Here is the current version of my Rafiq of the Many EDH deck. It has gone through quite a bit of change since I started using it, and so far this version has been working well. Personally, I find it to be better than other Rafiq decks I have seen, but that's just my biased opinion. The deck is based on the official ban list. The main idea behind this deck is to accelerate into Rafiq by turn 3 or sooner, and win quickly through general damage. Alternate win cons are through Inkmoth Nexus, Putrefax, and Jace, the Mind Sculptor. I'm hoping to make this deck the best it can possibly be and any help would be greatly appreciated. Let me know what you think!
Coiling Oracle: One of the best creatures ever printed. Early game, it can provide me another land; late game it can draw me a card. Fantastic little creature.
Elvish Spirit Guide: This one is an interesting choice. I decided to play this instead of Chrome Mox because Chrome Mox requires me to get rid of a potentially important card from my hand, whereas the Spirit Guide doesn't.
Multi-Purpose:
Venser, Shaper Savant: Very versatile. Can "counter" a spell, remove an annoying permanent from the field, or save a permanent of mine from destruction.
Bant Charm: By far one of the best cards in this deck. Every ability this card offers is relevant. Always happy to see this in my hand.
Berserk: Used mainly to pump up my creatures, but is sometimes able to get rid of an opponent's creature if need be.
Daze: One of my favorite counters ever printed. Always catches an opponent off guard.
Delay: Great counter in a deck as fast as this one. It tends to be a hard counter more times than not.
Force of Will: Pretty much a mandatory counter in every competitive U deck. Amazing counter.
Memory Lapse: The tempo advantage this card gives is huge!
Mental Misstep: Another fantastic counter. Deals with all kinds of EDH staples. The ability to cast this card for "free" got me to add this card. Great when it's great.
Mindbreak Trap: A solid counter in its own right, this card is primarily in here to deal with storm combos.
Muddle the Mixture: Although this is mainly used to transmute, it is still a counter. By far the best transmute card there is.
Remand: Another tempo card. When cast at the right time, it is pretty much a free turn. I love this counter.
Spell Pierce: Being used in place of Negate. Spell Pierce feels better because the most important turns of this deck are the first 3 turns, and chances are 1U won't be available that early in the game.
Equipment:
Lightning Greaves: Most of the time, this is the first equipment I go for. Equipping this to Rafiq can take a whole turn off the clock for the opponent.
Nim Deathmantle: A fantastic little treasure. Can save a creature of mine from creature kill for 4. This tends to not be a problem most of the time because 4 mana is lying around for Might of Oaks.
Umezawa's Jitte: One of the best equipments for Rafiq. This equipment can easily steal games from your opponent.
Other:
Finest Hour: Great enchantment in terms of dealing damage via infect or general damage. Wins games with just one unblocked swing with Rafiq.
Distortion Strike: Gives any of my creatures +1/+0 and unblockable. Two turns in a row! What's not to love? This card wins games.
Might of Oaks: Another pump spell that wins games in this deck.
The strength of this deck relies on its speed. Plan A is to cheat Rafiq of the Many out early, and win through general damage. This, however, doesn't always work. Plan B in this deck is winning through infect. The most important turns for this deck are the first 3 turns. If Rafiq of the Many isn't out by turn 3, chances are that you need to win with infect. And that's perfectly okay- just realize that this mode of play is going to take longer and will require a bit more control.
So, you have a Bant Charm in your hand, but don't know how to use it? If you're going for the general damage kill, you are going to want to be more proactive and use it early game to remove a chump blocker that may be in Rafiq's way. If you are going the infect route, you are going to want to play more reactive- save that Bant Charm for something scary.
There are certain matchups you need to be aware of when piloting this deck. When facing a combo deck, you need to realize that speed is your best option- go for the general kill if you can. If playing against aggro (such as tokens), infect is going to be the better option.
This deck doesn't really have a particularly favorable matchup, but that doesn't mean it sucks. It just means that if you go about your gameplan, things should be working well for you (no matter what you're up against). If I had to pick one good type of matchup, I would say a slow combo deck is the easiest to deal with.
As for a weakness, Glissa, the Traitor can be a real pain in the ass. Having to deal with Executioner's Capsule again and again can be annoying. So is Glissa's first strike and deathtouch- she can block Rafiq all day if she wanted. When playing against her, you need to set up and go for a one hit KO. She really slows Rafiq down, but if you keep a level head and play to your strenghts, then this deck has a fighting chance.
I would suggest taking out some of the higher costing control elements you have like Venser and maybe even Jace since Rafiq is supposed to be a fast deck. On the other hand you do need backup if the game goes long.
