Rakdos in Aetherdrift
If you listened to the latest episode of Limited Resources or Drafting Archetypes, you’ve heard about the hosts being very high on Rakdos right now. This article presents the results of a trophy deck analysis for Black/Red decks. We’ll explore the archetype’s game plan, average deck composition, key cards to prioritize, and the best removal spells to draft.
Rakdos in the Meta
The following chart shows the win rate and meta share of each archetype in the last week of Aetherdrift. Rakdos is firmly in the top tier of archetypes, boasting a win rate of 56.5%.
In general, we see Black decks performing well, making the color a clear second place after Green.
Notably, Rakdos is the highest-performing Red archetype. As Red seems to be underplayed the chances of it being open are higher, which benefits the archetype.
However, Rakdos depends heavily on its Black cards, as we can see in the color distribution chart below. This is why an open Red seat alone isn’t enough — Black is the core of the archetype, while Red serves as a support color.
Rakdos Game Plan
Rakdos revolves around the Start your engines! mechanic. As you can see it is the archetype that plays the most Start your engines! cards on average. On average a Rakdos trophy deck plays 7.6 cards for getting the chase to max speed started.
Removal is both strong and crucial in this format, with trophy decks averaging 5.2 removal spells. Rakdos, having access to the two colors most known for their removal, is even higher with an average of 6.1.
While Aetherdrift is a vehicle-heavy format, Rakdos is the archetype that relies on them the least. Across the format, decks play an average of 2.6 vehicles, but Rakdos trophy decks include only 1.8. We’ll cover which vehicles are worth playing in the next section.
Creature/Vehicle Curve
Rakdos decks tend to have a lower curve compared to the format average. Black/Red has more 1 and 2-drops than the average deck, but significantly less high mana value cards.
Which cards to the trophy decks play and what to look out for for each spot on the curve is shown in the following tables.
1-Drops
Even though the format is not fast, it is still important to get to the board early. Especially the decks that want to reach max speed have an incentive to play 1-drops and Rakdos is no exception.
All the options you have here to fill your average of 2.0 1-drops are good, except for Marauding Mako, which is more of an Izzet gold card. In terms of what you'll have access to in a typical draft, Engine Rat is the 1-drop of your choice.
Dynamite Diver is also a playable option, that has some utility in terms of reaching max speed through a wall of blockers.
| Name | Rarity | Avg. # in decks | Game in Hand WR | ALSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnout Bashtronaut | rare | 0.23 | 64.0% | 2.12 |
| Greasewrench Goblin | uncommon | 0.44 | 60.5% | 3.79 |
| The Last Ride | mythic | 0.04 | 59.0% | 2.57 |
| Gas Guzzler | rare | 0.16 | 58.3% | 2.67 |
| Engine Rat | common | 0.79 | 58.0% | 5.29 |
| Dynamite Diver | common | 0.28 | 55.3% | 6.93 |
| Marauding Mako | uncommon | 0.08 | 52.9% | 4.49 |
2-Drops
The 2-drops are the most important part of the curve for Rakdos and you try to have 5-6 of them in your deck (trophy average is 5.45). The most premium card is the signpost uncommon Gastal Thrillseeker with a win rate of 61.8%, it is played on average 1.09 times. Prioritize picking up every copy you can — fortunately, it’s not highly contested by other archetypes.
Wreckage Wickerfolk is another excellent card for Rakdos, providing some draw smoothing while being able to attack in the air and brining you closer to max speed. The secret is out however how good the card is and all Black decks are interested in picking it up.
