Rakdos, the Muscle is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Flying, trample Whenever you sacrifice another creature, exile cards equal to its mana value from the top of target player's library. Until your next end step, you may play those cards, and mana of any type can be spent to cast those spells. Sacrifice another creature: Rakdos gains indestructible until end of turn. Tap it. Activate only once each turn.
Complete guide
Rakdos, the Muscle is a powerhouse engine that turns your own creatures into fuel for card advantage and protection. As the leader of the Rakdos cult, he ensures that every sacrifice serves a greater purpose by stripping resources from your opponents' libraries. Whether you are seeking indestructible defense or a way to cast your opponent's best spells, this Demon Mercenary has you covered.
Sacrifice for Superiority
Rakdos features two distinct abilities that revolve around sacrificing your other creatures. The first is a triggered ability that goes on the stack whenever you sacrifice another creature for any reason—whether it was to pay for a cost, an effect, or Rakdos's own activated ability. The second is an activated ability that allows you to sacrifice a creature to tap Rakdos and grant him indestructible. Because the triggered ability looks at the mana value of the sacrificed creature as it last existed on the battlefield, you will exile that many cards even if the creature is no longer in the graveyard.
Playing from Exile
When cards are exiled by Rakdos, you have until your next end step to play them. This includes land cards, provided you have a land play available. One of the most powerful aspects of this ability is the mana fix: you may spend mana as though it were mana of any type to cast these spells. However, you must still follow all normal timing restrictions. You cannot cast a sorcery or a creature spell exiled this way during an opponent's turn unless another effect allows you to do so.
Timing and Restrictions
It is important to note that Rakdos's activated ability to gain indestructible can only be used once each turn. You cannot sacrifice multiple creatures to this specific ability to trigger his exile effect multiple times in a row. Additionally, if you sacrifice a creature with X in its mana cost, X is considered 0 when determining the mana value for the number of cards to exile.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumWhen you sacrifice Solemn Simulacrum to Rakdos, the Muscle's activated ability, two things happen. First, Rakdos becomes indestructible and taps. Second, Rakdos's triggered ability triggers because a creature was sacrificed. Since Solemn Simulacrum has a mana value of 4, you exile the top four cards of the target player's library. You also get to draw a card from the Simulacrum's own death trigger, giving you five cards' worth of value from a single sacrifice.
Roaming ThroneIf Roaming Throne enters the battlefield and you choose 'Demon' or 'Mercenary', it will interact with Rakdos. When you sacrifice a different creature, Rakdos's ability triggers. Roaming Throne sees this and causes the ability to trigger a second time. If you sacrifice a creature with mana value 3, you will exile three cards, then exile another three cards, allowing you to play all six cards until your next end step.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Rakdos, the Muscle
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Use the mana value of the sacrificed creature as it last existed on the battlefield to determine how many cards to exile.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If the sacrificed creature had
in its mana cost, X is 0 for the purpose of determining its mana value.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
You pay all costs and follow all normal timing rules for cards played from exile with Rakdos's triggered ability. For example, if the exiled card is a land card, you may play it only during your main phase while the stack is empty.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Rakdos, the Muscle + Forsaken Miner + Phyrexian Altar
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing Forsaken Miner, adding
. - 2When Forsaken Miner dies, Rakdos triggers, targeting an opponent.
- 3When you commit that crime, Forsaken Miner triggers, causing you to pay to return it from your graveyard to the battlefield.
- 4Resolve the Rakdos trigger, exiling the top card of the opponent's library with the ability to cast it until your next end step.
- 5Repeat.
Rakdos, the Muscle + Golgari Thug + Ashnod's Altar
- 1Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing Golgari Thug, adding
. - 2When Golgari Thug dies, it and Rakdos trigger.
- 3Resolve the Golgari Thug trigger, putting it from your graveyard onto the top of your library.
- 4Resolve the Rakdos trigger, causing you to exile the top two cards of your library with the ability to cast them this turn.
- 5Cast Golgari Thug from exile by paying
. - 6Repeat.
Rakdos, the Muscle + Doomsday Excruciator
- 1Cast Doomsday Excruciator by paying .
- 2When Doomsday Excruciator enters the battlefield, it triggers, exiling all but the bottom six cards of each player's library.
- 3Activate Rakdos by sacrificing Doomsday Excruciator.
- 4When Doomsday Excruciator dies, Rakdos's first ability triggers, exiling the top six cards of an opponent's library.
- 5When the opponent targeted in step 4 would draw a card during their next draw step, they will instead lose the game due to having zero cards in their library.
Rakdos, the Muscle + Mortuary + Ashnod's Altar
- 1Activate Ashnod's Altar by sacrificing the extra nontoken creature, adding .
- 2When the creature dies, Mortuary and Rakdos trigger.
- 3Resolve the Mortuary trigger, putting the sacrificed creature from your graveyard onto the top of your library.
- 4Resolve the Rakdos trigger, causing you to exile the top one or two cards of your library with the ability to cast them this turn.
- 5Cast the creature from exile by paying at most .
- 6Repeat.
Rakdos, the Muscle + Mortuary + Phyrexian Altar
- 1Activate Phyrexian Altar by sacrificing the extra nontoken creature, adding
. - 2When the creature dies, Mortuary and Rakdos trigger.
- 3Resolve the Mortuary trigger, putting the sacrificed creature from your graveyard onto the top of your library.
- 4Resolve the Rakdos trigger, causing you to exile the top two cards of your library with the ability to cast them this turn.
- 5Cast the creature from exile by paying at most .
- 6Repeat.
Rakdos, the Muscle + Mortuary + Reckless Barbarian
- 1Activate Reckless Barbarian by sacrificing it, adding
. - 2When Reckless Barbarian dies, Mortuary and Rakdos trigger.
- 3Resolve the Mortuary trigger, putting Reckless Barbarian from your graveyard onto the top of your library.
- 4Resolve the Rakdos trigger, exiling the top two cards of your library, including Reckless Barbarian, with the ability to cast them until your next turn.
- 5Cast Reckless Barbarian from exile by paying .
- 6Repeat.
Rakdos, the Muscle + Mortuary + Blood Pet
- 1Activate Blood Pet by sacrificing it, adding .
- 2When Blood Pet dies, Mortuary and Rakdos trigger.
- 3Resolve the Mortuary trigger, putting Blood Pet from your graveyard onto the top of your library.
- 4Resolve the Rakdos trigger, exiling the top two cards of your library, including Blood Pet, with the ability to cast them until your next turn.
- 5Cast Blood Pet from exile by paying .
- 6Repeat.
Rakdos, the Muscle + Reckless Barbarian + Pitiless Plunderer + Haunted Crossroads
- 1Activate Reckless Barbarian by sacrificing it, adding .
- 2When Reckless Barbarian dies, Pitiless Plunderer and Rakdos trigger.
- 3Resolve the Pitiless Plunderer trigger, creating a Treasure token.
- 4Activate the Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
- 5Holding priority, activate Haunted Crossroads by paying , putting Reckless Barbarian from your graveyard onto the top of your library.
- 6Resolve the Rakdos trigger, exiling the top two cards of your library, including Reckless Barbarian, with the ability to cast them until your next turn.
- 7Cast Reckless Barbarian from exile by paying .
- 8Repeat.
Legal formats
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