I would suggest taking out some of the higher costing control elements you have like Venser and maybe even Jace since Rafiq is supposed to be a fast deck. On the other hand you do need backup if the game goes long.
I'm running Deprive over Counterspell mainly to help get Sejiri Steppe back to my hand (Venser, Shaper Savant helps with this too). Doesn't seem to be that necessary though; I may change it to Dispel or one of the counters you mentioned.
Berserk is an awesome card, but I feel it is best in multiplayer. It's worth testing though.
I'm trying to be low on the creature count; that way I have a better chance of drawing what I need early game. If I do decide on adding another creature, I'd probably want it to be Reveillarkable (all my creatures are except Rafiq of the Many and Sun Titan)
Cascade spells are great and all, but I don't think I'm going to add any. I'm afraid they will hit something like Dizzy Spell.
I used to run the Sovereigns/Conscription combo along with other traditional Rafiq stuff in my previous build, but I have found out that this version is a lot smoother and plays better.
If I were to take something expensive out, I'll probably choose Asceticism. IDK though, since it is one of my only ways to deal with decks that are heavy on creature kill.
I also run Indomitable Archangel (to protect my equipment and mana-ramp artifacts) and Sunblast Angel (often nearly wipes my opponents' boards if Stoic Angel or Dueling Grounds aren't in play). The latter is a bit expensive, but it has saved me more than once from what seemed to be hopeless situations.
I also run Indomitable Archangel (to protect my equipment and mana-ramp artifacts) and Sunblast Angel (often nearly wipes my opponents' boards if Stoic Angel or Dueling Grounds aren't in play). The latter is a bit expensive, but it has saved me more than once from what seemed to be hopeless situations.
Your deck seems a lot like my previous build. Have you put it up on the forums? I'd love to see it.
As for Knight of the Reliquary, for the most part she works well for me. Sure, she doesn't help the turn she comes down, but as soon as I tap her, she can grab me whatever necessary land I need (whether it be an artifact land, Inkmoth Nexus, Strip Mine, or Sejiri Steppe.
I have been thinking about taking out baby Jace, but I'm not sold on that idea yet. He's one of my few draw outlets in this deck. I'll have to think about that...
Hmm, seems good on paper but idk how well he will end up working out. To get the best use out of him, I'll have to use my Distortion Strike or Sejiri Steppe (which I use on Rafiq). Sure, him hitting will give me an advantage, but I also feel that he will drag out the game longer. Another card I have to think about.
I honestly didn't know about this card until today. I'm going to try to get my hands on one soon, but until then, Harabaz Druid works just fine for me.
Okay so here are a few cards that I have not seen discussed in this thread.
Beast Within: Amazing removal Triumph of the Hordes: This + Unblocked Rafiq = Win Invigorate: We don't care about their regular life total so this pump is always cast for free and gives a hefty boost. Nature's Claim: Cheap artifact/enchantment removal and again we do not care about the regular life total. Temporal Spring: Great tempo card than can deal with any problematic card on the board for a turn.
I gotta say Dizzy Spell just seems Awful. This spell seems to me to almost never be relevant on its own and really the only 2 spells you want to spend 1UU to get are Berserk and Distortion Strike. I mean you seem to want to be able to tutor all the time but I think some of these transmute cards are just not worth the a slot in this deck. Muddle the Mixture also seems lackluster compared to Mana Drain or Counterspell while offering no real win-cons to tutor for. Drift of Phantasms is just a vanilla flying blocker if used and has no win-cons to tutor for. Transmute is a nice mechanic but I believe it belongs in a control deck where the cards you're grabbing help you win the game with a bomb or combo. In this type of deck you're trying to win by turn 5 almost every game. So you gotta look at some of these cards like this: "Will this transmute get me a spell that will win me the game on the next turn?" So realistically your transmute spells shouldn't list everything that they can transmute for because 90% of the time they should only be there to transmute for maybe 2 or 3 cards that give you great odds of winning on the next turn since most of the time you will not have the mana to both transmute and cast the spell you got on the same turn.
I'll shorten your transmute lists to what I think their most relevant targets are:
Drift of Phantasms: Can transumte for (1) late game win-con and (3) solid options Bant Charm (blows up relevant artifact like icy manipulator or something, tucks a general, or counters a removal spell to protect Rafiq), Krosan Grip (uncounterrable artifact/enchantment removal), Oblation (tucks a general or removes a problem), and Wargate (only if you're in the late game and need to get your win-con straight onto the field which is mostly relevant with Putrefax, Finest Hour, and sometimes Rafiq if he was tucked and you have a way to give him haste).