A 2-drop you want to avoid having to play is Gilded Ghoda. It is played quite often but not performing well, with a win rate of 54.1%.
| Name | Rarity | Avg. # in decks | Game in Hand WR | ALSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draconautics Engineer | rare | 0.2 | 65.0% | 1.61 |
| Hazoret, Godseeker | mythic | 0.1 | 62.7% | 1.59 |
| Gastal Thrillseeker | uncommon | 1.09 | 61.8% | 4.75 |
| Wreckage Wickerfolk | common | 0.89 | 57.1% | 4.55 |
| Endrider Catalyzer | common | 0.76 | 56.6% | 6.02 |
| Tyrox, Saurid Tyrant | uncommon | 0.18 | 55.3% | 5.74 |
| Wretched Doll | uncommon | 0.26 | 55.1% | 4.21 |
| Prowcatcher Specialist | common | 0.55 | 54.7% | 5.91 |
| Walking Sarcophagus | common | 0.23 | 54.5% | 6.95 |
| Deathless Pilot | common | 0.37 | 54.3% | 5.96 |
| Gilded Ghoda | common | 0.48 | 54.1% | 5.83 |
| Burner Rocket | common | 0.3 | 54.0% | 6.97 |
| Bloodghast | rare | 0.04 | 51.6% | 3.77 |
3-Drops
For the three mana spot you have plenty of options, but you are only looking to play a handful of them. The average Rakdos deck plays 3.48 cards at this spot.
In terms of commons your premium picks are Mutant Surveyor and Grim Javelineer. Both make attacking into bigger blockers possible and are therefore good for the max speed plan.
Goblin Surveyor is also playable, but not as good as the other two. Since you're looking to play around 7-8 Start your engines! cards, you probably have to play whatever you can get.
Two frequently played uncommon exhaust cards stand out as underperformers. Adrenaline Jockey and Pacesetter Paragon are not was the deck wants to be doing.
| Name | Rarity | Avg. # in decks | Game in Hand WR | ALSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howlsquad Heavy | rare | 0.23 | 65.7% | 1.82 |
| Gastal Thrillroller | rare | 0.15 | 59.7% | 2.26 |
| Gastal Raider | uncommon | 0.31 | 57.1% | 4 |
| Mutant Surveyor | common | 0.72 | 56.6% | 6.23 |
| Grim Javelineer | common | 0.58 | 56.3% | 6.8 |
| Carrion Cruiser | uncommon | 0.17 | 55.1% | 3.72 |
| Goblin Surveyor | common | 0.56 | 54.1% | 6.87 |
| Gastal Blockbuster | common | 0.2 | 54.0% | 7.19 |
| Aetherjacket | common | 0.04 | 54.0% | 6.45 |
| Adrenaline Jockey | uncommon | 0.12 | 53.7% | 4.56 |
| Lifecraft Engine | rare | 0.03 | 53.1% | 2.57 |
| Pacesetter Paragon | uncommon | 0.17 | 53.1% | 4.75 |
| Kalakscion, Hunger Tyrant | uncommon | 0.05 | 52.7% | 6.21 |
| Camera Launcher | common | 0.03 | 52.2% | 6.86 |
| Rover Blades | uncommon | 0.03 | 50.9% | 5.28 |
| Magmakin Artillerist | common | 0.1 | 49.2% | 6.77 |
4-Drops
Going further in the curve, the average Rakdos deck plays 2.6 4-drops.
The most common and best card is Pactdoll Terror. It is played on average 0.63 times and has a win rate of 56.8%. The ping effect is another way to increase your speed and give the archetype some reach, once the board is stalled.
We've seen the one signpost uncommon being pretty essential to the archetype earlier, the other one howevere - Apocalypse Runner - is not. It is the second most played card in the list, but probably overplayed with a subpar win rate of 55.7%. Don’t pay too much weight on it when seeing this vehicle late in the draft.
