Ob Nixilis
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Metashare
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[[Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin]] is a Rakdos commander that combines explosive turbo-combo potential with a unique ability to gain incremental card advantage through opponent actions. Often dubbed “Rakdos Rhystic Study,” this deck draws cards as opponents use life as a resource or deal damage to themselves. The deck thrives in high-stakes, competitive environments where aggressive strategies and greedy mana bases abound.
Why Play Ob Nixilis?
You’ll enjoy this deck if you:
Love Rakdos turbo-combo strategies but want a card advantage engine in the command zone.
Appreciate commanders that punish opponents for playing pain lands or using life as a resource.
Want a flexible, resilient deck that can adapt to stax, grindy board states, and turbo metas.
You might not enjoy this deck if you:
Prefer slower, more reactive strategies.
Dislike relying on your commander as a primary value engine.
Are uncomfortable with combat damage as a backup win condition.
Game Plan
Ob Nixilis provides unparalleled flexibility, and the deck thrives by adapting to changing game states. The commander’s ability to draw cards and grow in size allows the deck to alternate between explosive storm turns, resilient midrange plays, and a backup combat damage plan.
Core Strategies
Turbo Combos: Assemble a fast win by leveraging compact Rakdos combos (e.g., [[Dualcaster Mage]] + [[Twinflame]], [[Underworld Breach]] lines).
Storm Turns: Chain spells together using rituals, mana-positive rocks, and Ob’s triggers to draw into win conditions.
Midrange “Rakdos Rhystic Study”: Use Ob’s passive ability to punish opponents’ natural actions (e.g., fetching lands, tapping pain lands) and outvalue them in grindy games.
Combat Pressure: In stax-heavy or midrange games, grow Ob Nixilis into a massive threat and pressure opponents with flying and trample.
Combos
Birgi/Prosper + Ob Nixilis + Pinger + Sensei’s Divining Top
Core Pieces: [[Birgi, God of Storytelling]]/[[Prosper, Tome-Bound]], [[Reckless Fireweaver]]/[[Mayhem Devil]]/[[Disciple of the Vault]], [[Sensei’s Divining Top]], Ob Nixilis.
How It Works:
Cast [[Birgi, God of Storytelling]] or [[Prosper, Tome-Bound]] for mana generation.
Play a pinger like [[Reckless Fireweaver]].
Cast [[Sensei’s Divining Top]], triggering mana generation and Ob Nixilis’s ability.
Activate [[Sensei’s Divining Top]] to draw it, triggering Ob to exile it.
Recast [[Sensei’s Divining Top]] using mana from Birgi or Treasures from Prosper.
Repeat for infinite damage, infinite +1/+1 counters on Ob, and draw your deck.
[[All Will Be One]]
Core Pieces: [[Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin]], [[All Will Be One]], any source of 1 damage.
How It Works:
Cast [[All Will Be One]] with Ob on the battlefield.
Trigger Ob Nixilis with any source of 1 life loss to an opponent (e.g., attacking with a creature or a pinger).
[[All Will Be One]] deals damage equal to the counters placed on Ob, triggering Ob again.
Repeat the loop for infinite damage and infinite +1/+1 counters on Ob.
[[Dualcaster Mage]] Combos
Core Pieces: [[Dualcaster Mage]] + [[Twinflame]] or [[Saw In Half]].
How It Works:
Cast [[Twinflame]] or [[Saw In Half]], targeting another creature.
Flash in [[Dualcaster Mage]] to copy the spell, targeting itself.
Repeat the loop to create infinite hasty tokens of [[Dualcaster Mage]].
Attack for lethal or combine with a damage spell like [[Grapeshot]] or [[Lightning Bolt]].
[[Underworld Breach]]
Core Pieces: [[Underworld Breach]], [[Wheel of Fortune]], and [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]].
How It Works:
Cast [[Underworld Breach]] and use [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] to generate mana.
Escape [[Wheel of Fortune]] to refill your hand while exiling cards.
Loop [[Lion’s Eye Diamond]] and [[Wheel of Fortune]] to find a win condition.
Close the game with [[Grapeshot]] or pinger triggers.
Walking Ballista + Agatha’s Soul Cauldron
Core Pieces: [[Walking Ballista]], [[Agatha’s Soul Cauldron]], Ob Nixilis.
How It Works:
Use [[Agatha’s Soul Cauldron]] to exile [[Walking Ballista]] and give its activated ability to Ob Nixilis.
Remove a +1/+1 counter from Ob to deal 1 damage to an opponent, triggering Ob.
Ob gains another +1/+1 counter, allowing you to repeat for infinite damage.
Combat Damage Backup Plan
Ob Nixilis grows quickly through triggers and can often one-shot opponents with flying and trample. In grindy games, use combat damage to pressure life totals and eliminate players.
Notable Synergies
[[Prosper, Tome-Bound]]: Generates Treasure for every card cast from exile, fueling storm turns.
[[Orcish Bowmasters]]: Synergizes with wheels and punishes opponents for drawing cards.
[[Lightning Greaves]]: Protects Ob from removal and enables immediate value generation.
[[Birgi, God of Storytelling]]: Reduces the cost of storm turns and synergizes with [[Sensei’s Divining Top]].
[[Reckless Fireweaver]]/[[Mayhem Devil]]: Convert Treasure creation into damage and card advantage.
Mulligans
Focus on hands that enable a turn 1-2 Ob Nixilis. Ideal hands include:
Fast mana like [[Dark Ritual]], [[Lotus Petal]], or [[Mox Amber]].
Interaction like [[Deflecting Swat]] or [[Red Elemental Blast]].
Card advantage engines like [[Prosper, Tome-Bound]] or [[Kederekt Parasite]].
Piloting Ob Nixilis
Early Game
Prioritize resolving Ob Nixilis by turn 2.
Leverage incidental triggers from opponents to draw cards and sculpt your hand.
Deploy pingers like [[Reckless Fireweaver]] or [[Disciple of the Vault]] for additional pressure.
Mid Game
Begin assembling combo pieces while keeping interaction available.
Use Ob’s ability to exile key combo pieces for later use.
Play around stax by leveraging combat damage or assembling combos that bypass key hate pieces.
Late Game
Finish the game with a compact win condition or combat damage.
If disrupted, pivot into attrition-based strategies to grind opponents out of resources.
Conclusion
Ob Nixilis, Captive Kingpin, is a powerhouse Rakdos commander offering unparalleled card advantage and combo potential. With flexibility to storm, grind, or beat down, the deck adapts to diverse pods and metas. Whether you’re chaining spells for explosive turns or punishing opponents’ life loss, Ob Nixilis ensures you’ll always have a path to victory.
References:
Throb Dixilis, Schlaptive Dlingpin cEDH
Ob Nixilis - All Will Be ONE
