CommanderTestLabor DE
Price
€99.50of €100.00
Overall win rate
37%99 wins in 268 scored games
Games
270 (2)played in 27 tournaments, 2 not scored (time limit)
Rank
12in the rankings up to €100 · Elo 1651 (start 1500)
Cards
100incl. commander · 36 lands, 14 of them basic
Game Changer
0of at most 3 allowed
Combos
3complete in the deck
Rules check
Passed100 cards, colors, banlist

AI note: the Forge AI can't play 10 cards of this deck (replaced with similar cards in the Forge games) and plays 5 more only partially well. This result is therefore much less meaningful – the deck probably plays stronger in human hands. Affected cards

At most €100 including the commander. If prices rise above that, the shopping list is rebuilt automatically.

The shopping list was rebuilt with current prices on Oct 25, 2026: the tested version had risen to €102.45, above €100.00. Win rate and placement come from the tested version.

grey: role in the deckGame Changer counts for the bracketCombo part of a comboAI can't play replaced in tournamentsAI limited played weakly by the AI

Commander (1)

Creatures (14)

Planeswalkers (2)

Instants (10)

Sorceries (11)

Artifacts (16)

Enchantments (10)

Lands (36)

Nekusar, the Mindrazer
Card image: © Wizards of the Coast, via Scryfall

Combos in the deck (3)

Detected from the decklist (Commander Spellbook): theoretically possible, see Spellbook for requirements. Whether a combo actually came together in games is shown above under “What the games show”.

  • Windfall + … → Each opponent loses the game
    8 versions, each with one of: Phyresis · Grafted Exoskeleton · Nekusar, the Mindrazer · Fate Unraveler · Razorkin Needlehead · Kederekt Parasite
  • Peer into the Abyss + … → Near-infinite card draw for target opponent, Near-infinite damage to one opponent, Near-infinite draw triggers for target opponent
    5 versions, each with one of: Underworld Dreams · Psychosis Crawler · Nekusar, the Mindrazer · Razorkin Needlehead · Ob Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted
  • Curiosity + Niv-Mizzet, Parun → Infinite draw triggers, Infinite card draw, Near-infinite damage
    Example – 4 versions with these cards: Curiosity · Niv-Mizzet, Parun · Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind · Body of Knowledge

Commander Spellbook lists 17 entries because every version counts separately (for example with a different sacrifice outlet). Here each combo counts once.

Show all 17 entries
  • Curiosity + Niv-Mizzet, Parun → Infinite draw triggers, Infinite card draw, Near-infinite damage
  • Peer into the Abyss + Underworld Dreams → Target opponent loses the game
  • Psychosis Crawler + Peer into the Abyss → Near-infinite lifeloss, Near-infinite card draw, Near-infinite draw triggers
  • Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Curiosity → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite damage
  • Nekusar, the Mindrazer + Peer into the Abyss → Near-infinite card draw for target opponent, Near-infinite damage to one opponent, Near-infinite draw triggers for target opponent
  • Razorkin Needlehead + Peer into the Abyss → Near-infinite damage to one opponent, Near-infinite draw triggers for target opponent, Near-infinite card draw for target opponent
  • Ob Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted + Peer into the Abyss → Target player loses the game
  • Body of Knowledge + Niv-Mizzet, Parun → Infinite draw triggers, Infinite card draw
  • Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Body of Knowledge → Infinite draw triggers, Infinite card draw
  • Windfall + Nekusar, the Mindrazer + Phyresis → Each opponent loses the game
  • Windfall + Fate Unraveler + Phyresis → Each opponent loses the game
  • Windfall + Phyresis + Razorkin Needlehead → Each opponent loses the game
  • Windfall + Phyresis + Kederekt Parasite → Each opponent loses the game
  • Windfall + Nekusar, the Mindrazer + Grafted Exoskeleton → Each opponent loses the game
  • Windfall + Grafted Exoskeleton + Razorkin Needlehead → Each opponent loses the game
  • Windfall + Fate Unraveler + Grafted Exoskeleton → Each opponent loses the game
  • Windfall + Grafted Exoskeleton + Kederekt Parasite → Each opponent loses the game

What the games show

From 268 analysed games in 27 tournaments (tournament lists as played by Forge). Games that hit the time limit don't count, just like in the rankings. Values in brackets: average of all decks in the same price class. “logged”: recorded in the game log. “indication”: recurring pattern, but no proof of cause and effect.