| Name | Rarity | Avg. # in decks | Game in Hand WR | ALSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Far Fortune, End Boss | rare | 0.39 | 63.3% | 2.43 |
| Gonti, Night Minister | rare | 0.16 | 59.3% | 1.79 |
| Boommobile | rare | 0.16 | 59.3% | 1.88 |
| Pactdoll Terror | common | 0.63 | 56.8% | 4.33 |
| Endrider Spikespitter | uncommon | 0.41 | 56.4% | 3.73 |
| Apocalypse Runner | uncommon | 0.46 | 55.7% | 5.8 |
| Reckless Velocitaur | uncommon | 0.03 | 52.8% | 5.95 |
| Clamorous Ironclad | common | 0.16 | 52.3% | 6.57 |
| Cryptcaller Chariot | rare | 0.05 | 52.3% | 2.5 |
| Ripclaw Wrangler | common | 0.08 | 52.2% | 7.23 |
| Wreck Remover | common | 0.03 | 50.6% | 7.71 |
| Wickerfolk Indomitable | uncommon | 0.04 | 48.7% | 5.82 |
5-Drops
On average Rakdos plays 1.94 5-drops. Disregarding the mythic rares, the best card in the 5-drop slot is Streaking Oilgorger. As you can see in the table it has a quite high ALSA of 6.68, which is because not all black decks are interested in it.
Thunderhead Gunner is praised to the sky by some, and for sure it is a good card, but it is nearly a full percentage point below the Oilgorger in terms of win rate. It seems Black/Red wants to finish the game with a hasty flier rather than churning through the deck with the Gunner. Nevertheless, you'd probably never cut it from your deck.
| Name | Rarity | Avg. # in decks | Game in Hand WR | ALSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Speed Demon | mythic | 0.08 | 61.1% | 1.61 |
| Coalstoke Gearhulk | mythic | 0.15 | 59.6% | 2.55 |
| Streaking Oilgorger | common | 0.51 | 56.7% | 6.68 |
| Risen Necroregent | uncommon | 0.42 | 56.2% | 3.48 |
| Thunderhead Gunner | common | 0.65 | 55.8% | 5.43 |
| Spire Mechcycle | uncommon | 0.08 | 49.1% | 4.51 |
| Daretti, Rocketeer Engineer | rare | 0.01 | 47.6% | 3.64 |
| Skybox Ferry | common | 0.02 | 46.6% | 7.73 |
6-Drops
At the top end of the curve, these options exist, but none appear to be particularly strong. The average number of 6+ drops in a Rakdos deck is 0.49, but unless you get a Demonic Junker you should probably just skip these expensive cards.
| Name | Rarity | Avg. # in decks | Game in Hand WR | ALSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demonic Junker | rare | 0.09 | 55.0% | 1.92 |
| Dracosaur Auxiliary | uncommon | 0.2 | 54.7% | 3.66 |
| Chitin Gravestalker | common | 0.12 | 52.4% | 6.13 |
| Shefet Archfiend | uncommon | 0.08 | 51.0% | 5.07 |
Removal
We’ve established that Rakdos plays a lot of removal (6+ spells), but which ones are the most effective?
Premium, but at the same time highly contested, is Outpace Oblivion, doing double duty as removal and increasing your speed. Momentum Breaker is another option that not only removes a creatures but starts your engine. The play pattern of playing a 1-drop then removing the 2-drop of the opponent with the Breaker and attacking for speed two is quite powerful.
As for common removal spells you're looking for Grim Bauble, Spin Out, and Lightning Strike. Crash and Burn is already a notch worse, but still a good option to deal with bigger blockers.
The rest is not worth mentioning, but you can see the full list below. Make sure to pay attention to your removal count during the draft as this is an important part of the Rakdos game plan.
