The Ruinous Powers is the blue, black and red (Grixis) Commander precon from Warhammer 40,000, released October 7, 2022 at $59.99. The commander is Abaddon the Despoiler. It deals damage first and then casts spells that cascade, and it rewards players who like planning a turn in the right order. This guide covers what the deck is, whether it is worth buying, the 5 best cards to add, 5 budget picks under $5, the $10 upgrade plan, and the stock 100 with the exact cards to cut. Prices checked October 11, 2026.
What is The Ruinous Powers precon?
The Ruinous Powers is a Grixis (blue, black and red) cascade deck. Abaddon the Despoiler is a five-mana 5/5 trampler, and during your turn the spells you cast from your hand gain cascade as long as their mana value is no more than the total life your opponents have lost that turn. Deal damage first, then cast. The 99 already has cascade spells of its own (Bituminous Blast, Deny Reality, Let the Galaxy Burn, Noise Marine, Heralds of Tzeentch) and damage makers (Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch, Pink Horror, Kill! Maim! Burn!). Be'lakor, the Dark Master, the alternate commander, leads a Demon build instead.
Color: blue, black and red (Grixis)
Price: $59.99 at launch in 2022; reprint price not announced
Commander: Abaddon the Despoiler
Decklist: 100 cards, official list from Wizards
Value of the singles: about $161 (cheapest printing of every card, October 11, 2026)
Release: October 7, 2022 (full release calendar)
Alternate commander: Be'lakor, the Dark Master
Sealed price: $231.37 TCGplayer market on October 8, 2026, per Spikey Bits
Reprint: small reprint confirmed by Wizards on October 8, 2026; date and price not announced
Is The Ruinous Powers worth buying?
Yes, if you like big turns where one spell turns into two or three. It asks more of the pilot than the other three decks because the order of plays matters. Skip it if you want a deck that plays itself. It was the cheapest of the four sealed decks at a $231.37 TCGplayer market price on October 8, 2026, per Spikey Bits, and the singles add up to about $161.
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5 best cards to add to The Ruinous Powers
None of the five below is in the stock list, and each one replaces a specific card named in the cut list further down. Prices are the cheapest printing on Scryfall as of October 11, 2026.
Purphoros, God of the Forge (about $27): 2 damage to each opponent whenever another creature enters under your control. One creature spell sets up a cascade of 6 against three opponents. Replaces Assault Suit.
Fiery Emancipation (about $8): triples the damage your sources deal, so every ping and attack unlocks much bigger cascades. Replaces Khârn the Betrayer.
Sword of Fire and Ice (about $18): protection from two colors, plus 2 damage and a card each time the equipped creature connects. Replaces Nurgle's Rot.
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker (about $6): a Goblin that makes Treasure when it attacks, then a loot, then a creature that copies one of your other nonlegendary creatures every turn. Replaces Wayfarer's Bauble.
Professional Face-Breaker (about $5): makes a Treasure whenever your creatures deal combat damage to a player, and can turn Treasures into cards. Replaces Knight Rampager.
5 budget upgrades under $5 for The Ruinous Powers
Every card here costs under $5 for its cheapest printing as of October 11, 2026. The five together run about $8.52.
Chandra, Torch of Defiance (about $1.80): her +1 exiles the top card and deals 2 damage to each opponent if you don't cast it, which turns on Abaddon before you cast anything. Replaces Chaos Mutation.
Impact Tremors (about $2.51): 1 damage to each opponent whenever a creature enters under your control. A cheap creature first means a bigger cascade after. Replaces Temple of the False God.
Hellrider (about $0.53): each attacking creature deals 1 damage to the defending player, so a full attack sets up a large cascade in your second main phase. Replaces Bile Blight.
Guttersnipe (about $0.24): 2 damage to each opponent whenever you cast an instant or sorcery, including the free ones cascade finds. Replaces Forgotten Cave.
Archfiend of Despair (about $3.44): opponents can't gain life, and at each end step they lose life equal to what they already lost that turn. Replaces Molten Slagheap.
How to upgrade The Ruinous Powers for $10
Start with the Precon Upgrade Playbook: fifteen colorless cards, six cut rules, and a ten dollar mana base that work on every precon ever printed. Then make the five budget swaps above, about $8.52 in total. The exact cards to take out are in the decklist section below.
What is in The Ruinous Powers decklist?
Wizards published the full 100 cards (official decklist). The commander is Abaddon the Despoiler. Cards in bold are the ten our upgrade cuts.