Dizzy Spell: Can transmute for (2) potential win-cons and (6) solid options Berserk (win-con), Distortion Strike (win-con), Path to Exile (removal), Swords to Plowshares (removal), Brittle Effigy (removal), Pithing Needle (rare cases, stops activation that would stop you from winning), Relic of Progenitus (gets rid of anything relevant in their GY that could stop you from winning), and Green Sun's Zenith (tutors win-con onto the battlefield mostly relevant with Putrefax and only relevant with Rafiq if he was tucked and if you have a way to give him haste).
Why no Enlightened Tutor? It gets you artifact acceleration turns 1 or 2 and has the option of getting you equipment or Finest Hour later on.
I'm going to sleeve up a newer version of my All-in-Rafiq list when I get home and do some testing. I just think this deck could be more streamlined than it currently is. I have an older version of this deck idea in my signature. It lists new cards as options or suggestions but none are in the deck since I have yet to test them.
Thanks for the comments you guys! Now, to address your concerns...
@dachivale:
I ran Serra Ascendant and Ranger of Eos in a previous build of this deck, but I ended up taking them out. Serra is great and all, but the lifelink is pretty much irrelevant for this deck. As for Ranger, he doesn't help grab any of my most important creatures (Rafiq, Inkmoth Nexus, or Putrefax), so he didn't make the cut either.
Kor Duelist and Hero of Bladehold are solid creatures in their own right, but they really don't do anything besides attack. Since I'm more focused on swinging with the three creatures mentioned previously, I feel that adding these guys is a waste of space.
For our purposes, O-Naginata is a better Loxodon Warhammer. But I still don't feel it is required. I'd rather have my creatures unblockable than have trample. On a side note, I've been thinking about running Trailblazer's Boots in here. What do you think?
I've chose to run Akroma's Vengeance over other wrath effects due to its ability to cycle away early game. Planar Cleansing is good, but I hate the idea of drawing it when I don't need it. Also, the only times I have used Jace's ultimate came after casting Vengeance.
@ Omni:
First of all, thanks for fixing up my transmute package! I appreciate it. But I don't really see why you hate on Dizzy Spell. Sure, it is slow (as are all the other transmute cards), but it is a tutor- which is awesome. You need to realize that if I'm transmuting, then that means the game is going on longer than I wanted, and that I will have to focus on poison from then on. Dizzy Spell lets me transmute for Expedition Map, which lets me get Inkmoth Nexus. It's slow, but I've done it numerous times and it seems to work well (in my playgroup at least).
Out of all of the cards you have pointed out, I am most excited about Temporal Spring and Triumph of the Hordes (even though they are sorcery speed).
Beast Within is awesome removal, but I hate the idea of giving my opponent a chump blocker.
Invigorate is a card that I had my eyes on for a time, but I ended up not adding it for the simple fact that it doesn't pump any of my important creatures for the win.
I feel that Nature's Claim isn't necessary in this deck. As you can see, I don't even run Qasali Pridemage anymore. I switched it out for Into the Roil, which does the job of those two cards and more.
Temporal Spring is pretty neat. Early game it can bounce a land or a chump blocker, and late game it can bounce a threat. Again, idk what to take out...
I considered running Enlightened Tutor previously, but decided against it. The main targets I would probably tutor for would be Sylvan Library or my equipments (I hardly ever play Finest Hour). Since they all have a 2cmc, Muddle the Mixture can search for any of them, along with other good stuff.
I'd also like to see your updated version of your All-in-Rafiq deck.
As for the new GB legend, I feel that he has a chance of being one of the fastest voltron generals out there (but it depends on what new cards WotC make in those colors).
Note: Primer in the works.