| Name | Rarity | Avg. # in decks | Game in Hand WR | ALSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chandra, Spark Hunter | mythic | 0.07 | 60.1% | 1.24 |
| Quag Feast | rare | 0.12 | 59.6% | 2.29 |
| Boommobile | rare | 0.16 | 59.3% | 1.88 |
| Outpace Oblivion | uncommon | 0.35 | 58.0% | 2.84 |
| Road Rage | uncommon | 0.36 | 57.9% | 3.35 |
| Momentum Breaker | uncommon | 0.27 | 57.8% | 3.55 |
| Grim Bauble | common | 0.86 | 57.3% | 3.93 |
| Spin Out | common | 0.82 | 56.9% | 3.03 |
| Lightning Strike | common | 0.76 | 56.8% | 3.27 |
| Crash and Burn | common | 0.63 | 56.0% | 4.68 |
| Skycrash | uncommon | 0.2 | 55.4% | 4.34 |
| Dynamite Diver | common | 0.28 | 55.3% | 6.93 |
| Demonic Junker | rare | 0.09 | 55.0% | 1.92 |
| Locust Spray | uncommon | 0.12 | 54.8% | 5.91 |
| Dracosaur Auxiliary | uncommon | 0.2 | 54.7% | 3.66 |
| Hellish Sideswipe | uncommon | 0.19 | 54.5% | 4.36 |
| Gastal Blockbuster | common | 0.2 | 54.0% | 7.19 |
| Aetherjacket | common | 0.04 | 54.0% | 6.45 |
| Scrap Compactor | common | 0.06 | 53.6% | 6.32 |
| Syphon Fuel | common | 0.2 | 53.5% | 5.95 |
| Shefet Archfiend | uncommon | 0.08 | 51.0% | 5.07 |
| Fuel the Flames | uncommon | 0.02 | 50.8% | 5.96 |
Combat Tricks
When it comes to combat tricks you only really want to play one of them - Maximum Overdrive. This is another great way of trading up and enabling attacks against decks with bigger creatures. So be sure to pick up one when you can.
| Name | Rarity | Avg. # in decks | Game in Hand WR | ALSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum Overdrive | common | 0.66 | 57.9% | 6.21 |
| Locust Spray | uncommon | 0.12 | 54.8% | 5.91 |
| Burner Rocket | common | 0.3 | 54.0% | 6.97 |
| Pedal to the Metal | common | 0.21 | 52.6% | 7.74 |
Non-creature Spells
The two most commonly played non-creature/removal spells are Hour of Victory and Risky Shortcut. While the first could be counted as a creature and has an excellent win rate, the Shortcut is only barely playable.
| Name | Rarity | Avg. # in decks | Game in Hand WR | ALSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Aetherspark | mythic | 0.03 | 57.9% | 1.05 |
| Hour of Victory | uncommon | 0.37 | 57.8% | 4.59 |
| Cursecloth Wrappings | rare | 0.11 | 57.4% | 2.24 |
| Risky Shortcut | common | 0.41 | 55.6% | 6.92 |
| Back on Track | uncommon | 0.13 | 55.0% | 4.18 |
| Count on Luck | rare | 0.04 | 54.4% | 4.93 |
| Intimidation Tactics | uncommon | 0.17 | 54.4% | 5.37 |
| Kickoff Celebrations | common | 0.18 | 51.8% | 6.94 |
| Monument to Endurance | rare | 0.01 | 50.1% | 2.84 |
Lands
Curving out is important and the mana requirements are not that high in Rakdos. Therefore, the tap land options at common have a below average win rate. It’s probably still correct to play one or two, but don’t go overboard with them.
Interestingly, the Raceway lands are not performing well here. In the Orzhov article we’ve seen that the Raceways were the best lands, but in Rakdos they are clearly not worth going for.
| Name | Rarity | Avg. # in decks | Game in Hand WR | ALSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muraganda Raceway | rare | 0.03 | 57.9% | 4.69 |
| Foul Roads | uncommon | 0.15 | 56.7% | 7.31 |
| Night Market | common | 0.21 | 55.3% | 4.79 |
| Bloodfell Caves | common | 0.54 | 54.9% | 6.74 |
| Rocky Roads | uncommon | 0.11 | 53.6% | 7.29 |
| Avishkar Raceway | common | 0.14 | 53.3% | 7.55 |
| Amonkhet Raceway | uncommon | 0.05 | 52.3% | 7.05 |
Takeaways
To sum up everything we learned from this data breakdown
- Rakdos is a strong archetype in the current meta
- Gastal Thrillseeker is the most played and best non-rare card
- Maintain a low curve (aim for ~2 one-drops and 5-6 two-drops).
- Removal is important, you should aim to get 6+ removal spells
- The deck revolves around Start your engines!, so aim to include 7-8 enablers.
Hopefully this article was interesting to you and helps you improve your Aertherdrift Draft game. Make sure you don’t miss future content by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.