Play style: wins mostly through direct damage – only 9% is combat damage

Strengths

  • Applies a lot of pressure: avg 55 damage to opponents per game (all-deck avg: 31) logged (268 games)
  • Wins fast: wins on average already on its 10th own turn (all-deck avg: 12th) logged (99 wins)
  • Clears the table: eliminates 1.04 opponents per game on average (all-deck avg: 0.63) logged (268 games)
  • Attacks get through: 13% of attackers blocked (all-deck avg: 19%) logged (409 attackers in 221 games)

Weaknesses

  • Depends on its commander: only 12% wins without it, 40% with it indication (33 games without, 235 with commander)
  • Drops out early: in losses on average already on its 9th own turn (all-deck avg: 10th) logged (169 losses)

Damage per game all games

Total damage to opponents ÷ all 268 games – what the card contributes over the whole test

  1. Nekusar, the Mindrazer avg 28.5hit in 233 of 268 games
  2. Spiteful Visions avg 4.5hit in 51 of 268 games
  3. Fate Unraveler avg 4.5hit in 62 of 268 games

Damage when used when it hits

Total damage ÷ games in which the card dealt damage – its strength when used

  1. Nekusar, the Mindrazer avg 32.8hit in 233 of 268 games
  2. Spiteful Visions avg 23.9hit in 51 of 268 games
  3. Megrim avg 19.7hit in 33 of 268 games

Top finishers eliminates opponents

Cards that most often knocked an opposing commander out of the game

  1. Nekusar, the Mindrazer 135×268 games in deck
  2. Fate Unraveler 24×268 games in deck
  3. Spiteful Visions 20×268 games in deck

Best interaction answers threats

Opposing cards destroyed, exiled, bounced or countered when this card resolved (tokens excluded)

  1. Terminate 61×avg 0.2 per game · 268 games in deck
  2. Feed the Swarm 43×avg 0.3 per game · 149 games in deck
  3. Ob Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted 37×avg 0.1 per game · 268 games in deck

Biggest walls blocks the most

Opposing cards that blocked this deck's attackers most often – 13% of 409 attackers blocked in total, 17% of those by flyers or reach

  1. Zombie Token 3×blocked in 3 games

Rarely cast candidates to cut

Cards in this list that were cast least often in their games – often too expensive or too slow (lands excluded)

  1. Peer into the Abyss 0%cast in 0 of 268 games
  2. Baleful Mastery 0%cast in 1 of 268 games
  3. Molten Psyche 2%cast in 5 of 268 games

Wins by turn speed

On which own turn the 99 wins came

  • by turn 79%
  • turns 8–939%
  • turns 10–1133%
  • turns 12–1316%
  • turn 14+2%

Combos in play logged Curiosity + Niv-Mizzet, Parun: all pieces cast in 1 games, 0 won · Peer into the Abyss + Underworld Dreams: all pieces cast in 0 games, 0 won · Psychosis Crawler + Peer into the Abyss: all pieces cast in 0 games, 0 won · Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind + Curiosity: all pieces cast in 17 games, 6 won

Mana curve without lands

Average 3.02

1
0
7
1
21
2
16
3
6
4
7
5
3
6
2
7+

Roles in the deck

Ramp
11 / 9
Card draw
26 / 20
Removal
9 / 9
Board wipe
2 / 2
Protection
2 / 2
Strategy
13 cards no target

Count / target from the EDHREC average deck (the line), red means clearly below. Strategy: the remaining cards without one of these roles, such as the creatures and effects the deck is built around. 63 non-land cards in total.

Card types

Creatures
14
Planeswalkers
2
Instants
10
Sorceries
11
Artifacts
16
Enchantments
10
Lands
36

Most expensive cards

Teferi's Puzzle Box
€4.94
Scrawling Crawler
€4.78
Kederekt Parasite
€4.70
Winds of Change
€4.44
Razorkin Needlehead
€4.40
Windfall
€3.99
Reforge the Soul
€3.31
Lightning Greaves
€3.08

What the program has learned

Each tournament the deck tests one card. A verdict needs at least 40 games with and without the card. Since the deck is rebuilt every tournament with current prices and data, tested cards can drop out again later.

  • no clear difference Opt instead of Howling Golem · win rate 32% with, 38% without (40 / 228 games) · from an earlier version, not in the deck now
  • no clear difference Howling Golem instead of Dragon Mage · win rate 35% with, 38% without (60 / 208 games) · from an earlier version, not in the deck now

4 more tested cards are still collecting games.

Shopping list for Cardmarket

Copy the list, create a new list under “Wants” on Cardmarket and paste it.

Total €99.50 Cardmarket average as of Oct 27, 2026

Open Cardmarket Wants

Prices without shipping. Individual cards may have become cheaper or more expensive on Cardmarket.

Placement in every tournament

Oldest on the left. Green: top 3, blue: top 10.

66382369381533108202633118111117122882148147

Best place 1 · average place 17.0 · 2× top 3 · 11× top 10 out of 27 tournaments

Played by the Forge AI, four players per game. An average deck wins 25%. How are decks tested?