The Commander
Deathtouch
When Rilsa Rael enters, you take the initiative.
Whenever you attack, target attacking creature gains deathtouch until end of turn. If you've completed a dungeon, that creature also gets +5/+0 and gains first strike and menace until end of turn.
Guide
Gameplan
Rilsa Rael takes the initiative the moment she lands, walking you through Undercity to grind value and threaten the Throne of the Dead Three payoff. You play a low-curve aggressive Dimir deck that protects the initiative, completes dungeons fast, then attacks with deathtouch evasive threats that turn any creature into a lethal first-striking menace beater. Keep pressure up to force opponents to take the initiative back so you can re-take it on your turn for extra venture triggers.
Strengths
- Built-in card and life advantage engine via the initiative and Undercity without needing extra cards
- Deathtouch on attack makes even small creatures into pseudo-removal that trade up in combat
- Once a dungeon is completed, the +5/+0 first strike menace buff makes commander damage and one-shots realistic
- Dimir gives elite interaction, evasion, and tutors to find the pieces you need
Weaknesses
- The initiative is a magnet that puts a target on you and can be stolen by any combat damage
- Relatively low impact if Rilsa is removed before you complete a dungeon
- Vulnerable to fliers and reach blockers that out-race your ground assault
- Board wipes and creature removal hit your venture/initiative enablers hard
Key Cards
- Throne of the Dead Three — The premier initiative payoff, churning out Zombie tokens to defend the initiative and pressure opponents.
- Undercity — The dungeon Rilsa ventures through, gaining life, cards, and the powerful completion bonus that fuels her attack trigger.
- Caves of Chaos Adventurer — Another take-the-initiative body that gives redundancy if Rilsa dies or you lose the initiative.
- Acererak the Archlich — Lets you complete a dungeon for value and recur, enabling Rilsa's +5/+0 buff quickly.
- Anowon, the Ruin Thief — A Rogue payoff and card-advantage engine that synergizes with evasive attackers and mill.
Upgrade Path
Add more take-the-initiative creatures (Caves of Chaos Adventurer, White Plume Adventurer is off-color, so lean on Dimir ones) and fast dungeon completers like Acererak to maximize buff turns. Tighten the curve with cheap evasive threats and strong protection (Counterspell, Swords to Plowshares is off-color, so use Cut Down, Fatal Push, and bounce) plus tutors like Vampiric Tutor to find Throne. Improve mana with fast rocks and a low average mana value so you can re-take the initiative every turn and apply relentless pressure.
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
Archetypes
- Initiative/Dungeon Aggro — Rilsa enters with the initiative and rewards completing dungeons, making venture and initiative payoffs the core engine.
- Voltron/Commander Damage — The +5/+0 first strike menace buff plus deathtouch lets a single attacker close games via commander or combat damage.
- Dimir Rogue Tribal — Her creature type and evasive aggressive plan slot perfectly into a Rogues mill-and-beatdown shell.
- Aggro-Control — Cheap evasive threats backed by counters and removal protect the initiative and your attackers.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (BU), by popularity.
