Rivaz's Dragon Graveyard (Budget Rakdos Brawl)

A budget Rakdos Dragon Brawl deck led by Rivaz of the Claw that uses cheap interaction, mana rocks and Dragon cost-reducers to land evasive Dragons, then rebuys them from the graveyard for a relentless second wave.

Rivaz of the Claw is the engine: it taps for any color to cast Dragons and can exile a Dragon from your graveyard to make 2/2 flying Dragon tokens, so every Dragon that dies becomes fuel for both mana and bodies. Dragonlord's Servant and Dragonspeaker Shaman stack with Rivaz and with Dragon's Hoard, Arcane Signet, Mind Stone, Manalith and Worn Powerstone to let you cast six-drops several turns early. Rapacious Dragon and Goldspan Dragon make Treasures that Deadly Dispute turns into cards, while Atsushi, the Blazing Sky refunds both a card and Treasure when it dies. Scorching Dragonfire and Sarkhan's Dragonfire get stronger once you have a Dragon on board, and Blood for Bones, Zombify and Macabre Waltz return fallen Dragons so Rivaz keeps reloading.

Keep any hand with 3-4 lands, at least one red and one black source, and either a cheap removal spell (Fatal Push, Bloodchief's Thirst, Cut Down, Shock, Play with Fire) or a mana rock plus one Dragon. Mulligan hands with fewer than two lands, hands with no black source when holding Grasp of Darkness or Murder, and all-bomb hands with no early interaction. A five-card hand with a cheap removal spell, two lands and a rock is perfectly keepable.

Early (turns 1-3): answer the opponent's first threats with one-for-one removal, deploy Arcane Signet, Mind Stone, Manalith or Dragon's Hoard to ramp and fix colors, and stick a cheap value creature such as Phyrexian Rager, Gifted Aetherborn or Vampire Nighthawk. Mid (turns 4-6): cast Rivaz, then begin chaining Dragons with Dragonlord's Servant and Dragonspeaker Shaman discounts, using Scorching Dragonfire, Draconic Roar or Dragon's Fire to clear blockers. Late (turn 7+): land Rapacious Dragon, Goldspan Dragon, Atsushi or Skarrgan Hellkite, then win with Terror of the Peaks triggers plus Sarkhan's Dragonfire and Brimstone Volley to the face; rebuy any Dragon that dies with Blood for Bones, Zombify or Macabre Waltz, keeping pressure on every turn.

Graveyard hate such as Rest in Peace or Grafdigger's Cage blanks Rivaz and your reanimation suite, so you must lean on hard-cast Dragons instead. Rivaz is a fragile 3/3 that dies to nearly every removal spell, and the deck's reliance on cost reducers means it stumbles if they are killed before your six-drops arrive. Countermagic and exile-based removal (Farewell, Swords-type effects) remove Dragons permanently, and aggressive decks can race you if you draw only expensive Dragons and mana rocks for the first four turns.