Deck List by Card Type:
1x Birds of Paradise
1x Coiling Oracle
1x Drift of Phantasms
1x Elvish Spirit Guide
1x Knight of the Reliquary
1x Lotus Cobra
1x Noble Hierarch
1x Putrefax
1x Stoneforge Mystic
1x Trinket Mage
1x Utopia Tree
1x Venser, Shaper Savant
1x Finest Hour
1x Sylvan Library
1x Brittle Effigy
1x Engineered Explosives
1x Expedition Map
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Lotus Petal
1x Mana Crypt
1x Mox Diamond
1x Mox Opal
1x Nim Deathmantle
1x Pithing Needle
1x Relic of Progenitus
1x Sensei's Divining Top
1x Umezawa's Jitte
1x Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1x Bant Charm
1x Berserk
1x Brainstorm
1x Daze
1x Delay
1x Dizzy Spell
1x Fact or Fiction
1x Force of Will
1x Into the Roil
1x Krosan Grip
1x Memory Lapse
1x Mental Misstep
1x Might of Oaks
1x Mindbreak Trap
1x Muddle the Mixture
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Oblation
1x Pact of Negation
1x Path to Exile
1x Pongify
1x Remand
1x Spell Pierce
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Thirst for Knowledge
1x Treva's Charm
1x Distortion Strike
1x Green Sun's Zenith
1x Life from the Loam
1x Merchant Scroll
1x Steelshaper's Gift
1x Supply// Demand
1x Wagate
2x Snow-Covered Forest
4x Snow-Covered Island
1x Snow-Covered Plains
1x Ancient Den
1x Arid Mesa
1x Breeding Pool
1x City of Brass
1x Contested War Zone
1x Flooded Strand
1x Glacial Fortress
1x Halimar Depths
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Inkmoth Nexus
1x Marsh Flats
1x Misty Rainforest
1x Mouth of Ronom
1x Polluted Delta
1x Reflecting Pool
1x Savannah
1x Scalding Tarn
1x Seaside Citadel
1x Seat of the Synod
1x Sejiri Steppe
1x Strip Mine
1x Sunpetal Grove
1x Temple Garden
1x Tolaria West
1x Tree of Tales
1x Tropical Island
1x Tundra
1x Verdant Catacombs
1x Wasteland
1x Windswept Heath
1x Wooded Foothills
Deck List by Card Function:
1x Flooded Strand
1x Marsh Flats
1x Misty Rainforest
1x Polluted Delta
1x Scalding Tarn
1x Verdant Catacombs
1x Windswept Heath
1x Wooded Foothills
1x Breeding Pool
1x Glacial Fortress
1x Hallowed Fountain
1x Savannah
1x Sunpetal Grove
1x Temple Garden
1x Tropical Island
1x Tundra
1x City of Brass
1x Reflecting Pool
1x Seaside Citadel
1x Ancient Den
1x Contested War Zone
1x Halimar Depths
1x Inkmoth Nexus
1x Mouth of Ronom
1x Seat of the Synod
1x Sejiri Steppe
1x Strip Mine
1x Tolaria West
1x Tree of Tales
1x Wasteland
2x Snow-Covered Forest
4x Snow-Covered Island
1x Snow-Covered Plains
1x Knight of the Reliquary
1x Stoneforge Mystic
1x Trinket Mage
1x Expedition Map
1x Dizzy Spell
1x Merchant Scroll
1x Muddle the Mixture
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Green Sun’s Zenith
1x Steelshaper’s Gift
1x Supply // Demand
1x Wargate
1x Tolaria West
1x Sylvan Library
1x Sensei’s Divining Top
1x Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1x Brainstorm
1x Fact or Fiction
1x Thirst for Knowledge
1x Relic of Progenitus
1x Brittle Effigy
1x Engineered Explosives
1x Into the Roil
1x Krosan Grip
1x Oblation
1x Path to Exile
1x Pongify
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Akroma’s Vengeance
1x Mouth of Ronom
1x Birds of Paradise
1x Coiling Oracle
1x Elvish Spirit Guide
1x Utopia Tree
1x Lotus Cobra
1x Noble Hierarch
1x Lotus Petal
1x Mana Crypt
1x Mox Diamond
1x Mox Opal
1x Bant Charm
1x Berserk
1x Treva’s Charm
1x Daze
1x Delay
1x Force of Will
1x Memory Lapse
1x Mental Misstep
1x Mindbreak Trap
1x Muddle the Mixture
1x Pact of Negation
1x Remand
1x Spell Pierce
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Nim Deathmantle
1x Umezawa's Jitte
1x Rafiq of the Many
1x Inkmoth Nexus
1x Putrefax
1x Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1x Finest Hour
1x Distortion Strike
1x Might of Oaks
1x Pithing Needle
Overview of Card Choices:
Lands:
Shock Lands- Also amazing. Damage taken is pretty irrelevant.
Fetch Lands- Help with mana fixing; also, the shuffling helps with Sensei's Divining Top or Jace, the Mind Sculptor's brainstorm.
Artifact Lands: They are used to help Mox Opal obtain metalcraft early in the game.
Glacial Fortress/ Sunpetal Grove: Due to all of my fetchlands, these usually come in untapped.
City of Brass: Tap for any many for the cost of one measly life? Yes please!
Reflecting Pool: Basically a City of Brass #2.
Seaside Citadel: Coming into play tapped is no fun, but giving me any color mana I need is fantastic.
