Rakdos the Defiler
Legendary Creature — Demon
Flying, trample
Whenever Rakdos attacks, sacrifice half the non-Demon permanents you control, rounded up.
Whenever Rakdos deals combat damage to a player, that player sacrifices half the non-Demon permanents they control of their choice, rounded up.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BR
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- RNA Guild Kit
- Price
- $1.41
- EDHREC rank
- #16046
Rakdos the Defiler hits the table as a 7/6 flying, first strike demon that forces each opponent to sacrifice half their permanents on attack — one of the most punishing combat triggers ever printed. The cost is brutal and symmetrical: you also sacrifice half your non-demon permanents, which means running him demands a deck built to minimize what you lose.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Rakdos the Defiler is a legitimate threat — one attack into an unprepared table can strip opponents down to nearly nothing, and in a dedicated demon or sacrifice shell the downside is fully manageable. Legacy and Vintage see none of him; the six-mana price tag and non-combo payoff can't compete with the format's pace. Modern technically allows him but the same problem applies — he's too slow and too reliant on resolving and surviving until your next attack to matter in a format that ends on turn four. Commander is the only home where his battlefield impact justifies the build-around investment.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.41 cheap tier
At $1.41, Rakdos the Defiler is firmly budget territory for a mythic demon with genuine game-ending text. The price reflects low Commander adoption rather than low power — if demon tribal or sacrifice strategies see a profile boost, the floor here is already so low there's almost no downside to picking him up.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.