RakdosLegendary Creature — Orc SoldierUglúk of the White Hand
Mana value4Rank#10,023
The Commander
Whenever another creature you control dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Uglúk. If that creature was a Goblin or Orc, put two +1/+1 counters on Uglúk instead.
Guide
Gameplan
Uglúk is a Rakdos aristocrats deck that flings expendable Goblins and Orcs into the graveyard to snowball +1/+1 counters onto your commander while you drain the table. You build a wide, cheap board, loop sacrifice fodder through Goblin token makers and free sac outlets, and either grind everyone out with death triggers or turn a giant Uglúk sideways for commander damage. Early turns develop fodder and outlets; mid-game you sacrifice in bulk to value engines and pressure with an oversized beater.
Strengths
- Resilient board presence — every creature death (especially Goblins/Orcs) makes Uglúk a real threat without any equipment
- Deep, cheap synergy pool: Rakdos has tons of efficient sac outlets and token generators
- Doubles as a sacrifice payoff and a commander-damage clock at the same time
- Punishes board wipes since you'd rather your stuff die anyway, and counters stay on Uglúk
Weaknesses
- Counters are wiped by exile, bounce, or -X/-X removal; losing Uglúk resets your whole engine
- No built-in card advantage — needs draw/recursion packages to avoid running out of gas
- Lacks evasion natively, so a huge Uglúk can be chump-blocked or stonewalled
- Single-target removal on Uglúk is a tempo blowout given how much you invest in him
Key Cards
- Goblin Bombardment — Free, repeatable sac outlet that converts fodder into damage and Uglúk counters at instant speed.
- Krenko, Mob Boss — Floods the board with Goblins that double Uglúk's counters when sacrificed.
- Pitiless Plunderer — Turns each sacrificed creature into Treasure, fueling explosive sac loops and ramp.
- Mayhem Devil — Pings the table for every sacrifice, turning your aristocrats engine into a wincon.
- Blood Artist — Drains life on each death, converting your fodder into inevitable life loss for opponents.
- Skullclamp — Premier card draw with a board of 1-toughness Goblins, refilling your hand as creatures die.
- Swiftfoot Boots — Hexproof and haste protect your heavily-invested commander from targeted removal.
Upgrade Path
Add fast mana and rituals (Jeska's Will, Treasure makers) to power out Uglúk and a sac engine early, then tighten the combo line with persist creatures like Putrid Goblin alongside Pitiless Plunderer and a free outlet. Upgrade protection with Lightning Greaves and Heroic Intervention, and improve card advantage through Skullclamp, Midnight Reaper, and Mukotai Soulripper-style recursion so the engine never stalls.
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
- ▸Drain the table with Blood Artist / Zulaport Cutthroat / Bastion of Remembrance triggers off mass sacrifices
- ▸Connect with a massive, evasive Uglúk for lethal commander damage
- ▸Mayhem Devil or Goblin Bombardment direct damage fueled by repeatable sacrifice loops
- ▸Combo finish via Pitiless Plunderer + free sac outlet + persist creature into infinite drain
Archetypes
- Aristocrats — Free sac outlets plus death-payoff creatures turn every dying token into damage, drain, and counters.
- Goblin Tribal — Goblin token makers give doubled counters on Uglúk and endless sacrifice fodder.
- Voltron (secondary) — Uglúk naturally grows into a lethal commander-damage threat with evasion enablers.
- Sacrifice Combo — Treasure makers and free outlets enable persist/undying or drain loops for a kill.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (BR), by popularity.