Halimar Depths: Great land. Helps me set up my next few turns. If I don't like what I see, I can pop a fetchland to shuffle the deck.
Contested War Zone: Has taken the place of Kor Haven in this deck. Allows me to win the game a turn earlier than I should.
Inkmoth Nexus: One of my win-cons for this deck. Works wonders with my general.
Mouth of Ronom: Creature removal- something that GWU doesn't run a lot of.
Sejiri Steppe: Allows a creature of mine to go in unblocked. With Knight of the Reliquary, it gives instant protection to a creature.
Strip Mine/ Wasteland: To remove troublesome lands such as Kor Haven/ Maze of Ith.
Tolaria West: Uncounterable tutor is always good. Can get me any land, Pact of Negation, Lotus Petal, Mana Crypt, Mox Diamond, Mox Opal, or Engineered Explosives.
Snow-Covered Lands: Used to activate Mouth of Ronom.
Tutor and Transmute:
Knight of the Reliquary: Helps me grab whatever land I need when I'm in a pinch.
Expedition Map: Same as above.
Stoneforge Mystic: Lets me get whatever useful equipment I need at a given time.
Steelshaper's Gift: Same as above.
Trinket Mage: Allows me to grab any artifact in this deck, save for Lightning Greaves, Nim Deathmantle and Umezawa's Jitte.
Dizzy Spell: Transmute for Berserk, Brainstorm, Mental Misstep, Mystical Tutor, Path to Exile, Pongify, Spell Pierce, Swords to Plowshares, Distortion Strike, Green Sun's Zenith, Steelshaper's Gift, Brittle Effigy, Expedition Map, Pithing Needle, Relic of Progenitus, Sensei's Divining Top, Birds of Paradise, and Noble Hierarch.
Merchant Scroll: Can get me Bant Charm, Brainstorm, Daze, Delay, Dizzy Spell, Fact or Fiction, Force of Will, Into the Roil, Memory Lapse, Mental Misstep, Mindbreak Trap, Muddle the Mixture, Mystical Tutor, Pact of Negation, Pongify, Remand, Spell Pierce, Thirst for Knowledge, and Treva's Charm.
Muddle the Mixture:Can transmute for Daze, Delay, Into the Roil, Memory Lapse, Remand, Life from the Loam, Merchant Scroll, Lightning Greaves, Nim Deathmantle, Umezawa's Jitte, Coiling Oracle, Harabaz Druid, Lotus Cobra, Stoneforge Mystic, and Sylvan Library.
Mystical Tutor: Used mainly to get a counterspell, Distortion Strike, or Might of Oaks.
Green Sun's Zenith: Used to get Rafiq back onto the battlefield if he was tucked. Can also get mana dorks early game and Putrefax late game.
Supply // Demand: Used mainly to get a tucked Rafiq or Finest Hour.
Tolaria West: Tansmutes for lands, Pact of Negation, Engineered Explosives, or artifact ramp.
Wargate: gets any permanent from my deck, and puts it into play. Awesome.
Draw and Filter:
Sensei's Divining Top: EDH staple.
Jace, the Mind Sculptor: This card straight up wins games. His 0 and -1 ability are used most.
Brainstorm: Great to dig for an answer.
Fact or Fiction/ Thirst for Knowledge: Draw staples. Instant speed makes them fantastic.
Graveyard Hate:
Removal:
Engineered Explosives: Great wrath effect. Can easily deal with chump blockers and other annoying permanents.
Into the Roil: Took the place of Qasali Pridemage in this deck. Does pretty much the same thing, with the ability to cantrip!
Krosan Grip: Split second is what makes this card an auto-include in G decks.
Oblation: Took the place of Condemn; much better in my experience.
Path to Exile/ Swords to Plowshares: Staples in any W EDH deck.
Pongify: One of the best creature removal cards in the game. And for U!
Akroma's Vengeance: The reset button of this deck. The ability to cycle away is what made me choose this wrath varient over the others.
Mouth of Ronom: Uncouterable creature removal tech.
Mana Ramp:
Utopia Tree/ Lotus Cobra: A bit more expensive, but they sill allow me to play Rafiq before turn 4.
Lotus Petal/ Mana Crypt/ Mox Diamond/ Mox Opal: Basically free mana.
Coiling Oracle: One of the best creatures ever printed. Early game, it can provide me another land; late game it can draw me a card. Fantastic little creature.
Elvish Spirit Guide: This one is an interesting choice. I decided to play this instead of Chrome Mox because Chrome Mox requires me to get rid of a potentially important card from my hand, whereas the Spirit Guide doesn't.
