How to Play Nekusar, the Mindrazer in Commander

Bracket 4 · Our Nekusar decklist · Group Slug

Our Nekusar list is Grixis wheels and draw punishment. Everyone draws an extra card each draw step, and every card an opponent draws costs them 1 life.

The deck stacks punishers like Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, Underworld Dreams and Fate Unraveler, then casts Wheel of Fortune, Windfall and Echo of Eons so opponents draw seven cards and take seven damage from each punisher.

Strategy
Group Slug
Bracket
4
Avg. mana value
3.02
Lands
36
Shop the deck · $45See the decklist

01The Commander

Nekusar, the Mindrazer is a five-mana 2/4. At the beginning of each player's draw step, that player draws an additional card. Whenever an opponent draws a card, Nekusar deals 1 damage to that player.

Every opponent takes two damage a turn just from drawing. A wheel makes each opponent draw seven, for seven damage from Nekusar alone.

Stack more punishers and each draw costs more. With Sheoldred, the Apocalypse out, a wheel deals 21 to each opponent.

02How This Deck Wins

  1. 1

    Set up punishers

    Underworld Dreams, Fate Unraveler, Razorkin Needlehead and Orcish Bowmasters deal damage whenever opponents draw.

  2. 2

    Make them draw

    Howling Mine, Font of Mythos and Kami of the Crescent Moon add draws, and Forced Fruition makes each spell draw seven.

  3. 3

    Wheel for the win

    Wheel of Fortune, Windfall, Echo of Eons and Reforge the Soul make everyone draw seven, which kills with enough punishers.

03Deck at a Glance

Bracket 4 · Group Slug · 100 cards

Composition

  • Commander1
  • Creatures18
  • Instants & sorceries23
  • Artifacts & enchantments21
  • Planeswalkers1
  • Lands36
  • Tokens4

Mana Curve

00
61
232
163
94
45
36
27+

Color Split

77colored
symbols
  • Blue 31%
  • Black 40%
  • Red 29%

By the Numbers

3.02avg. mana value
36lands (16 basic)
4Game Changers
4token types included

Cards by Role

Punishers18
Wheels14
Extra Draws9
Tutors and Mana11
Interaction and Protection11

04Punishers

Each one adds damage to every card opponents draw.

Sheoldred, the ApocalypseOpponents lose 2 per draw, and you gain 2 per draw.
Underworld DreamsOne damage per opponent draw.
Fate UnravelerOne damage per opponent draw, on a 3/4 body.
Ob Nixilis, the Hate-TwistedOne damage per draw, and removal that makes them draw.
Solphim, Mayhem DominusDoubles every point of noncombat damage.

Also in this role

Razorkin Needlehead
Orcish Bowmasters
Kederekt Parasite
Scrawling Crawler
Phyrexian Tyranny
Spiteful Visions
Fevered Visions
Megrim
Liliana's Caress
Waste Not
Psychosis Crawler
The Locust God
Harmonic Prodigy

05Wheels

Everyone discards and draws seven. Your punishers do the rest.

Wheel of FortuneEach player discards and draws seven for three mana.
WindfallEach player discards and draws to the biggest hand.
Echo of EonsShuffle hands and graveyards, draw seven, with flashback.
Reforge the SoulA wheel, and a miracle for two.
Peer into the AbyssOne opponent draws half their library and loses half their life.

Also in this role

Magus of the Wheel
Whispering Madness
Wheel and Deal
Jace's Archivist
Dark Deal
Molten Psyche
Winds of Change
Prosperity
Teferi's Puzzle Box

06Extra Draws

More cards for everyone, more damage for them.

Forced FruitionOpponents draw seven for every spell they cast.
Font of MythosTwo extra cards for everyone each draw step.
Howling MineOne extra card for everyone.
Kami of the Crescent MoonHowling Mine on a creature.
Seizan, Perverter of TruthEach player loses 2 and draws two every upkeep.

Also in this role

Master of the Feast
Stormfist Crusader
Thought Vessel
Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph

07Tutors and Mana

Find a wheel and cast it.

Demonic TutorAny card for two.
Dark RitualThree black for one.
Nightscape FamiliarBlue and red spells cost one less.
Sol RingFast mana.

Also in this role

Arcane Signet
Dimir Signet
Izzet Signet
Rakdos Signet
Talisman of Creativity
Talisman of Dominance
Lightning Greaves

08Interaction and Protection

Counters and removal to protect the punishers.

Fierce GuardianshipFree counterspell with Nekusar out.
PropagandaTwo mana per attacker.
CounterspellTwo-mana answer to anything.
Baleful MasteryExile a creature or planeswalker. The cheap cost makes an opponent draw.
Cyclonic RiftBounce one thing, or everything late.

Also in this role

Arcane Denial
Negate
An Offer You Can't Refuse
Terminate
Chaos Warp
Blasphemous Act

09Combos and Key Interactions

+

Nekusar, the Mindrazer + Wheel of Fortune

Each opponent draws seven and takes seven from Nekusar.

+

Sheoldred, the Apocalypse + Windfall

Each card opponents draw costs them 2 life, and you gain 2 for each of your draws.

+

Forced Fruition + Underworld Dreams

Each spell an opponent casts draws them seven, and Dreams deals seven.

