Hi guys! My name is Jonathan and I live in Canada. I started playing mtg in 2011 and the only format I've ever played is Commander. This amazing format is the reason I got into magic and I don't think I'll move on to anything else in the foreseeable future. I play in several different playgroups, some more competitive than others. I consider myself to be half spike and half everything else. I like combos, I like hardcasting fatties, I also pay lots of attention to card arts and flavours. However as much as I like to win, I don't play very well because I haven't been playing for as long as others. I love deckbuilding, in fact I think I enjoy building decks more than playing them. This leads us the next section.
The Tri-colour Madness Deck Series:
As I've mentioned above, I really enjoy building decks and I see it as one of my creative outlets. I take pride in the decks I build and I enjoy seeing them being successful when played by me or others. So far I've built 10 decks, each of them features a unique tri-colour combo (yup, that's all of them!). On top of the the passion for deckbuilding, another reason for me to build so many decks is that I am relatively new to the game of mtg, and I want to try out all kinds of different decks.
You'll see a large variety of deck archetypes from this series including: timmy, theft/control, aikido(passive reactive control), ramp, rock/recursion, artifacts, mill/reanimation, tokens and voltron/aggro. For some decks, I decide on the archetype and general, then I search up all kinds of decklists online and from those I create my ideal list for that strategy(my spike side). For other decks, I just come up with an idea and dive into it blindly which results in decks that are 100% my own through extensive testing and modifying. All of my decks are built to be multiplayer oriented.
One problem that I came across when building these decks is that there are many card overlaps even though all of the decks utilize different strategies. I was unable to avoid including cards like primeval titan and consecrated sphinx in every deck of the appropriate colours. I've been trying my best to avoid this and limit the number of staples that go in all my decks. In the near future I will spend some time to focus specifically on cutting those staples from my decks.
The reason for me to post this series is that I want to share my passion with all of you, and at the same time receive some feedbacks and suggestions in order to help me further improve my decks. I'm sure this will be a great experience and help me and others in many different ways. Thanks in advance!
Probably one of the most overplayed generals for the voltron strategy. And there is a reason for that. Not only is it an extremely efficient 4-cost creature doing 8 damage with one unsupported attack. He also welds the swords and umezawa's jitte better than anyone else. The problem with Rafiq is that he lacks any sort of evasion or protection, so we need a set of support cards that provides him with both. For the bant colour, the other option for voltron is Jenara, Asura of War. To me it seems like Jenara encourages a more of a good-stuff deck type that is not as dependent on the general. There are some very powerful Jenara decks but I think Rafiq allows me to build a deck that has a stronger voltron theme.
.
Basic Land Art
I've been a huge fan of the basic land arts on magic cards ever since I started playing the game. In the beginning I loved the zendikar ones and filled my decks with them. Then they became a bit repetitive and boring. As a result my inner Vorthos pushed me to move on and search for some other land arts that fit well in my decks. I follow a few basic guidelines when searching for my lands. Obviously they must look good. They should also be on theme with the deck, and as a result of that, the lands in a deck are mostly from the same sets/blocks. Lastly, i try to keep my lands new-boardered, just because I like them better.
For Rafiq, we have:
Ravnica Lands are amongst the most beautiful lands in MTG's history, I'm sure many agree with me. Return to Ravnica followed that tradition with a set of lands that I personally like even more than their predecessors. I had to fit those into a deck, and in the end I decided to use them, instead of the Bant lands from Alara, in Rafiq. I personally think that the Ravnica ones fit Rafiq's theme really well. It's hard to explain, but I just feel that way. I would really love to hear which lands you think are the best for this deck!
Tacics:
Voltron decks are at an awkward spot in multiplayer EDH. With multiple opponents, it is impossible for one general to out-aggro and kill all of them one by one. Often times you overstretch to kill one or two players, then get devoured by rest of the table. Not only does this not win you games, it is also unfun for you and the players you take out. Because of that, I decided to attempt a middle ground: mid-late game voltron.
In early game my board state usually consists of creatures like Trygon Predator or Cold-Eyed Selkie swinging with some sword to generate card advantage and deal a little bit of damage. Late game, I find an opening and bring out rafiq to either go in himself to eliminate a player, or support one of my alternate beaters to dish out 20-30 damage in one swing. Due to the low mana cost of most of the equipments, the deck is able to assemble a 1HKO in one turn from barely any board position in mid-late game.
Because Rafiq has no evasion and protection, I jammed a ton of those cards, along with damage pump into the deck. A typical kill involves something like Rafiq of the Many + Sword of War and Peace + Inquisitor's Flail = 28 general damage.
