This is finally it, my first rough draft of a Rakdos the Defiler deck. Below is the list of cards that made the first version of this deck. Below that is a list of cards that could have made the deck, and still might have potential over cards currently in the deck. And below that is a list of cards that seemed to have potential but just didn't work for my final version. I included these to give people an idea of the cards I have thought of, and to give other deck designers an idea of different directions for the deck.
The deck's first goal is to get out Rakdos out and in play as soon as possible. A turn four Rakdos should be likely, and a turn three Rakdos is possible though unlikely. After Rakdos is out, you should hopefully use an extra attack phase card or double strike card to improve his offensive ability.
When I first concieved of Rakdos the Defiler as a general, my first instinct was how do I mitigate his downside? From the second and third lists, you can see there are many ways to do this, primarily through token generators, Conspiracy, double strike, reanimation, more demons, etc. Then I decided that mitigating his downside just wasn't important. I mean once my opponents, who are trying to build up or combo lose half their non-demon permanents. I should pretty much have the game in the bag. I have found that Red is the primary color for disruption, evidenced by my Zo-Zu the Punisher coin flipping deck and my Adamaro, First to Desire land destruction deck.
Since this version is designed for multiplayer, a lot of attention is given to extra attack steps, If you can cripple two opponents in one turn that is a heck of a lot better than devastating one opponent through double strike. To do this though you have to accept that the player using Rakdos will sacrifice about 3/4ths of their non-demon permanents or more. Once Rakdos is in play you can also cripple all of your opponents with a mass destruction spell, which will force your opponents to also sacrifice other crucial permanents.
So let me know what you think of the deck, any cards I may hav missed or possible different builds.
The deck's first goal is to get out Rakdos out and in play as soon as possible. A turn four Rakdos should be likely, and a turn three Rakdos is possible though unlikely. After Rakdos is out, you should hopefully use an extra attack phase card or double strike card to improve his offensive ability.
When I first concieved of Rakdos the Defiler as a general, my first instinct was how do I mitigate his downside? From the second and third lists, you can see there are many ways to do this, primarily through token generators, Conspiracy, double strike, reanimation, more demons, etc. Then I decided that mitigating his downside just wasn't important. I mean once my opponents, who are trying to build up or combo lose half their non-demon permanents. I should pretty much have the game in the bag. I have found that Red is the primary color for disruption, evidenced by my Zo-Zu the Punisher coin flipping deck and my Adamaro, First to Desire land destruction deck.
Since this version is designed for multiplayer, a lot of attention is given to extra attack steps, If you can cripple two opponents in one turn that is a heck of a lot better than devastating one opponent through double strike. To do this though you have to accept that the player using Rakdos will sacrifice about 3/4ths of their non-demon permanents or more. Once Rakdos is in play you can also cripple all of your opponents with a mass destruction spell, which will force your opponents to also sacrifice other crucial permanents.
So let me know what you think of the deck, any cards I may hav missed or possible different builds.
1x Rakdos the Defiler
Creature
1x Balthor the Defiled
1x Blood Speaker
1x Fleshwrither
1x Kagemaro, First to Suffer
1x Malfegor
1x Manaforge Cinder
1x Mindslicer
1x Ob Nixilis, the Fallen
1x Overeager Apprentice
1x Rapacious One
1x Soldevi Adnate
1x Thought Gorger
1x Woebringer Demon
Give to Rakdos