10How to Play

Opening hand

Keep hands with three lands, a mana rock and a punisher or wheel. Nekusar costs five in three colors, so the mana matters.

1

Early gameturns 1-3

Play rocks and punishers like Underworld Dreams or Kederekt Parasite.

2

Mid gameturns 4-7

Cast Nekusar and add more punishers. Every draw step hurts opponents.

3

Late gameturn 8+

Cast a wheel like Wheel of Fortune or Windfall with several punishers out for lethal damage.

Tips

  • Count total damage before wheeling: draws times punishers, doubled by Solphim.
  • Wheels refill your hand too, so you can follow up.
  • Kederekt Parasite needs a red permanent to work.
  • Teferi's Puzzle Box makes everyone redraw their hand every draw step.

Common mistakes

  • Wheeling with no punishers out and refilling opponents.
  • Losing to your own Phyrexian Tyranny or Seizan.
  • Tapping out without counterspell backup.
  • Overdrawing yourself without Thought Vessel.

Watch out for

  • Effects that stop damage or life loss.
  • Opponents who use your extra cards.
  • Removal on Nekusar and punishers.
  • Aggressive decks that kill you first.

11Bracket and Rule 0

1Exhibition
2Core
3Upgraded
4Optimized
5cEDH
Bracket4

Our list runs 4 Game Changers (Cyclonic Rift, Demonic Tutor, Fierce Guardianship, Orcish Bowmasters). That is more than the Bracket 3 limit of three, so we call it Bracket 4 at the table.

The deck can kill everyone with one wheel, so make sure the table expects that.

12Full Decklist

Every card in our Nekusar proxy deck (100 cards). Hover or tap a name to see the card.

Commander

  • 1Nekusar, the Mindrazer2UBR

Creatures (18)

  • 1Kederekt ParasiteB
  • 1Harmonic Prodigy1R
  • 1Kami of the Crescent MoonUU
  • 1Nightscape Familiar1B
  • 1Orcish Bowmasters1B
  • 1Razorkin NeedleheadRR
  • 1Stormfist CrusaderBR
  • 1Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph1UR
  • 1Jace's Archivist1UU
  • 1Magus of the Wheel2R
  • 1Master of the Feast1BB
  • 1Scrawling Crawler3
  • 1Fate Unraveler3B
  • 1Sheoldred, the Apocalypse2BB
  • 1Solphim, Mayhem Dominus2RR
  • 1Psychosis Crawler5
  • 1Seizan, Perverter of Truth3BB
  • 1The Locust God4UR

Planeswalkers (1)

  • 1Ob Nixilis, the Hate-Twisted3BB

Instants (11)

  • 1An Offer You Can't RefuseU
  • 1Dark RitualB
  • 1Arcane Denial1U
  • 1CounterspellUU
  • 1Cyclonic Rift1U
  • 1Negate1U
  • 1TerminateBR
  • 1Chaos Warp2R
  • 1Fierce Guardianship2U
  • 1Baleful Mastery3B
  • 1Wheel and Deal3U

Sorceries (12)

  • 1ProsperityXU
  • 1Winds of ChangeR
  • 1Demonic Tutor1B
  • 1Dark Deal2B
  • 1Molten Psyche1RR
  • 1Wheel of Fortune2R
  • 1Windfall2U
  • 1Whispering Madness2UB
  • 1Reforge the Soul3RR
  • 1Echo of Eons4UU
  • 1Peer into the Abyss4BBB
  • 1Blasphemous Act8R

Artifacts (12)

  • 1Sol Ring1
  • 1Arcane Signet2
  • 1Dimir Signet2
  • 1Howling Mine2
  • 1Izzet Signet2
  • 1Lightning Greaves2
  • 1Rakdos Signet2
  • 1Talisman of Creativity2
  • 1Talisman of Dominance2
  • 1Thought Vessel2
  • 1Font of Mythos4
  • 1Teferi's Puzzle Box4

Enchantments (9)

  • 1Liliana's Caress1B
  • 1Waste Not1B
  • 1Fevered Visions1UR
  • 1Megrim2B
  • 1Phyrexian TyrannyUBR
  • 1Propaganda2U
  • 1Underworld DreamsBBB
  • 1Spiteful Visions2B/RB/R
  • 1Forced Fruition4UU

Lands (36)

  • 1Blood Crypt
  • 1Bloodstained Mire
  • 1Bojuka Bog
  • 1Command Tower
  • 1Crumbling Necropolis
  • 1Dragonskull Summit
  • 1Drowned Catacomb
  • 1Exotic Orchard
  • 1Geier Reach Sanitarium
  • 6Island
  • 1Luxury Suite
  • 1Morphic Pool
  • 4Mountain
  • 1Polluted Delta
  • 1Reliquary Tower
  • 1Scalding Tarn
  • 1Steam Vents
  • 1Sulfur Falls
  • 1Sunken Hollow
  • 6Swamp
  • 1Training Center
  • 1Watery Grave
  • 1Xander's Lounge
Nekusar proxy deck cover

Get the deck

Nekusar Group Slug proxy deck

Nekusar turns every card into damage. Stack punishers, make them draw, and wheel for the win.

Every card in this guide is shown exactly as it prints in the deck you get, sleeve-ready, with tokens.

Shop the deck · $45

Every card named in this guide is in our deck, and every image is our own proxy card, rendered from the art in this deck.