Multi-Purpose:
Bant Charm: By far one of the best cards in this deck. Every ability this card offers is relevant. Always happy to see this in my hand.
Berserk: Used mainly to pump up my creatures, but is sometimes able to get rid of an opponent's creature if need be.
Treva's Charm: Another very versatile charm.
Counterspells:
Delay: Great counter in a deck as fast as this one. It tends to be a hard counter more times than not.
Force of Will: Pretty much a mandatory counter in every competitive U deck. Amazing counter.
Memory Lapse: The tempo advantage this card gives is huge!
Mental Misstep: Another fantastic counter. Deals with all kinds of EDH staples. The ability to cast this card for "free" got me to add this card. Great when it's great.
Mindbreak Trap: A solid counter in its own right, this card is primarily in here to deal with storm combos.
Muddle the Mixture: Although this is mainly used to transmute, it is still a counter. By far the best transmute card there is.
Pact of Negation: Another "free" counterspell. Yum.
Remand: Another tempo card. When cast at the right time, it is pretty much a free turn. I love this counter.
Spell Pierce: Being used in place of Negate. Spell Pierce feels better because the most important turns of this deck are the first 3 turns, and chances are 1U won't be available that early in the game.
Equipment:
Nim Deathmantle: A fantastic little treasure. Can save a creature of mine from creature kill for 4. This tends to not be a problem most of the time because 4 mana is lying around for Might of Oaks.
Umezawa's Jitte: One of the best equipments for Rafiq. This equipment can easily steal games from your opponent.
Other:
Distortion Strike: Gives any of my creatures +1/+0 and unblockable. Two turns in a row! What's not to love? This card wins games.
Might of Oaks: Another pump spell that wins games in this deck.
Putrefax: A brutal infect creature that greatly lessens the clock for the opponent. Viscious if Rafiq of the Many or Finest Hour are out.
Pithing Needle: Shuts down all kinds of cards. Too good not to include.
How to Play Rafiq of the Many:
So, you have a Bant Charm in your hand, but don't know how to use it? If you're going for the general damage kill, you are going to want to be more proactive and use it early game to remove a chump blocker that may be in Rafiq's way. If you are going the infect route, you are going to want to play more reactive- save that Bant Charm for something scary.
There are certain matchups you need to be aware of when piloting this deck. When facing a combo deck, you need to realize that speed is your best option- go for the general kill if you can. If playing against aggro (such as tokens), infect is going to be the better option.
Sample Hands:
Stoneforge Mystic
Pact of Negation
Brainstorm
Seat of the Synod
Elvish Spirit Guide
Utopia Tree
Verdant Catacombs
Sample Hand #2:
Misty Rainforest
Mouth of Ronom
Steelshaper's Gift
Swords to Plowshares
Mox Diamond
Seaside Citadel
Knight of the Reliquary
Sample Hand #3:
Tolaria West
Mana Crypt
Reflecting Pool
Strip Mine
Sejiri Steppe
Remand
Contested War Zone
Sample Hand #4:
Polluted Delta
Snow-Covered Forest
Breeding Pool
Snow-Covered Island
Brittle Effigy
Daze
Arid Mesa
Sample Hand #5:
Distortion Strike
Snow-Covered Island
Umezawa's Jitte
Sejiri Steppe
Inkmoth Nexus
Scalding Tarn
Mox Opal
Strenghts and Weaknesses:
As for a weakness, Glissa, the Traitor can be a real pain in the ass. Having to deal with Executioner's Capsule again and again can be annoying. So is Glissa's first strike and deathtouch- she can block Rafiq all day if she wanted. When playing against her, you need to set up and go for a one hit KO. She really slows Rafiq down, but if you keep a level head and play to your strenghts, then this deck has a fighting chance.
Please run Beserk. It wins the game for G if timed right.
Steel of the Godhead is a bomb in Rafiq
Akroma, Angel of Wrath is a bit costly but is really amazing with rafiq out
Ardent Plea pumps and cascades could be usefull
I assume there's a reason you chose to not run the Sovereigns of Lost Alara, Eldrazi Conscription Combo.
I would suggest taking out some of the higher costing control elements you have like Venser and maybe even Jace since Rafiq is supposed to be a fast deck. On the other hand you do need backup if the game goes long.
Currently playing:
UW Modern Tron WU
UR Modern Storm RU
UW [CARD]Rasputin Dreamweaver
[/CARD] UW
I'm running Deprive over Counterspell mainly to help get Sejiri Steppe back to my hand (Venser, Shaper Savant helps with this too). Doesn't seem to be that necessary though; I may change it to Dispel or one of the counters you mentioned.