1x Assault Strobe
1x Dust Corona
1x Fists of the Demigod
1x Fury of the Horde
1x General's Kabuto
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Psychotic Fury
1x Relentless Assault
1x Savage Beating
1x Seize the Day
1x Whispersilk Cloak
1x World at War
Mass Destruction
1x Death Cloud
1x Devastating Dreams
1x Fire Covenant
1x Firestorm
1x Hellfire
1x Impending Disaster
1x Kindle the Carnage
1x Mogg Infestation
1x Phyrexian Purge
1x Pox
1x Sickening Dreams
1x Tectonic Break
1x Thoughts of Ruin
1x Void
1x Black Market
1x Demonic Dread
1x Elemental Mastery
1x Fireshrieker
1x Grave Pact
1x Plunge into Darkness
1x Promise of Power
1x Sickening Shoal
1x Sudden Spoiling
1x Urborg Justice
Reanimation
1x Animate Dead
1x Dance of the Dead
1x Necromancy
1x Reanimate
Acceleration
1x Coalition Relic
1x Heart of Ramos
1x Lotus Blossom
1x Lotus Petal
1x Mana Flare
1x Mana Vault
1x Pentad Prism
1x Rakdos Signet
1x Skull of Ramos
1x Sol Ring
Land
1x Blackcleave Cliffs
1x Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1x City of Brass
1x Dragonskull Summit
1x Dwarven Ruins
1x Ebon Stronghold
1x Evolving Wilds
1x Exotic Orchard
1x Gemstone Mine
1x Graven Cairns
1x Lake of the Dead
1x Molten Slagheap
5x Mountain
1x Peat Bog
1x Rocky Tar Pit
1x Sandstone Needle
1x Shadowblood Ridge
1x Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
1x Shizo, Death's Storehouse
1x Sulfurous Springs
7x Swamp
1x Tainted Peak
1x Tendo Ice Bridge
1x Terramorphic Expanse
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Still possible
1x Arms Dealer
1x Astrolabe
1x Attrition
1x Basal Sliver
1x Basal Thrull
1x Basalt Monolith
1x Bitterblossom
1x Blood Pet
1x Blood Vassal
1x Bloodghast
1x Bloodstone Cameo
1x Body Snatcher
1x Braids, Cabal Minion
1x Bubbling Muck
1x Burnt Offering
1x Cairn Wanderer
1x Cauldron Haze
1x Cauldron of Souls
1x Coffin Queen
1x Coldsteel Heart
1x Corpsehatch
1x Culling the Weak
1x Dark Ritual
1x Defiler of Souls
1x Demon of Death's Gate
1x Desolation
1x Diabolic Intent
1x Dread Drone
1x Emrakul's Hatcher
1x Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
1x Exhume
1x Fleshbag Marauder
1x Forced March
1x Furystoke Giant
1x Ghostly Flame
1x Grappling Hook
1x Grim Monolith
1x Hell's Caretaker
1x Igneous Pouncer
1x Implements of Sacrifice
1x Jeweled Amulet
1x Kamahl's Desire
1x Kathari Bomber
1x Keldon Firebombers
1x Kher Keep
1x Krark-Clan Stoker
1x Kusari-Gama
1x Mana Geyser
1x Marsh Flitter
1x Mogg War Marshal
1x Monkey Cage
1x Moonlight Bargain
1x Murderous Redcap
1x Paradise Mantle
1x Phyrexian Altar
1x Priest of Yawgmoth
1x Radiate
1x Rage Reflection
1x Rain of Filth
1x Rakdos Riteknife
1x Rotlung Reanimator
1x Runes of the Deus
1x Seizan, Perverter of Truth
1x Sengir Autocrat
1x Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked
1x Siege-Gang Commander
1x Snake Basket
1x Snuff Out
1x Sorceress Queen
1x Soul Exchange
1x Spectral Searchlight
1x Spontaneous Combustion
1x Stitch Together
1x Tainted AEther
1x Talisman of Indulgence
1x Taurean Mauler
1x Vesper Ghoul
Didn't work for me but maybe for you
1x Ashling's Prerogative
1x Blazing Shoal
1x Bog Witch
1x Butcher of Malakir
1x Cabal Ritual
1x Carrion
1x Charcoal Diamond
1x Conspiracy
1x Contamination
1x Darksteel Ingot
1x Deathbringer Thoctar
1x Demonic Collusion
1x Desperate Ritual
1x Epicenter
1x Exuberant Firestoker
1x Faceless Butcher
1x Fire Diamond
1x Fulminator Mage
1x Goblin Scouts
1x Grafted Skullcap
1x Grinning Ignus
1x Herald of Leshrac
1x Incite Hysteria
1x Innocent Blood
1x Iron Myr
1x Leaden Myr
1x Mind Swords
1x Nuisance Engine
1x Phyrexian Lens
1x Pyretic Ritual
1x Rakka Mar
1x Ruination
1x Sacrifice
1x Scuttlemutt
1x Seething Song
1x Skirge Familiar
1x Skirk Prospector
1x Skullclamp
1x Songs of the Damned
1x Spiteful Visions
1x Splinter Twin
1x Star Compass
1x Stronghold Overseer
1x Sword of the Meek
1x Tombstalker
1x Tuktuk the Explorer
1x Unearthly Blizzard
1x War's Toll
1x Ward of Bones
1x Weirding Shaman
1x Wildfire
1x Words of War
1x Wort, Boggart Auntie
1x Zombie Infestation