Legacy: Rakdos Burn - Deck Tech and Sideboard Guide

Greetings, Legacy community! Like we predicted in our last article, we got a new banlist update, and nothing was changed in Legacy. We know there is still a lot that could be better in this format, but it is certainly a lot more diverse now than it was throughout 2025. As we still have the same cards to work with, let's take this opportunity to look at a few archetypes that have been using Lorwyn Eclipsed cards.

When I reviewed this set with Legacy in mind, I mentioned two cards in particular: Hexing Squelcher and Moonshadow. Today, we'll explore a deck that uses Moonshadow - Rakdos Aggro!

A player called Demmers brought the list above to a tournament organized by Ecobaronen, a content creator and one of the most important voices of Legacy online. They managed to get into the top 8 with it. In it, you'll find burn like Lightning Bolt, Boltwave, Chain Lightning, and Fireblast. You'll also find a creature base that is more resilient than the ones Monored lists usually play. These creatures could end up dealing even more damage than the spells that deal 3 damage for 1 mana.

First, let's discuss the new card, Moonshadow! It has been wreaking a lot of havoc in the format lately because it can grow a lot quite fast, and this entire deck is built around making it deal a ton of damage already on turn 2. Practically everything in this list makes Moonshadow spin out of control: did you use a fetch land? It will grow. Did you get a surveil land and mill a permanent? It will grow. Did you cycle Street Wraith? It will grow. Did you sacrifice one of your 12 zero-mana artifacts? It will grow. Did the opponent counter or kill one of your other creatures? It will grow. If this card isn't answered immediately, it will threaten the opponent's life points constantly and quite quickly.

We wouldn't build an entire deck around Moonshadow alone. In fact, there are 2 other creatures that perform really well when you fill your graveyard fast: Dragon's Rage Channeler (DRC) and Nethergoyf. DRC is already quite popular in Izzet Tempo, and this deck can enable its Delirium quite easily. With it in play, you'll be able to grow Moonshadow almost twice as much. As for Nethergoyf, it is already quite big for 1 mana, and this deck can put 4 or 5 different types of cards in the graveyard quite fast and without delaying your main game plan.

The rest of the deck, apart from lands, damage spells, and the 1-mana creatures, includes Street Wraith, Urza's Bauble, and Mishra's Bauble. These cards grow Moonshadow and Nethergoyf and also draw 1 card. Lotus Petal speeds up the game and also grows your creatures. Finally, Molten Collapse is an answer to complicated creatures, like Barrowgoyf and Murktide Regent, as well as one of this deck's biggest nightmares: Chalice of the Void. It also hits several other targets in Legacy and you can easily enable it so that you can use both of its effects.

Burn has always been a budget option in Legacy. This list might need a little more investment than traditional Monored, but, if we remove Badlands from the equation, it fits a pretty reasonable budget compared to the other decks in the format. It can also play Blood Crypt instead of this dual land relatively stress-free.

So, if you're looking for a deck that doesn't force you to invest in cards from the Reserved List (though obviously it performs better if you play Badlands in it), that is more complex and resilient than Monored Burn, and that can use cards that see play in other formats, this Rakdos is perfect.

The best opening hand for this deck needs a creature you can play on turn 1 and ways to cycle through your deck while you throw damage at the opponent in the following turns. You can consider keeping hands that can't put creatures in play on turn 1 if they can put them in play on turn 2 after drawing or surveilling and if you can complement this with burn.

Hands that only deal damage and can't draw are often traps ... But, like every Burn list, this deck can't mulligan much because it needs all the resources it can get to destroy the opponent. So, before mulliganing a hand, try to figure out if you can burn the opponent completely with what you got until turn 4.

Let's see a few examples.

This hand is interesting. It includes a few versatile strategies. In turn 1, you can play Mire, Petal, and Bauble. Then, use Petal to put Goyf in play, and use Bauble to see if the top card in your deck is useful. If it is, you can wait to draw it on the following turn before you use Mire into Raucous Theater. If it isn't, you can use Mire first to increase your odds of finding useful cards. Verdict: Keep.

