Shadowblood Ridge
73% of drawn Shadowblood Ridges are tapped for mana before the game ends, and decks that cast it win 43% of the time versus 31% when it stays in the library — a +12.6-point directional edge.
Shadowblood Ridge sits in 4.3% of the 1,688 Commander decks tracked on Playgroup Live — a niche land by raw numbers, but one that punches above its weight inside Black-Red and Mardu shells. Across 101 tracked games, decks that activated it won 43% of the time compared to 31% when it never left the library.
The +12.6-point cast-vs-library delta is the most interesting number here. Both buckets are directional rather than conclusive given the sample sizes (23 cast, 81 library), but the gap is consistent enough to notice. Once it hits the battlefield it almost never leaves: 95.7% stickiness reflects the obvious reality that lands are rarely removed. Players also tend to hold it a turn before activating — the median hand-to-cast delay is 1 turn, and only 41% of the time is it tapped on the same turn it is drawn.
The commander distribution tells the real story: Shadowblood Ridge is a Rakdos staple concentrated in a handful of {B}{R} commanders, with Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar leading at 13 decks. It fills a simple, durable role — reliable two-color fixing for a modest {1} activation cost — which explains both its moderate inclusion rate and its high battlefield stickiness once it arrives.
- 4.3% inclusion rate across tracked Commander decks, concentrated in Rakdos and Mardu shells
- 27% draw rate across deck-participations where it was included
- 73% of drawn copies are cast before the game ends
- T5 median first-cast turn, with a wide spread from turns 1 through 11
- 96% battlefield stickiness once activated — lands rarely get answered
- +12.6 percentage-point win-rate delta for decks that cast it vs. those that never did
First-cast turn
n=29The "good card" funnel
155 broughtOf 111 Shadowblood Ridges brought to games, 30 were drawn and 23 of those were cast — a 73% draw-to-play rate — with nearly all of the cast copies (96%) remaining on the battlefield when the game concluded.
Players who cast this card win 38% of the time (n=29) , vs 33% when it never left the library (n=115).
Final zone distribution
155 instances81 of 111 Shadowblood Ridges never left the library — the structural baseline for a singleton land — while 22 were still on the battlefield at game's end, reflecting how rarely lands are removed once deployed.
Top commanders running this card
by deck count-
1
Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar
16 decks
-
2
Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls
15 decks
-
3
Terra, Herald of Hope
11 decks
-
4
Strefan, Maurer Progenitor
10 decks
-
5
Fire Lord Azula
7 decks
-
6
Olivia, Opulent Outlaw
7 decks
-
7
Lynde, Cheerful Tormentor
6 decks
-
8
Shadow the Hedgehog
6 decks
-
9
The Lord of Pain
6 decks
-
10
Caesar, Legion's Emperor
5 decks
The top 10 commanders are all Rakdos or Mardu shells, with Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar holding a clear lead at 13 decks, but the spread across 10 distinct commanders shows the Ridge is a format staple rather than a pet card for one archetype.
How often is Shadowblood Ridge actually drawn in a Commander game? ▾
In games where it was included, Shadowblood Ridge was drawn in roughly 27% of deck-participations — close to the expected rate for a singleton in a 100-card deck. Of the 30 instances we observed in hand, 22 were cast before the game ended, giving a draw-to-play rate of 73%.
What does the +12.6-point win-rate delta mean? ▾
Decks that cast Shadowblood Ridge won 43% of their games; decks where it sat in the library all game won 31%. The 12.6-point gap is a directional signal that drawing and deploying this land correlates with better outcomes. Both buckets are small (23 cast, 81 library), so treat this as early signal rather than a definitive verdict.
Why do players hold Shadowblood Ridge in hand instead of playing it immediately? ▾
Only 41% of copies are activated on the same turn they are drawn, and the median delay before tapping is 1 turn. This is common for pain-free tap-lands and activation-cost lands: players often prefer to develop other resources on the turn they draw it, then deploy it the following turn when the {1} activation cost is less punishing.
Which commanders run Shadowblood Ridge most often? ▾
Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar leads with 13 decks in our dataset, followed by Strefan, Maurer Progenitor (8 decks), and both Olivia, Opulent Outlaw and Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls at 7 decks each. All of the top commanders share Black-Red in their color identity, which is expected — Shadowblood Ridge exclusively produces {B}{R} mana.
Is Shadowblood Ridge legal in Commander? ▾
Yes. Shadowblood Ridge is legal in Commander, Duel Commander, Legacy, Vintage, Premodern, and Oathbreaker. It is not legal in Modern, Pioneer, Standard, or any Brawl variant. It has no color restrictions beyond its {B}{R} color identity, so it can only be included in decks whose commander has both Black and Red (or either) in their color identity.
How does Shadowblood Ridge compare to other Rakdos dual lands? ▾
Shadowblood Ridge is an 'activation-cost' land: it enters untapped but costs {1} to produce colored mana, making it a middle-ground option between fetch lands and basic tap-lands. Its 95.7% battlefield stickiness confirms players almost never sacrifice or exchange it once it is down, suggesting it fills a reliable, low-risk fixing role rather than an expendable utility one.