MTG Ixalan Commander decklist: Blood Rites 

Command vampiric zealots and make sacrifices for demonic power with this MTG Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander deck. 

The Lost Caverns of Ixalan features four Commander decks, highlighting the competing factions of Ixalan attempting to reach the plane’s core. 

Some explore for treasure, others for a new home. The vampire fanatics, splintered from The Legion of Dusk, seek the core to facilitate their dark god’s ascension. 

We’ll walk you through this Vampire Commander deck and highlight Blood Rites’ best plays. 

MTG Lost Caverns of Ixalan Blood Rites strategy 

Blood Rites is an excellent addition to both its main creature type and color identity, zeroing in on what Vampires and Orzhov do best. Lifegain plays a decent part in this deck, as does aristocrats-style sacrifice.  

Generating 1/1 Vampire tokens has always been a core strategy among the white elements of the creature type, and it is on full display in Blood Rites, aided by powerful new options like March of the Canonized. This card – and other token generators like it such as Elenda’s Hierophant – works in tandem with the deck’s new Adventure – Promise of Aclaztoz. With a healthy supply of weak vampires to sacrifice, you’ll be able to churn out powerful flying demons at a regular pace. 

MTG Lost Caverns of Ixalan Blood Rites Commander 

Clavileno, First of the Blessed is a highly unusual Vampire Commander, serving Blood Rites’ unique strategy. Popular vampire Commanders of the past like Soren Markov and Strefan, Maurer progenitor boosted other vampires or provided ways of getting your vampire creatures onto the field faster.  

Clavileno on the other hand prefers his vampires to die and be born again as powerful demons. His abilities favor an aggressive strategy, attacking wherever possible to convert your weaker creatures into more powerful forms, which can provide additional resources on death. 

The deck’s alt Commander, Carmen, Cruel Skymarcher seems perhaps slightly overcosted at first, but does good consistent work for the deck if you can protect her from removal. Building up her own power – which is no joke with flying – providing a small but regular source of lifegain and fetching your vampires right back from the grave. Carmen is a more direct Commander than Clavileno, but one that can arguably have a bigger impact in the late-game. 

MTG Lost Caverns of Ixalan Blood Rites Commander decklist 

Here’s the full decklist for the Blood Rites Commander deck from Creatures to Lands: 

Creature: 27 cards 

• 1 Mavren Fein, Dusk Apostle 
• 1 Welcoming Vampire 
• 1 Bloodghast 
• 1 Bloodtracker 
• 1 Butcher of Malakir 
• 1 Champion of Dusk 
• 1 Cordial Vampire 
• 1 Crossway Troublemakers 
• 1 Drana, Liberator of Malakir 
• 1 Nighthawk Scavenger 
• 1 Patron of the Vein 
• 1 Sanctum Seeker 
• 1 Timothar, Baron of Bats 
• 1 Twilight Prophet 
• 1 Yahenni, Undying Partisan 
• 1 Elenda, the Dusk Rose 
• 1 Vona, Butcher of Magan 
• 1 Martyr of Dusk 
• 1 Blood Artist 
• 1 Bloodline Necromancer 
• 1 Dusk Legion Zealot 
• 1 Falkenrath Noble 
• 1 Indulgent Aristocrat 
• 1 Oathsworn Vampire 
• 1 Viscera Seer 
• 1 Cruel Celebrant 
• 1 Legion Lieutenant 

Artifact: 11 cards 

• 1 Glass-Cast Heart 
• 1 Blade of the Bloodchief 
• 1 Arcane Signet 
• 1 Commander’s Sphere 
• 1 Heirloom Blade 
• 1 Mind Stone 
• 1 Orzhov Signet 
• 1 Sol Ring 
• 1 Swiftfoot Boots 
• 1 Talisman of Hierarchy 
• 1 Wayfarer’s Bauble 

Planeswalker: 1 card 

• 1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad 

Sorcery: 4 cards 

• 1 Austere Command 
• 1 Damn 
• 1 New Blood 
• 1 Pact of the Serpent 

Instant: 4 cards 

• 1 Utter End 
• 1 Return to Dust 
• 1 Swords to Plowshares 
• 1 Village Rites