This strategy is deadly, but it is also very fragile to and kind of disruption. As a result, cards like Cryptic Command , Bant Charm, and Grand Abolisher are included to keep my opponents quiet while I do my thing.
The voltron strategy is extremely vulnerable to strong disruption, against opponents with a lot of removals, it is very difficult for the deck to assemble a kill. I am considering running cheap but corner-case counterspells like Hindering Light. What is your opinion on those?
I'm happy to see another Bant list. The concept of a 1hit KO is exactly what I sought when I swapped Jenara out for Rafiq. Originally I had 5 1 drop mana dorks(Avacyn's Pilgrim, Llanowar Elves, Fyndhorn Elves, Noble Hierarch, Birds) in addition to other ramp/accel which enabled a fairly consistent 4th turn kill with Rafiq. However against a large table such a strategy was largely unsucessful. Couldn't take out more than 2-3 players before getting ganged up on and neutralized. Eventually, inspired by ISBPathfinder's Bant list, I settled on a more longterm strategy.
Thank you! I just looked at your rafiq list and I realized that yours is actually one of the lists I looked at a lot when I started to build my rafiq. It was really helpful. I actually considered going for a more "ISB Jenara" style for my deck, because no doubt it is very strong for a late game strategy. However I ultimately decided against it because I already have 2 decks that I'd consider to be partly etb creature goodstuff deck, and if I build voltron I want it to be more focused on the voltron strategy for the sake of my project.
I have a question about the mana dorks because it seems like you still have them in your deck. How good are they for a late game strategy? Like you said they are meant for an early kill with Rafiq, and from what I can see thats pretty much all they're good for (again, I can be completely wrong). Or do you still go for a turn 4 kill on one person and then stabilize quickly to play a longer game? Because that also seems quite strong. Thanks!!
Thank you! I just looked at your rafiq list and I realized that yours is actually one of the lists I looked at a lot when I started to build my rafiq. It was really helpful. I actually considered going for a more "ISB Jenara" style for my deck, because no doubt it is very strong for a late game strategy. However I ultimately decided against it because I already have 2 decks that I'd consider to be partly etb creature goodstuff deck, and if I build voltron I want it to be more focused on the voltron strategy for the sake of my project.
I have a question about the mana dorks because it seems like you still have them in your deck. How good are they for a late game strategy? Like you said they are meant for an early kill with Rafiq, and from what I can see thats pretty much all they're good for (again, I can be completely wrong). Or do you still go for a turn 4 kill on one person and then stabilize quickly to play a longer game? Because that also seems quite strong. Thanks!!
Turn 1 mana dork opens the door to incredible starts. I replaced one mana dork with Mana Vault and the other with a Sakura-Tribe Elder. The reason the rest are still in the deck is because of my attachment to fast starts. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a fast start to your success. Late-game the Birds and Llanowar are indeed as you suggest, dead draws but perhaps I can clamp them, Natural Order them, Birthing Pod them into a Stoneforge, or attack with Sovereigns or Swords out. There are some synergies - not great ones but they exist. I go for a kill when I have a one-shot kill. Then I rely upon the resilience of the deck to position myself for another one-shot kill.
Shdwlink1212: Hey thanks for the reply. In fact I've tried going the enchantment route with rafiq, with cards like Angelic Destiny and rancor along with the cards you mentioned. However I think the biggest drawback is that they can't be played unless I have a creature worth enchanting on the field. With equipments I can put them onto any small utility creature and go in for some damage.
I have a rafiq deck. Might of Oaks is simply my favorite card because there is simply no other way to win with ONE HIT. It's the bomb to strike for 22. Which only makes a card like Rancor or Steel of the Godhead even better. I play them over with slightly less equipment (whispersilk, darksteel plate, swiftfoot boots, lox warhammer). Trample/unblockable are the key. I use slightly more counterspells including Emerge Unscathed. I love this deck. Half the deck is cheap spells. It's fair and honest. No broken combos or pure control. Beating someone's face for 24 plus is what EDH is all about.
I have found the same issue of protection with my Drana deck. Most of the time, people will let me equip/pump her and THEN attempt to remove her or disrupt her in order to get a two for one (or more, most of the time). For this reason, I run Not of This World. It has been absolutely AWESOME in decks that depend on a large general for a win condition.
I have found the same issue of protection with my Drana deck. Most of the time, people will let me equip/pump her and THEN attempt to remove her or disrupt her in order to get a two for one (or more, most of the time). For this reason, I run Not of This World. It has been absolutely AWESOME in decks that depend on a large general for a win condition.
