As with most fantasy properties, Magic: The Gathering has no shortage of Gods within its wide-wending worlds. Whether they hail from the skies of Theros or the caverns of Ixalan, there’s a deluge of deities awaiting your command here. While some of these MTG Gods don’t quite feel like they earn the type line, Asmodeus the Archfiend does so and then some. This big bad from Dungeons & Dragons grants immense power at a heavy cost, rewarding handsomely those who dare to accept its deal.
Asmodeus The Archfiend As An MTG Commander
Though being locked to mono-black is certainly restrictive, Asmodeus the Archfiend makes an excellent Commander regardless. Having access to such an absurd draw engine in the command zone lets you play a totally different game to your opponents, provided you can build around Asmodeus’ weak points.
For starters, Asmodeus is incredibly mana-intensive, both in terms of casting cost and ability cost. Fortunately, black is actually one of the best colors in Magic if you want a lot of mana fast, thanks to Rituals like Dark Ritual and Cabal Ritual. Once Asmodeus is down it’s a lightning rod for removal, too, so protection like Lightning Greaves and Blessing of Leeches is a must to keep your draw engine around.
Once you’ve got Asmodeus running smoothly, you can get stuck into some spicy synergies. Since you can easily build your hand up to an absurd size, cards like Psychosis Crawler and Kagemaro, First to Suffer quickly become massive threats. You can then bash in with them for damage, or Fling them with something like Rite of Consumption to burn out opponents. To properly make use of these cards you’ll need to get rid of the usual hand size limit, of course, which cards like Reliquary Tower and Venser’s Journal can do nicely.
One thing to watch out for as you’re blasting through your deck with Asmodeus is your life total, however, since that ability can take quite a toll on it. Some nice incidental lifegain, like The Meathook Massacre and Bloodchief Ascension, can help offset this issue. Alternatively, you can actually lean into the life loss aspect of Asmodeus and run cards like Magus of the Mirror and Profane Transfusion. Drop yourself to a deliberately low life total, and both of these cards essentially become removal spells for opponents.
Fine Print In The 99
As great as Asmodeus the Archfiend is at the head of an MTG Commander deck, it’s arguably even better in the 99. Here, the card’s capacity for combos comes into play, and you can enjoy some nasty instant wins in the right build.
Get Asmodeus in the graveyard, and Necrotic Ooze and Skirge Familiar in play, for instance, and you can dig through your entire deck. Simply pay three black to draw seven cards outright with Ooze, then discard three to Familiar to fund drawing another seven. Rinse and repeat until you’ve got the hand you need to close things out.
While this is technically possible with Asmodeus in the command zone, letting your Commander stay in the graveyard isn’t exactly ideal. This combo’s best variant, which includes exiling Asmodeus to Agatha’s Soul Cauldron, is far better in the 99, too. One of Asmodeus’s best homes in Commander, in fact, is in Mairsil, the Pretender decks, largely because Mairsil can pull off a variant of this combo itself.
For a more devious combo, you can use Asmodeus with Fractured Identity and Drana and Linvala to stop your opponents from drawing cards at all. Simply hit your own Asmodeus with Fractured Identity, giving each opponent a copy, then drop Drana and Linvala to turn off their activated abilities. If you’re in Esper colors, this is a great way to win games and lose friends in one fell swoop.
Though it’s at its best as a combo enabler, Asmodeus is perfectly serviceable in most fair black decks as well. Anything Mono-Black, K’rrik, Son of Yawgmoth in particular, can make great use of it as a draw piece. It’s also great as a reanimation target in decks like Karador, Ghost Chieftain, or a powerful Devil for Devil Typal decks like Raphael, Fiendish Savior.
Let’s Make A Deal
For all that Asmodeus the Archfiend brings to the Commander table, it seems that most MTG players just aren’t willing to take the risk on it. According to EDHREC data, a mere 447 players run Asmodeus in the command zone, which is a shockingly low statistic. It’s certainly more popular in the 99, with around 21,900 players including it there, but that still feels fairly low. Draw power is a must in Commander, after all, and Asmodeus is one of the best sources of that in black.
Fortunately, while playing Asmodeus carries an inherent risk, buying the card has no such issue. Thanks to its relatively low popularity, Asmodeus is dirt cheap to pick up right now. You can currently get near-mint copies of the card on TCGplayer for just $0.25, or $0.44 if you want it in foil. At these prices, Asmodeus is an easy recommendation for a budget pickup, whether you want to build around it or slot it into an existing brew.
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