Creatures (29): Aspiring Champion, Be'lakor, the Dark Master, Bloodcrusher of Khorne, Bloodthirster, Chaos Defiler, Chaos Terminator Lord, Dark Apostle, Exalted Flamer of Tzeentch, Great Unclean One, Helbrute, Herald of Slaanesh, Heralds of Tzeentch, Keeper of Secrets, Khârn the Betrayer, Knight Rampager, Lord of Change, Lucius the Eternal, Magnus the Red, Mortarion, Daemon Primarch, Mutalith Vortex Beast, Noise Marine, Pink Horror, Plague Drone, Poxwalkers, Seeker of Slaanesh, Sloppity Bilepiper, Tallyman of Nurgle, Tzaangor Shaman, Venomcrawler
Instants (10): Bile Blight, Bituminous Blast, Blood for the Blood God!, Brainstorm, Chaos Mutation, Chaos Warp, Dark Ritual, Kill! Maim! Burn!, Nurgle's Conscription, Reverberate
Sorceries (7): Blasphemous Act, Blight Grenade, Decree of Pain, Deny Reality, Let the Galaxy Burn, Mandate of Abaddon, Past in Flames
Artifacts (10): Assault Suit, Chromatic Lantern, Commander's Sphere, Drach'Nyen, Sol Ring, Talisman of Creativity, Talisman of Dominance, Talisman of Indulgence, Wayfarer's Bauble, Worn Powerstone
Enchantments (5): Nurgle's Rot, The Horus Heresy, The Lost and the Damned, The Ruinous Powers, Warstorm Surge
Lands (38): Barren Moor, Command Tower, Crumbling Necropolis, Dismal Backwater, Evolving Wilds, Exotic Orchard, Foreboding Ruins, Forgotten Cave, Molten Slagheap, Path of Ancestry, Sunken Hollow, Swiftwater Cliffs, Temple of the False God, Terramorphic Expanse, 8 Island, 8 Mountain, 8 Swamp
Cuts and adds for The Ruinous Powers
Budget: cut Chaos Mutation (random, and opponents can end up with better creatures than they lost), add Chandra, Torch of Defiance.
Budget: cut Temple of the False God (taps for nothing until you have five lands), add Impact Tremors.
Budget: cut Bile Blight (-3/-3 on one creature is narrow removal), add Hellrider.
Budget: cut Forgotten Cave (a tapped cycling land), add Guttersnipe.
Budget: cut Molten Slagheap (a slow storage land that taps for colorless), add Archfiend of Despair.
Best: cut Assault Suit (seven mana to cast and equip, and it hands your creature to opponents), add Purphoros, God of the Forge.
Best: cut Khârn the Betrayer (must attack and changes sides when damaged), add Fiery Emancipation.
Best: cut Nurgle's Rot (a one-mana Aura that waits for the creature to die), add Sword of Fire and Ice.
Best: cut Wayfarer's Bauble (three mana total for one tapped basic land), add Fable of the Mirror-Breaker.
Best: cut Knight Rampager (attacks a random opponent whether you want it to or not), add Professional Face-Breaker.
The Ruinous Powers FAQ
What is The Ruinous Powers precon?
The Ruinous Powers is the blue, black and red (Grixis) Commander precon from Warhammer 40,000, released October 7, 2022, led by Abaddon the Despoiler. It deals damage first, then casts spells that cascade.
What is The Ruinous Powers commander?
Abaddon the Despoiler, a five-mana Grixis 5/5 trampler that gives spells you cast from your hand on your turn cascade, up to the total life your opponents have lost that turn.
What are the best cards to add to The Ruinous Powers?
Purphoros, God of the Forge; Fiery Emancipation; Sword of Fire and Ice; Fable of the Mirror-Breaker; Professional Face-Breaker. None of them are in the stock list.
What are the best budget upgrades for The Ruinous Powers?
Chandra, Torch of Defiance; Impact Tremors; Hellrider; Guttersnipe; Archfiend of Despair. All five cost under $5 for their cheapest printing as of October 11, 2026, about $8.52 together.
Is The Ruinous Powers being reprinted?
Yes. A Wizards representative confirmed a small reprint of all four regular Warhammer 40,000 Commander decks on October 8, 2026. Wizards has not announced a date or a price, and the Collector's Editions were not mentioned.
Who is the alternate commander in The Ruinous Powers?
Be'lakor, the Dark Master. When it enters you draw a card and lose 1 life for each Demon you control, and every other Demon that enters deals damage equal to its power to any target.
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The other Warhammer 40K precons
Necron Dynasties: mono-black artifact creatures and self-mill, led by Szarekh, the Silent King.
Tyranid Swarm: blue, red and green (Temur) +1/+1 counters, led by The Swarmlord.
Forces of the Imperium: white, blue and black (Esper) tokens and Clues, led by Inquisitor Greyfax.
Or start with the full Warhammer 40K precon guide, or browse every precon upgrade guide.
Decklist from Wizards of the Coast (official decklists). Card prices from Scryfall, cheapest non-foil printing, October 11, 2026.
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