Berserk is an awesome card, but I feel it is best in multiplayer. It's worth testing though.
Steel of the Godhead is pretty great. Going into my Wishboard!
I'm trying to be low on the creature count; that way I have a better chance of drawing what I need early game. If I do decide on adding another creature, I'd probably want it to be Reveillarkable (all my creatures are except Rafiq of the Many and Sun Titan)
Cascade spells are great and all, but I don't think I'm going to add any. I'm afraid they will hit something like Dizzy Spell.
I used to run the Sovereigns/Conscription combo along with other traditional Rafiq stuff in my previous build, but I have found out that this version is a lot smoother and plays better.
If I were to take something expensive out, I'll probably choose Asceticism. IDK though, since it is one of my only ways to deal with decks that are heavy on creature kill.
Also, I'd scrap baby Jace's drawing abilities for Elspeth, Knight-Errant (her second +1 ability works great on Rafiq) or Venser, the Sojourner (especially if you can exploit EtB effects), or even Garruk Wildspeaker (mana ramp + overrun).
I also run Indomitable Archangel (to protect my equipment and mana-ramp artifacts) and Sunblast Angel (often nearly wipes my opponents' boards if Stoic Angel or Dueling Grounds aren't in play). The latter is a bit expensive, but it has saved me more than once from what seemed to be hopeless situations.
G Pumped Elvish Warriors G
GW Infectious Slivers WG
WU Milling Allies UW
Legacy:
UB Hex-Depths BU (combo-control)
G NO/Aggro Elves G
Commander:
WUBRG Sliver Army GRBUW (multiplayer)
WUG Rafiq the Exalted GUW (1-on-1 voltron)
GU Edric's Circus UG (multiplayer tokens)
B Relentless Rats B (multiplayer combo)
UB Sygg, the Punisher (in progress)BU
UBR Nicol Bolas, Elder Dragon Highlander RBU (in progress)
Your deck seems a lot like my previous build. Have you put it up on the forums? I'd love to see it.
As for Knight of the Reliquary, for the most part she works well for me. Sure, she doesn't help the turn she comes down, but as soon as I tap her, she can grab me whatever necessary land I need (whether it be an artifact land, Inkmoth Nexus, Strip Mine, or Sejiri Steppe.
I have been thinking about taking out baby Jace, but I'm not sold on that idea yet. He's one of my few draw outlets in this deck. I'll have to think about that...
Hmm, seems good on paper but idk how well he will end up working out. To get the best use out of him, I'll have to use my Distortion Strike or Sejiri Steppe (which I use on Rafiq). Sure, him hitting will give me an advantage, but I also feel that he will drag out the game longer. Another card I have to think about.
Just posted it here.
G Pumped Elvish Warriors G
GW Infectious Slivers WG
WU Milling Allies UW
Legacy:
UB Hex-Depths BU (combo-control)
G NO/Aggro Elves G
Commander:
WUBRG Sliver Army GRBUW (multiplayer)
WUG Rafiq the Exalted GUW (1-on-1 voltron)
GU Edric's Circus UG (multiplayer tokens)
B Relentless Rats B (multiplayer combo)
UB Sygg, the Punisher (in progress)BU
UBR Nicol Bolas, Elder Dragon Highlander RBU (in progress)
I honestly didn't know about this card until today. I'm going to try to get my hands on one soon, but until then, Harabaz Druid works just fine for me.
I only discovered this card today too... when I searched for better mana dorks in response to "Is Harabaz Druid even good?". If you're playing the "this card is strictly better" game, then one could argue that, besides the obvious synergy with other Allies, Harabaz Druid + Skullclamp + 1 = draw 2 cards. Or Harabaz Druid + Rite of Replication (esp kicked) > Utopia Tree + Rite of Replication. But in a vacuum, Utopia Tree is superior.
G Pumped Elvish Warriors G
GW Infectious Slivers WG
WU Milling Allies UW
Legacy:
UB Hex-Depths BU (combo-control)
G NO/Aggro Elves G
Commander:
WUBRG Sliver Army GRBUW (multiplayer)
WUG Rafiq the Exalted GUW (1-on-1 voltron)
GU Edric's Circus UG (multiplayer tokens)
B Relentless Rats B (multiplayer combo)
UB Sygg, the Punisher (in progress)BU
UBR Nicol Bolas, Elder Dragon Highlander RBU (in progress)
Beast Within: Amazing removal
Triumph of the Hordes: This + Unblocked Rafiq = Win
Invigorate: We don't care about their regular life total so this pump is always cast for free and gives a hefty boost.
