Overview
Sauron, the Dark Lord is the hottest Grixis commander on EDHREC this month, and it's easy to see why. For {3}{U}{B}{R} you get a 7/6 with ward (sacrifice a legendary artifact or creature) that does something every time anyone at the table casts a spell: it amasses Orcs 1. Every opponent turn becomes a mini Orc Army factory, and you never have to pay a dime for it.
The payoff is the Ring. Whenever an Army you control deals combat damage to a player, the Ring tempts you, and whenever the Ring tempts you, you may discard your hand and draw four. That makes Sauron a card-advantage engine hiding inside a stax-flavored control shell: counterspells and removal keep the table honest while your Army grows, and every temptation refills your gas tank.
This build leans into that identity. Cheap interaction (Counterspell, Mana Drain, Fierce Guardianship, Swan Song) plus sweepers (Toxic Deluge, Blasphemous Act) protect the Army, Ring-tempting cards (Call of the Ring, Ringsight, The One Ring, Mauhúr, Uruk-hai Captain, Orcish Siegemaster, Mordor Muster) make the Ring-bearer a force, and Hostage Taker, Treasure Nabber and Grishnákh give you stolen value on top. Brackets-wise this lands around a tuned Bracket 3-4 depending on how you tweak the tutors.
Full Decklist (100 cards)
Commander: Sauron, the Dark Lord
Creatures (22)
- 1 Mauhúr, Uruk-hai Captain
- 1 Orcish Bowmasters
- 1 Grishnákh, Brash Instigator
- 1 Moria Scavenger
- 1 Nazgûl
- 1 Orcish Siegemaster
- 1 Treasure Nabber
- 1 Gothmog, Morgul Lieutenant
- 1 Gríma, Saruman's Footman
- 1 Hostage Taker
- 1 Mirkwood Bats
- 1 Saruman, the White Hand
- 1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
- 1 Uglúk of the White Hand
- 1 Archfiend of Ifnir
- 1 Lord of the Nazgûl
- 1 The Mouth of Sauron
- 1 Warg Rider
- 1 Witch-king of Angmar
- 1 Witch-king, Bringer of Ruin
- 1 The Balrog of Moria
- 1 Cavern-Hoard Dragon
Planeswalkers (1)
- 1 Angrath, Captain of Chaos
Instants (10)
- 1 Swan Song
- 1 Counterspell
- 1 Cyclonic Rift
- 1 Go for the Throat
- 1 Mana Drain
- 1 Terminate
- 1 Chaos Warp
- 1 Fierce Guardianship
- 1 Deadly Rollick
- 1 Fact or Fiction
Sorceries (10)
- 1 Reanimate
- 1 Demonic Tutor
- 1 Feed the Swarm
- 1 Mordor Muster
- 1 Ringsight
- 1 Toxic Deluge
- 1 Treason of Isengard
- 1 Victimize
- 1 Windfall
- 1 Blasphemous Act
Artifacts (14)
- 1 Shadowspear
- 1 Sol Ring
- 1 Arcane Signet
- 1 Fellwar Stone
- 1 Lightning Greaves
- 1 Mind Stone
- 1 Swiftfoot Boots
- 1 Talisman of Creativity
- 1 Talisman of Dominance
- 1 Talisman of Indulgence
- 1 Commander's Sphere
- 1 Palantír of Orthanc
- 1 Relic of Sauron
- 1 The One Ring
Enchantments (9)
- 1 Mystic Remora
- 1 Animate Dead
- 1 Call of the Ring
- 1 Dreadhorde Invasion
- 1 Black Market Connections
- 1 Fall of Cair Andros
- 1 Phyrexian Arena
- 1 Rhystic Study
- 1 In the Darkness Bind Them
Lands (33)
- 1 Badlands
- 1 Barad-dûr
- 1 Blood Crypt
- 1 Bloodstained Mire
- 1 Bojuka Bog
- 1 Choked Estuary
- 1 Command Tower
- 1 Crumbling Necropolis
- 1 Dragonskull Summit
- 1 Drowned Catacomb
- 1 Exotic Orchard
- 1 Foreboding Ruins
- 1 Island
- 1 Luxury Suite
- 1 Minas Morgul, Dark Fortress
- 1 Mount Doom
- 1 Mountain
- 1 Path of Ancestry
- 1 Polluted Delta
- 1 Scalding Tarn
- 1 Smoldering Marsh
- 1 Steam Vents
- 1 Sulfur Falls
- 1 Sulfurous Springs
- 1 Sunken Hollow
- 1 Swamp
- 1 The Black Gate
- 1 Underground River
- 1 Underground Sea
- 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
- 1 Volcanic Island
- 1 Watery Grave
- 1 Xander's Lounge
Paste-Ready Import
1 Sauron, the Dark Lord *CMDR*
1 Mauhúr, Uruk-hai Captain
1 Orcish Bowmasters
1 Grishnákh, Brash Instigator
1 Moria Scavenger
1 Nazgûl
1 Orcish Siegemaster
1 Treasure Nabber
1 Gothmog, Morgul Lieutenant
1 Gríma, Saruman's Footman
1 Hostage Taker
1 Mirkwood Bats
1 Saruman, the White Hand
1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
1 Uglúk of the White Hand
1 Archfiend of Ifnir
1 Lord of the Nazgûl
1 The Mouth of Sauron
1 Warg Rider
1 Witch-king of Angmar
1 Witch-king, Bringer of Ruin
1 The Balrog of Moria
1 Cavern-Hoard Dragon
1 Angrath, Captain of Chaos
1 Swan Song
1 Counterspell
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Go for the Throat