Hm, not of this world seems nice in certain decks but in rafiq, especially if they remove the general in response to equip, you wont meet the power requirement. A great cards for that in bant colours is Hindering Light. The card I'm currently testing though, is Vines of Vastwood. Giving hexproof in response to removal. And using the +4/+4 to punish whoever tried to remove rafiq seems pretty sweet.
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Rafiq Of The Many
Introduction:
The Tri-colour Madness Deck Series:
You'll see a large variety of deck archetypes from this series including: timmy, theft/control, aikido(passive reactive control), ramp, rock/recursion, artifacts, mill/reanimation, tokens and voltron/aggro. For some decks, I decide on the archetype and general, then I search up all kinds of decklists online and from those I create my ideal list for that strategy(my spike side). For other decks, I just come up with an idea and dive into it blindly which results in decks that are 100% my own through extensive testing and modifying. All of my decks are built to be multiplayer oriented.
One problem that I came across when building these decks is that there are many card overlaps even though all of the decks utilize different strategies. I was unable to avoid including cards like primeval titan and consecrated sphinx in every deck of the appropriate colours. I've been trying my best to avoid this and limit the number of staples that go in all my decks. In the near future I will spend some time to focus specifically on cutting those staples from my decks.
The reason for me to post this series is that I want to share my passion with all of you, and at the same time receive some feedbacks and suggestions in order to help me further improve my decks. I'm sure this will be a great experience and help me and others in many different ways. Thanks in advance!
Here are deck lists that I've posted so far:
:symr::symu::symg: Riku's RUG Goodstuff Deck
:symb::symr::symg: Kresh's Ultimate Timmy Deck
:symw::symu::symb: Sharuum's Etherium Empire
:symu::symb::symr: Thraximundar!!! Theft Deck
:symg::symb::symu: The Mimeoplasm Mill/Reanimator
:symr::symw::symu: Zedruu's Defense/Sunforger Deck
:symb::symg::symw: Karador Rock/Recursion Deck
:symg::symw::symu: Rafiq of the 1HKO
:symr::symg::symw: Rith and Her Token Army
The Knight:
Probably one of the most overplayed generals for the voltron strategy. And there is a reason for that. Not only is it an extremely efficient 4-cost creature doing 8 damage with one unsupported attack. He also welds the swords and umezawa's jitte better than anyone else. The problem with Rafiq is that he lacks any sort of evasion or protection, so we need a set of support cards that provides him with both. For the bant colour, the other option for voltron is Jenara, Asura of War. To me it seems like Jenara encourages a more of a good-stuff deck type that is not as dependent on the general. There are some very powerful Jenara decks but I think Rafiq allows me to build a deck that has a stronger voltron theme.
Basic Land Art
I've been a huge fan of the basic land arts on magic cards ever since I started playing the game. In the beginning I loved the zendikar ones and filled my decks with them. Then they became a bit repetitive and boring. As a result my inner Vorthos pushed me to move on and search for some other land arts that fit well in my decks. I follow a few basic guidelines when searching for my lands. Obviously they must look good. They should also be on theme with the deck, and as a result of that, the lands in a deck are mostly from the same sets/blocks. Lastly, i try to keep my lands new-boardered, just because I like them better.
For Rafiq, we have:
Ravnica Lands are amongst the most beautiful lands in MTG's history, I'm sure many agree with me. Return to Ravnica followed that tradition with a set of lands that I personally like even more than their predecessors. I had to fit those into a deck, and in the end I decided to use them, instead of the Bant lands from Alara, in Rafiq. I personally think that the Ravnica ones fit Rafiq's theme really well. It's hard to explain, but I just feel that way. I would really love to hear which lands you think are the best for this deck!
Tacics:
In early game my board state usually consists of creatures like Trygon Predator or Cold-Eyed Selkie swinging with some sword to generate card advantage and deal a little bit of damage. Late game, I find an opening and bring out rafiq to either go in himself to eliminate a player, or support one of my alternate beaters to dish out 20-30 damage in one swing. Due to the low mana cost of most of the equipments, the deck is able to assemble a 1HKO in one turn from barely any board position in mid-late game.
Because Rafiq has no evasion and protection, I jammed a ton of those cards, along with damage pump into the deck. A typical kill involves something like Rafiq of the Many + Sword of War and Peace + Inquisitor's Flail = 28 general damage.
This strategy is deadly, but it is also very fragile to and kind of disruption. As a result, cards like Cryptic Command , Bant Charm, and Grand Abolisher are included to keep my opponents quiet while I do my thing.
The deck also runs a attack prevention theme with cards like Stoic Angel, Dueling Grounds, , and Stormtide Leviathan which works quite well with Rafiq's abilities.