This hand is pretty mediocre, but you can keep it. It can cut the opponent's life points by half and has ways to dig through the deck because of Bauble and the fetch land into Raucous Theater. You can also just risk your luck and try to get a better hand with 6 cards. It's a tie overall: I'm 50% in favor of keeping it and 50% against it. Verdict: I'd keep it, but not as a hard rule.

This hand is just awful, though. It has too much mana and not enough action. Verdict: Mulligan.

That's what we're talking about! This is the type of hand this deck wants to see. It puts Moonshadow in play on turn 1 and grows it twice in that same turn (Wraith and Bauble). It will grow it another time, at least, on turn 2. Verdict: this is the perfect hand, you must keep it.

As this is an aggro list, the sideboard can't be too reactive. So, it includes mostly proactive cards to deal with any problems in its way and extremely efficient answers that don't disrupt the main game plan.

Still, the standard answer against graveyards is Leyline of the Void. This card is a necessary evil in a world where Oops forces you to play turn-0 answers.

In terms of efficiency, Fatal Push and Pyroblast solve most threats that see play in Tempo decks. Push, in particular, will deal with Barrowgoyf nearly every time.

The most peculiar additions are Eidolon of the Great Revel, Price of Progress, and an extra Mountain. Revel is particularly efficient against combo and control lists, while Price of Progress destroys decks like Eldrazi, Lands, and Cloudpost all at once. The extra mountain is a safety measure against Wasteland decks and helps you put Eidolon in play.

Another option I have seen in this sideboard is Smash to Smithereens.

Dimir Tempo

The key card in this matchup is Barrowgoyf. If they can't find their scary Tarmogoyf, or you have an answer to it, you might just mow them down. But, if Barrowgoyf deals damage, even if only once, you might end up losing, partly because you'll fill your graveyard with cards.

Post-side, you'll focus less on burn and lean more into your creatures. Make sure your arch-enemy doesn't survive.

In:

Out:

Show and Tell

There is not much we can say about this matchup. It is a race, and you're at a disadvantage. If they resolve a Show and Tell fast and reveal an Omniscience or Atraxa, Grand Unifier, it's basically the end. Your only hope is Moonshadow's Menace, as you can use it to try to push the last bit of damage through if they get Atraxa.

Post side, you'll get Pyroblasts to try to prevent Show and Tell and more cards that deal damage directly (Eidolon/Price) so that you can go over Atraxa. Price of Progress isn't particularly efficient, but it should deal 4 or 6 damage, and this can stack because of Ancient Tomb. In any case, you'd rather not face this opponent.

In:

Out:

Lands

You can put a lot of pressure on this opponent quite fast and finish with burn when they start controlling your creatures. Molten Collapse doesn't hit much in this matchup, but it does hit Exploration and Mox Diamond. Post-side, Price of Progress is lethal, but be careful with Glacial Chasm.

In:

Out:

Mardu Aggro

You can't execute the burn game plan efficiently in this matchup because you'll have to use Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning to get Guide of Souls and Ocelot Pride out of the way and prevent them from gaining life. You must keep your threats alive and try to survive their creatures... Which is easier said than done.

In:

Out:

Eldrazi Stompy

Their key card is Chalice of the Void, and yours is Molten Collapse. When they can't play Chalice (for any reason), you might simply be able to burn them, as they don't have efficient answers to your attackers (Kozilek's Command costs at least 3 mana). Price of Progress is often lethal in this matchup too.

In:

Out:

It's always interesting when an accessible list (ok, this list plays 3 Badlands, but you can replace them) becomes viable in the meta. Moonshadow has shown up in some Dimir lists, Rakdos lists, and Monoblack lists in competitive settings, as we saw above.

What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!