1 Mana Drain
1 Terminate
1 Chaos Warp
1 Fierce Guardianship
1 Deadly Rollick
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Reanimate
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Feed the Swarm
1 Mordor Muster
1 Ringsight
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Treason of Isengard
1 Victimize
1 Windfall
1 Blasphemous Act
1 Shadowspear
1 Sol Ring
1 Arcane Signet
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Mind Stone
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Talisman of Creativity
1 Talisman of Dominance
1 Talisman of Indulgence
1 Commander's Sphere
1 Palantír of Orthanc
1 Relic of Sauron
1 The One Ring
1 Mystic Remora
1 Animate Dead
1 Call of the Ring
1 Dreadhorde Invasion
1 Black Market Connections
1 Fall of Cair Andros
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Rhystic Study
1 In the Darkness Bind Them
1 Badlands
1 Barad-dûr
1 Blood Crypt
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Choked Estuary
1 Command Tower
1 Crumbling Necropolis
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Exotic Orchard
1 Foreboding Ruins
1 Island
1 Luxury Suite
1 Minas Morgul, Dark Fortress
1 Mount Doom
1 Mountain
1 Path of Ancestry
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Smoldering Marsh
1 Steam Vents
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Sulfurous Springs
1 Sunken Hollow
1 Swamp
1 The Black Gate
1 Underground River
1 Underground Sea
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Volcanic Island
1 Watery Grave
1 Xander's LoungeStrategy Guide
Early game (turns 1-3)
Develop mana with Sol Ring, Arcane Signet and the Talismans, and hold up cheap interaction. Orcish Bowmasters is a great play in response to opposing draw effects, and Relic of Sauron or a Talisman gets you to four mana on turn three. Don't tap out on turn two if you can keep Counterspell or Fierce Guardianship up.
Mid game (turns 4-6)
Land Sauron on four or five mana with protection backing it. Every spell cast at the table now grows your Army. Start attacking with the Army token as soon as the coast is clear, since combat damage tempts the Ring. Use Call of the Ring and Ringsight to make sure you always have a Ring-bearer, and use Treason of Isengard or Hostage Taker to steal blockers or threats.
Late game (turn 7+)
Each Ring temptation lets you discard your hand and draw four, so sequence it after you've deployed your best cards. Rhystic Study, Phyrexian Arena and The One Ring keep the pipeline full. When the table is stumbling, Windfall, Animate Dead, Reanimate and Mordor Muster close the game with a giant Army.
Win Conditions & Combos
- Overwhelming Army: Sauron amasses a 1/1 Orc Army token and grows it with every spell cast. Pump it with Shadowspear, Orcish Siegemaster and Mauhúr and it becomes a must-answer threat.
- Ring tempts you: Witch-king of Angmar, The Mouth of Sauron and Nazgûl all reward a heavily tempted Ring-bearer, giving you evasion and drain.
- The Mordor Muster package: Mordor Muster adds a wide wave of Orcs, and The Balrog of Moria and Lord of the Nazgûl give you extra pressure to finish.
- Stolen threats: Hostage Taker, Treason of Isengard and Grishnákh turn an opponent's best permanent into your finisher.
- Soft combo note: Call of the Ring plus a recurring Ring-bearer gives repeatable card flow, though this list is a value-grind deck rather than an infinite-combo deck.
Budget Notes
Estimated price: roughly $1,300+ premium (originals and the Power-adjacent staples drive the price); about $250-$350 with the swaps below. Functional budget swaps:
- Mana Drain / Fierce Guardianship → Negate, Arcane Denial or Saruman's Trickery
- Sheoldred, the Apocalypse → Archfiend of Ifnir (already in the list) or Nightscape Familiar
- The One Ring → Phyrexian Arena (already in) or Night's Whisper
- Demonic Tutor / Reanimate → Diabolic Intent and Animate Dead
- Original dual lands (Underground Sea, Volcanic Island, Badlands) → Check lands, Shock lands you already run, plus basics and Evolving Wilds
- Rhystic Study → Mystic Remora (already in) or Phyrexian Arena
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