Aristocrats Commander: Sacrifice, Profit, Repeat

Aristocrats decks are one of the most satisfying archetypes in Commander. Instead of winning through combat or combos, Aristocrats decks win by sacrificing creatures for value and draining your opponents to zero life. If you love the idea of sacrificing your own creatures to gain an advantage, Aristocrats is the archetype for you.

What Makes a Good Aristocrats Deck?

A good Aristocrats deck needs three things: token generators to create creatures to sacrifice, sacrifice outlets to sacrifice those creatures, and payoff cards that reward you for sacrificing creatures.

Token Generators

Token generators create the creatures you'll sacrifice. Here are some of the best token generators in Commander:

• Elves of Deep Shadow: Tap to add B, but you lose 1 life. Not a token generator, but provides mana acceleration.
• Dragon Fodder: Create two 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens.
• Krenko, Mob Boss: Tap to create Goblin creature tokens equal to the number of Goblins you control.
• Siege-Gang Commander: Create three 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens when Siege-Gang Commander enters the battlefield.

Sacrifice Outlets

Sacrifice outlets let you sacrifice your creatures for value. Here are some of the best sacrifice outlets in Commander:

• Ashnod's Altar: Sacrifice a creature, add 2 colorless mana.
• Phyrexian Altar: Sacrifice a creature, add one mana of any color.
• Viscera Seer: Sacrifice a creature, scry 1.
• Carrion Feeder: Sacrifice a creature, put a +1/+1 counter on Carrion Feeder.

Payoff Cards

Payoff cards reward you for sacrificing creatures. Here are some of the best payoff cards in Commander:

• Blood Artist: Whenever Blood Artist or another creature dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
• Zulaport Cutthroat: Whenever Zulaport Cutthroat or another creature dies, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
• Exsanguinate: Each opponent loses X life and you gain X life.
• Torment of Hailfire: Choose a number. Each opponent loses X life unless they sacrifice a nonland permanent or discards a card.

Best Aristocrats Commanders

Bloodghast

Bloodghast is a popular Aristocrats commander. His ability to return from the graveyard whenever a land enters the battlefield creates a powerful sacrifice loop. With Bloodghast on the battlefield, you can sacrifice him repeatedly for value.

Zulaport Cutthroat

Zulaport Cutthroat is a classic Aristocrats commander. His ability to drain your opponents whenever a creature dies creates a powerful drain effect. With Zulaport Cutthroat on the battlefield, every sacrifice becomes more valuable.

Kokusho, the Evening Star

Kokusho is a powerful Aristocrats commander. His ability to drain your opponents whenever he dies creates a powerful drain effect. With Kokusho on the battlefield, every sacrifice becomes more valuable.

Building an Aristocrats Deck

Here's a step-by-step guide to building an Aristocrats deck:

1. Choose your commander: Pick a commander that synergizes with sacrifice strategies. Bloodghast, Zulaport Cutthroat, and Kokusho are popular choices.
2. Build your token generator suite: Run at least 10-15 token generators. Include Dragon Fodder, Krenko, and Siege-Gang Commander.
3. Add sacrifice outlets: Run 8-12 sacrifice outlets. Include Ashnod's Altar, Phyrexian Altar, and Viscera Seer.
4. Add payoff cards: Run 8-12 payoff cards. Include Blood Artist, Zulaport Cutthroat, and Exsanguinate.
5. Add ramp: Run 8-12 ramp sources to help you cast your expensive spells on time.
6. Add card draw: Run 8-12 card draw sources to help you find your best cards.
7. Test and iterate: Play your deck and see what works. Cut underperforming cards and add new ones.

Checking Your Aristocrats Deck with Rate My Decks

When you analyze your deck with Rate My Decks, we detect your deck's archetype and compare it to the optimal build for that archetype. If your Aristocrats deck is running too few sacrifice outlets, we'll flag it as a weakness. If your deck is missing key payoff cards, we'll recommend additions.