Axelrod Death's Cleaver by Buddadragon

Format: Commander

Commander: Axelrod Gunnarson

Bracket: 3

Deck overview

This deck is a specialized Rakdos control-combo strategy centered on Axelrod Gunnarson. The primary objective is to transform the commander (or the backup Deathbringer Thoctar) into a repeatable board-clearing engine by granting them deathtouch via equipment like Basilisk Collar or Gorgon Flail. Once Axelrod has deathtouch, his triggered ability allows him to "machine gun" the board, gaining life and burning opponents for every creature that dies. The deck utilizes Thornbite Staff as a primary combo piece to create infinite untap loops, effectively wiping all opposing creatures and dealing lethal damage to players. While the commander has a high mana value (8 CMC), the deck supports this with a robust suite of rituals, cost reducers like Stinkdrinker Daredevil, and massive card-draw spells like Stinging Study and Necrologia to ensure the engine pieces are assembled and protected.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Anger
  • 1 Animate Dead
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Axelrod Gunnarson
  • 1 Basilisk Collar
  • 1 Beseech the Mirror
  • 1 Big Score
  • 1 Blackblade Reforged
  • 1 Bladebrand
  • 1 Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway
  • 1 Blood Artist
  • 1 Blood Crypt
  • 1 Bolt Bend
  • 1 Bonders' Enclave
  • 1 Calamity Bearer
  • 1 Canyon Slough
  • 1 Castle Locthwain
  • 1 Chandra's Ignition
  • 1 Chaos Warp
  • 1 Command Beacon
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Dark Ritual
  • 1 Darksteel Plate
  • 1 Deadly Dispute
  • 1 Deadly Rollick
  • 1 Deathbringer Thoctar
  • 1 Deflecting Swat
  • 1 Demand Answers
  • 1 Dingus Staff
  • 1 Dragonskull Summit
  • 1 Eternal Thirst
  • 1 Evolving Wilds
  • 1 Exotic Orchard
  • 1 Faithless Looting
  • 1 Feed the Swarm
  • 1 Fellwar Stone
  • 1 Foreboding Ruins
  • 1 Gorgon Flail
  • 1 Gorgon's Head
  • 1 Graven Cairns
  • 1 Haunted Ridge
  • 1 Imperial Recruiter
  • 1 Imposing Grandeur
  • 1 Kusari-Gama
  • 1 Lightning Greaves
  • 1 Luxury Suite
  • 1 Mind Stone
  • 1 Mithril Coat
  • 1 Morbid Opportunist
  • 7 Mountain
  • 1 Necrologia
  • 1 Nemesis Mask
  • 1 Night's Whisper
  • 1 Path of Ancestry
  • 1 Phyresis
  • 1 Pitiless Plunderer
  • 1 Rakdos Charm
  • 1 Rakdos Signet
  • 1 Raucous Theater
  • 1 Read the Bones
  • 1 Reanimate
  • 1 Shadowspear
  • 1 Sign in Blood
  • 1 Smoldering Marsh
  • 1 Snuff Out
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Sting, the Glinting Dagger
  • 1 Stinging Study
  • 1 Stinkdrinker Daredevil
  • 1 Sulfurous Springs
  • 7 Swamp
  • 1 Swiftfoot Boots
  • 1 Talisman of Indulgence
  • 1 Temple of Malice
  • 1 Terramorphic Expanse
  • 1 The One Ring
  • 1 Thornbite Staff
  • 1 Thrill of Possibility
  • 1 Tibalt's Trickery
  • 1 Touch of Moonglove
  • 1 Toxic Deluge
  • 1 Tragic Slip
  • 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
  • 1 Valakut Awakening // Valakut Stoneforge
  • 1 Vandalblast
  • 1 Vorpal Sword
  • 1 War Room
  • 1 Wayfarer's Bauble