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Nicol Bolas
Legendary Creature — Elder Dragon
Flying At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice Nicol Bolas unless you pay {U}{B}{R}. Whenever Nicol Bolas deals damage to an opponent, that player discards their hand.
7 / 7
$1.42Buy on TCGPlayer
“7/7 flying dragon that forces hand discard whenever it deals damage.”
Midrange
Intermediate
Combat damage, Control
Control, Ramp, Discard
Strategy
Nicol Bolas is a classic control finisher that punishes opponents for simply existing. Your game plan is to survive the early turns, untap with the Dragon in play, and force opponents into topdeck mode by making them discard their entire hand whenever Bolas deals damage. With flying and a respectable 7/7 body, Bolas pressures life totals while your control elements (counterspells, removal, board wipes) keep the board clear for an inevitable lethal swing.
The tricky part is keeping Bolas around—you need to produce {U}{B}{R} every upkeep, which demands a mana base that can reliably hit all three colors consistently. Build around artifact ramp, dual lands, and cards that generate multiple colors of mana. Once Bolas lands and starts connecting, the game effectively ends: hand disruption combined with a 7/7 flyer is almost impossible for opponents to overcome from a topdecking position.
Strategy generated by Tapped Decks AI. Not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.
Key Synergies
Budget Build
Swap pricey dual lands for budget options like Evolving Wilds, Ketria Triome, or basic land ramp; replace Force of Will with Negate or Counterspell.
Most-Played Cards
Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh
Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God
Cruel Ultimatum
Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
The Eldest Reborn
Crux of Fate
Nicol Bolas, the Deceiver
Megrim
Slave of Bolas
Syphon Mind
Torment of Hailfire
Inclusion = % of Nicol Bolas decks running this card. +lift = percentage-point boost over the format average.
Community Decks
No public decks for Nicol Bolas yet.
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Art Variants
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