock
Combos via Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (B), by popularity.