Nature's Claim: Cheap artifact/enchantment removal and again we do not care about the regular life total.
Temporal Spring: Great tempo card than can deal with any problematic card on the board for a turn.
I gotta say Dizzy Spell just seems Awful. This spell seems to me to almost never be relevant on its own and really the only 2 spells you want to spend 1UU to get are Berserk and Distortion Strike. I mean you seem to want to be able to tutor all the time but I think some of these transmute cards are just not worth the a slot in this deck. Muddle the Mixture also seems lackluster compared to Mana Drain or Counterspell while offering no real win-cons to tutor for. Drift of Phantasms is just a vanilla flying blocker if used and has no win-cons to tutor for. Transmute is a nice mechanic but I believe it belongs in a control deck where the cards you're grabbing help you win the game with a bomb or combo. In this type of deck you're trying to win by turn 5 almost every game. So you gotta look at some of these cards like this: "Will this transmute get me a spell that will win me the game on the next turn?" So realistically your transmute spells shouldn't list everything that they can transmute for because 90% of the time they should only be there to transmute for maybe 2 or 3 cards that give you great odds of winning on the next turn since most of the time you will not have the mana to both transmute and cast the spell you got on the same turn.
I'll shorten your transmute lists to what I think their most relevant targets are:
Why no Enlightened Tutor? It gets you artifact acceleration turns 1 or 2 and has the option of getting you equipment or Finest Hour later on.
I'm going to sleeve up a newer version of my All-in-Rafiq list when I get home and do some testing. I just think this deck could be more streamlined than it currently is. I have an older version of this deck idea in my signature. It lists new cards as options or suggestions but none are in the deck since I have yet to test them.
@dachivale:
I ran Serra Ascendant and Ranger of Eos in a previous build of this deck, but I ended up taking them out. Serra is great and all, but the lifelink is pretty much irrelevant for this deck. As for Ranger, he doesn't help grab any of my most important creatures (Rafiq, Inkmoth Nexus, or Putrefax), so he didn't make the cut either.
Kor Duelist and Hero of Bladehold are solid creatures in their own right, but they really don't do anything besides attack. Since I'm more focused on swinging with the three creatures mentioned previously, I feel that adding these guys is a waste of space.
For our purposes, O-Naginata is a better Loxodon Warhammer. But I still don't feel it is required. I'd rather have my creatures unblockable than have trample. On a side note, I've been thinking about running Trailblazer's Boots in here. What do you think?
I've chose to run Akroma's Vengeance over other wrath effects due to its ability to cycle away early game. Planar Cleansing is good, but I hate the idea of drawing it when I don't need it. Also, the only times I have used Jace's ultimate came after casting Vengeance.
@ Omni:
First of all, thanks for fixing up my transmute package! I appreciate it. But I don't really see why you hate on Dizzy Spell. Sure, it is slow (as are all the other transmute cards), but it is a tutor- which is awesome. You need to realize that if I'm transmuting, then that means the game is going on longer than I wanted, and that I will have to focus on poison from then on. Dizzy Spell lets me transmute for Expedition Map, which lets me get Inkmoth Nexus. It's slow, but I've done it numerous times and it seems to work well (in my playgroup at least).
Out of all of the cards you have pointed out, I am most excited about Temporal Spring and Triumph of the Hordes (even though they are sorcery speed).
Beast Within is awesome removal, but I hate the idea of giving my opponent a chump blocker.
Triumph of the Hordes is basically a Might of Oaks #2. Which could come in handy. No idea what to take out though. Thoughs?
Invigorate is a card that I had my eyes on for a time, but I ended up not adding it for the simple fact that it doesn't pump any of my important creatures for the win.
I feel that Nature's Claim isn't necessary in this deck. As you can see, I don't even run Qasali Pridemage anymore. I switched it out for Into the Roil, which does the job of those two cards and more.
Temporal Spring is pretty neat. Early game it can bounce a land or a chump blocker, and late game it can bounce a threat. Again, idk what to take out...
I considered running Enlightened Tutor previously, but decided against it. The main targets I would probably tutor for would be Sylvan Library or my equipments (I hardly ever play Finest Hour). Since they all have a 2cmc, Muddle the Mixture can search for any of them, along with other good stuff.
I'd also like to see your updated version of your All-in-Rafiq deck.
As for the new GB legend, I feel that he has a chance of being one of the fastest voltron generals out there (but it depends on what new cards WotC make in those colors).
Where does it say that Mana Drain is banned in EDH?
It's not. Just mistaken information.