Nicol Bolas (copy) by Psyga315

Format: Commander

Commander: Nicol Bolas

Bracket: 3

DeckCheck Threat Index: 31

Deck overview

This deck is a flavorful Grixis attrition and control build dedicated to the Elder Dragon Nicol Bolas. The strategy leverages a dense suite of 2-CMC mana rocks and rituals to accelerate past early turns and deploy powerful mid-to-high CMC planeswalkers and legendary threats. Cards like Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God and Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh systematically strip opposing hands and boards through asymmetric exile abilities, while Cruel Ultimatum and Hostile Takeover punish opposing board development. Without relying on compact two-card combos or fast combat locks, the deck closes games by grinding opponents out of cards and attacking with large evasive flyers like Blood Tyrant, Prince of Thralls, and Nicol Bolas himself. While rich in thematic identity and proactive resource denial, the deck deliberately trades off stack interaction and defensive counterspells, relying on overwhelming late-game card advantage to overpower the table.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Anhelo, the Painter
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Bladecoil Serpent
  • 1 Blood Crypt
  • 1 Blood Tyrant
  • 1 Bloodstained Mire
  • 1 Bojuka Bog
  • 1 Breaking // Entering
  • 1 Cabal Ritual
  • 1 Castle Sengir
  • 1 Charcoal Diamond
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Corpse Appraiser
  • 1 Crosis's Catacombs
  • 1 Crosis's Charm
  • 1 Cruel Ultimatum
  • 1 Crumbling Necropolis
  • 1 Crypt of the Eternals
  • 1 Dark Intimations
  • 1 Dark Ritual
  • 1 Dimir Signet
  • 1 Dragonskull Summit
  • 1 Drowned Catacomb
  • 1 Evolving Wilds
  • 1 Exotic Orchard
  • 1 Fire Diamond
  • 1 Geyadrone Dihada
  • 1 Glamorous Outlaw
  • 1 Grixis Battlemage
  • 1 Grixis Charm
  • 1 Gwendlyn Di Corci
  • 1 Hostile Takeover
  • 1 In the Darkness Bind Them
  • 1 Iron Myr
  • 2 Island
  • 1 Izzet Signet
  • 1 Jeska's Will
  • 1 Jet Medallion
  • 1 Leaden Myr
  • 1 Luxury Suite
  • 1 Maestros Ascendancy
  • 1 Maestros Charm
  • 1 Maestros Confluence
  • 1 Maestros Diabolist
  • 1 Mana Geyser
  • 3 Mountain
  • 1 Nicol Bolas
  • 1 Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God
  • 1 Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh
  • 1 Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
  • 1 Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver
  • 1 Nightscape Battlemage
  • 1 Nightscape Master
  • 1 Obelisk of Grixis
  • 1 Ornithopter of Paradise
  • 1 Oscorp Industries
  • 1 Palladium Myr
  • 1 Phyrexian Tyranny
  • 1 Plague Myr
  • 1 Polluted Delta
  • 1 Prince of Thralls
  • 1 Rakdos Signet
  • 1 Relic of Sauron
  • 1 Reliquary Tower
  • 1 Rise // Fall
  • 1 Ruby Medallion
  • 1 Sapphire Medallion
  • 1 Sedraxis Specter
  • 1 Seething Landscape
  • 1 Seething Song
  • 1 Silver Myr
  • 1 Sky Diamond
  • 1 Slave of Bolas
  • 1 Smoldering Marsh
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Sol'kanar the Swamp King
  • 1 Steam Vents
  • 1 Sulfur Falls
  • 1 Sulfur Vent
  • 1 Sunken Hollow
  • 7 Swamp
  • 1 Talisman of Creativity
  • 1 Talisman of Dominance
  • 1 Talisman of Indulgence
  • 1 Terminate
  • 1 The Horus Heresy
  • 1 The Soul Stone
  • 1 Unscythe, Killer of Kings
  • 1 Visage of Bolas
  • 1 Watery Grave
  • 1 Xander's Lounge