Best Cards for Sauron, the Dark Lord in 2025
Sauron, the Dark Lord has risen to become one of the most feared commanders in EDH since his arrival from Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth. His unique combination of Amass Orcs, wheel effects through the Ring mechanic, and built-in protection makes him incredibly versatile. Whether you're building Orc tribal, reanimator, or aristocrats, there's a Sauron build for you.
Looking to test out powerful Sauron cards before investing? Use our proxy printer to playtest your dream deck, or create custom cards to design your own Middle-earth themed additions.
1. Orcish Bowmasters
Mana Cost:
The most powerful Orc printed in Magic, Orcish Bowmasters punishes opponents for drawing cards while creating its own Orc Army. Since Sauron constantly generates Amass triggers, having another Army token creator provides incredible redundancy and damage output.
Why it's great:
- Punishes all forms of card draw across the table
- Creates an Orc Army that grows alongside yours
- Excellent removal for small creatures and planeswalkers
2. Nazgûl
Mana Cost:
The signature creatures of Sauron's army, you can run up to nine copies in your deck. Each Nazgûl triggers "the Ring tempts you" when it enters, accelerating your access to Sauron's devastating wheel effect, and they grow larger as more Wraiths join the battlefield.
Why it's great:
- Run up to 9 copies for consistent Ring temptation
- Deathtouch makes combat incredibly favorable
- Scales with each other for exponential power
3. Call of the Ring
Mana Cost:
This enchantment is the engine that makes Sauron tick. On each upkeep, it tempts you with the Ring—meaning you're constantly churning through your deck, filling your graveyard, and drawing fresh cards without needing to connect in combat.
Why it's great:
- Triggers the Ring each upkeep automatically
- Pairs perfectly with your Ringbearer strategy
- Low mana investment for consistent value
4. Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
Mana Cost:
When you're drawing four cards per turn with Sauron's Ring ability, Sheoldred turns that into a massive life swing. You gain 8 life while your opponents lose life whenever they dare to draw. She's an absolute house in this deck.
Why it's great:
- Massive life gain from Sauron's wheel ability
- Punishes opponents for their card draw
- Forces immediate removal or you run away with the game
5. Rogue's Passage
Mana Cost: Land Type: Land
Your Orc Army needs to connect in combat to trigger the Ring temptation from Sauron. Rogue's Passage guarantees that connection, letting you wheel through your deck reliably every turn. A must-include utility land.
Why it's great:
- Guarantees combat damage for Ring triggers
- Low opportunity cost as a land slot
- Works every turn with no additional mana investment beyond activation
6. Archfiend of Ifnir
Mana Cost:
When Sauron tempts you with the Ring, you discard your entire hand. Archfiend of Ifnir turns every card you discard into -1/-1 counters across all your opponents' creatures. This often results in a one-sided board wipe every time you wheel.
Why it's great:
- Turns wheels into board wipes
- Cycling provides additional discard triggers
- Flying demon body is relevant for combat
7. Witch-king of Angmar
Mana Cost:
The leader of the Nazgûl is a thematic and mechanical powerhouse. He Amasses on attack, has built-in protection through indestructibility, and can force devastating sacrifices when you discard cards—which happens constantly with Sauron.
Why it's great:
- Built-in indestructibility when discarding
- Amasses Orcs 2 when attacking
- Forces sacrifice when you discard
8. Living Death
Mana Cost:
Sauron fills your graveyard rapidly with his wheel effects. Living Death lets you cash in on that full graveyard, swapping everyone's boards with their graveyards. In Sauron, this usually means you get an army of threats while everyone else gets very little.
Why it's great:
- Incredible payoff for graveyard-filling strategies
- One-sided board swing in your favor
- Classic reanimator finisher
9. Phyrexian Altar
Mana Cost:
Your Orc Army is constantly being replaced as new Amass triggers arrive. Phyrexian Altar lets you sacrifice the old Army before the new one replaces it, generating mana and enabling aristocrats-style gameplay. Pairs excellently with blood artist effects.
Why it's great:
- Sacrifice Armies before they merge for value
- Enables infinite mana combos
- Mana fixing in Grixis colors
10. Shadowspear
Mana Cost:
Trample and lifelink on your Orc Army ensures combat damage gets through and keeps your life total healthy. The activated ability to remove hexproof and indestructible is amazing utility for dealing with problematic permanents.
Why it's great:
- Trample ensures your Army deals combat damage
- Lifelink offsets your own life loss from wheeling
- Utility removal of hexproof/indestructible
Building Your Sauron Deck
When constructing your Sauron, the Dark Lord deck, focus on three key areas:
- Evasion for your Orc Army: Cards like Rogue's Passage, Whispersilk Cloak, and Cover of Darkness ensure your Army connects every turn
- Discard/Draw payoffs: Archfiend of Ifnir, Bone Miser, and Sheoldred maximize value from wheeling
- Reanimation targets: Fill your graveyard, then bring back massive threats with Living Death and Rise of the Dark Realms
Ready to start building? Print proxies of these cards to test your build, or visit our gallery for custom Sauron-themed cards from the community!
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