Decklist:
1x Rafiq of the Many
Pump/Protection
1x Finest Hour
1x Inquisitor's Flail
1x Sword of Body and Mind
1x Sword of Feast and Famine
1x Sword of Fire and Ice (card draw)
1x Sword of Light and Shadow
1x Sword of War and Peace
1x Umezawa's Jitte
1x Vines of Vastwood
1x Asceticism
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Privileged Position
1x Swiftfoot Boots
Unblockable
1x Cryptic Command
1x Glaring Spotlight
1x Sun Quan, Lord of Wu
1x Whispersilk Cloak (protection)
Back-up Beaters
1x Akroma, Angel of Wrath
1x Battlegrace Angel
1x Batterskull
1x Sigarda, Host of Herons
1x Stoic Angel
1x Stormtide Leviathan
1x Sublime Archangel
Ramp/Mana Fixing
1x Cultivate
1x Mirari's Wake
1x Oracle of Mul Daya
1x Kodama's Reach
1x Knight of the Reliquary
1x Sol Ring
1x Solemn Simulacrum
1x Sylvan Primordial
1x Cold-Eyed Selkie
1x Consecrated Sphinx
1x Fact or Fiction
1x Recurring Insight
1x Rhystic Study
1x Sensei's Divining Top
1x Sylvan Library
Tutors
1x Idyllic Tutor
1x Enlightened Tutor
1x Stoneforge Mystic
1x Stonehewer Giant
1x Tezzeret the Seeker
1x Wargate
Removals
1x Austere Command
1x Beast Within
1x Bant Charm
1x Final Judgment
1x Path to Exile
1x Qasali Pridemage
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Terminus
1x Trygon Predator
1x Wrath of God
Other Utility
1x Dueling Grounds
1x Eternal Witness
1x Grand Abolisher
1x Phyrexian Metamorph
1x Sun Titan
1x Thada Adel, Acquisitor
1x Relic of Progenitus
1x Flooded Grove
1x Mystic Gate
1x Wooded Bastion
1x Flooded Strand
1x Windswept Heath
1x Misty Rainforest
1x Glacial Fortress
1x Hinterland Harbor
1x Sunpetal Grove
1x Temple Garden
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Breeding Pool
5x Forest
5x Island
5x Plains
1x Reflecting Pool
1x Cathedral of War
1x Command Tower
1x Seaside Citadel
1x Alchemist's Refuge
1x Inkmoth Nexus (Back-up beater)
1x Academy Ruins
1x Hall of the Bandit Lord
1x Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
1x Rogue's Passage (unblockable)
DeckStat:
Creatures: 20
Sorceries: 13
Instants: 9
Artifacts: 11
Enchantment: 8
Planeswalkers: 2
Lands: 37
How can you help me?
Change Log
4.10.2012
- Eternal Dragon +Trygon Predator
- Plains +Brushland
- Krosan Verge +Yavimaya Coast
- Treetop Village +Adarkar Wastes
- Steelshaper's Gift +Stonewood Invocation
Thanks for reading my deck tech, please also check my other lists in the series if you're interested!
BRGrenzo, Dungeon Warden EDH
GAzusa, Always in a Rush EDH
GWUDerevi, Empyrial Warlord EDH
Trade thread on MOTL
I have a question about the mana dorks because it seems like you still have them in your deck. How good are they for a late game strategy? Like you said they are meant for an early kill with Rafiq, and from what I can see thats pretty much all they're good for (again, I can be completely wrong). Or do you still go for a turn 4 kill on one person and then stabilize quickly to play a longer game? Because that also seems quite strong. Thanks!!
Turn 1 mana dork opens the door to incredible starts. I replaced one mana dork with Mana Vault and the other with a Sakura-Tribe Elder. The reason the rest are still in the deck is because of my attachment to fast starts. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a fast start to your success. Late-game the Birds and Llanowar are indeed as you suggest, dead draws but perhaps I can clamp them, Natural Order them, Birthing Pod them into a Stoneforge, or attack with Sovereigns or Swords out. There are some synergies - not great ones but they exist. I go for a kill when I have a one-shot kill. Then I rely upon the resilience of the deck to position myself for another one-shot kill.
BRGrenzo, Dungeon Warden EDH
GAzusa, Always in a Rush EDH
GWUDerevi, Empyrial Warlord EDH
Trade thread on MOTL
Hm, not of this world seems nice in certain decks but in rafiq, especially if they remove the general in response to equip, you wont meet the power requirement. A great cards for that in bant colours is Hindering Light. The card I'm currently testing though, is Vines of Vastwood. Giving hexproof in response to removal. And using the +4/+4 to punish whoever tried to remove rafiq seems pretty sweet.