Sauron, the Dark Lord
LTR · mythic · Released 2023-06-23
Power
Tier shown as baseline → best-case (in its ideal shell). The score (-8 to 19) is a rank signal derived from tier + kind + atoms; browse by it on the cards page.
Derived from the 7 atoms below.
above rate
meaningful alone
wants support
can take over a game
multiple modes
broadly useful
hard to remove
Commander Bracket
Archetypes
Roles
Risks
Mechanics
Typal
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Structural
Rationale
Sauron is a 7/6 for 6 with three powerful triggers: every opponent spell grows an Orc Army, Army combat damage tempts the Ring, and each Ring-temptation can convert your hand into 4 cards — effectively a repeatable wheel engine. Ward-sacrifice-a-legendary is among the strongest ward costs in Commander, making him extremely sticky. He is signature in Grixis spellslinger shells where opponents cast many spells, and pairs naturally with wheels strategies since his draw-four replaces itself off opponent spell pressure. Negative in voltron where his 6-drop slot, army-building strategy, and wheel-style draw conflict with the commander-centric plan.
Learnings (3)
Sauron's ward cost (sacrifice a legendary artifact or legendary creature) is one of the most punishing ward costs in Commander, as it removes a key permanent rather than paying mana — very few opponents willingly pay it in midgame.
tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6
The Ring-temptation draw trigger fires whenever the Ring tempts you from ANY source, not just Sauron's own Army trigger, so he combos with other Ring-tempting cards in the 99 for repeated hand-refills.
tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6
The Amass Orcs trigger stacks a single Army token that grows continuously — in a long game, even without haste enablers, a single opponent spell each turn means a threat that can one-shot players in a few swings.
tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6
Popularity
- EDHREC rank: #3,183