Rafiq - Duel Commander

Duel Commander* Aggro Exalted GWU (Bant)

kOrAxis

Creature (34)

• 1x Arbor Elf
• 1x Avacyn's Pilgrim
• 1x Aven Mindcensor
• 1x Benevolent Bodyguard
• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Deputy of Detention
• 1x Derevi, Empyrial Tactician
• 1x Elvish Mystic
• 1x Fyndhorn Elves
• 1x Giver of Runes
• 1x Ice-Fang Coatl
• 1x Invisible Stalker
• 1x Jenara, Asura of War
• 1x Jhessian Infiltrator
• 1x Knight of Autumn
• 1x Llanowar Elves *f-pre*
• 1x Lotus Cobra
• 1x Mother of Runes
• 1x Noble Hierarch
• 1x Qasali Pridemage
• 1x Questing Beast
• 1x Reclamation Sage
• 1x Reflector Mage
• 1x Restoration Angel
• 1x Selfless Spirit
• 1x Shalai, Voice of Plenty
• 1x Shifting Ceratops
• 1x Siren Stormtamer
• 1x Spell Queller
• 1x Stoneforge Mystic
• 1x Thalia, Heretic Cathar
• 1x True-Name Nemesis
• 1x Vendilion Clique
• 1x Venser, Shaper Savant

Land (39)

• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Breeding Pool
• 1x Canopy Vista
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Dryad Arbor
• 1x Fabled Passage
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Glacial Fortress
• 1x Hallowed Fountain
• 1x Hinterland Harbor
• 1x Horizon Canopy
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Prairie Stream
• 1x Prismatic Vista
• 1x Savannah
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 5x Snow-Covered Forest
• 6x Snow-Covered Island
• 2x Snow-Covered Plains
• 1x Sunpetal Grove
• 1x Temple Garden
• 1x Tropical Island
• 1x Tundra
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Waterlogged Grove
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Wooded Foothills

Planeswalker (3)

• 1x Oko, Thief of Crowns
• 1x Tamiyo, Field Researcher
• 1x Teferi, Time Raveler

Enchantment (1)

• 1x Rancor

Commander (1)

Instant (16)

• 1x Berserk
• 1x Blossoming Defense
• 1x Chord of Calling
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Daze
• 1x Force Spike
• 1x Mana Leak
• 1x Mana Tithe
• 1x Memory Lapse
• 1x Miscalculation
• 1x Negate
• 1x Path to Exile
• 1x Remand
• 1x Spell Pierce
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Vines of Vastwood

Artifact (4)

• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Shadowspear
• 1x Smuggler's Copter
• 1x Umezawa's Jitte

Sorcery (2)

• 1x Eldritch Evolution
• 1x Green Sun's Zenith

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Maybeboard

Creature (5)

• 1x Hydroid Krasis
• 1x Spellseeker
• 1x Stonecoil Serpent
• 1x Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath
• 1x Voracious Hydra

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Built to be played exclusively in french commander 1v1 (20hp).

Rafiq of the Many duel deck

Mid-range build, aiming to both ramp into Rafiq early, and/or tempo the opponent depending on what he plays and what threat I have to deal with.
Therefore, the deck includes the traditionnal ramp staples of the format : every one CMC dork like Birds of Paradise, Noble Hierarch - which synergize very well with Rafiq of the Many thanks to the Exalted ability - and so on...
I also run Lotus Cobra, even though it comes one turn later than the other ramp dorks, it allows for a turn 3 Rafiq of the Many, into a solid attack phase with it since it becomes a 3/2 with the exalted trigger, and also gains double strike thanks to Rafiq of the Many's attack trigger. So a potentiel of 6 damages on turn 3, or forcing a chump block at least. In addition, the inclusion of every fetch lands possible (including Fabled Passage & Prismatic Vista) on my manabase multiply the chance to trigger landfall twice a turn, making it even better as a ramp creature.

On the tempo side of the build, the deck runs a bunch of counterspell, among which you can find the staples of duel commander Counterspell, Mana Leak, Daze and so on...
Notably, I choosed to also include a pack of creature that serves the same tempo purpose. These aren't there to synergize with Rafiq of the Many, but more to give me time to develop a board that can kill in one or two attacks. So creatures like Venser, Shaper Savant, Reflector Mage, Spell Queller and Thalia, Heretic Cathar made the list. Teferi, Time Raveler can also tempo my opponent by sending back it's first or most problematic creature on turn 2 or 3 and Tamiyo, Field Researcher can also slow down my opponent's board as well as give me card advantage. Besides, thanks to the double strike trigger of Rafiq of the Many, the +1 ability can become insanely good.

The deck also run a pack of ETB matters creatures like Deputy of Detention, Reclamation Sage and Knight of Autumn to give me options to answers various threats. On the same ETB page, Stoneforge Mystic, Derevi, Empyrial Tactician and Kitchen Finks are notable mentions.
Restoration Angel is here to maximize the value I can get out of theses creatures, and also can save any other creature from a removal spell, while suprise block a creature my opponent is sending at me, so overall a very good card in this list.

Eventually, I kill with creature with evasion like Questing Beast, Invisible Stalker, True-Name Nemesis, Hexdrinker. Every of these can become really big threats when attacking alone thanks to Rafiq of the Many.
Side note : Vendilion Clique can be considered as a finisher as well as part of the tempo strategy if I decide to replace a card from my opponent's hand.

Chord of Calling can either help me fetch for a protection at instant speed : Benevolent Bodyguard if it's a single target spell that threaten one of my creature, or Selfless Spirit if I'm facing a board wipe. Green Sun's Zenith serves a different purpose because it's a sorcery, but it's still pretty useful to fetch me the Dryad Arbor early in the game, or any of the finishers i previously quoted.

The duo Mother of Runes and Giver of Runes can clear the way for one of my creature if I'm facing a busy board and none of my creature have any evasion, by making it impossible to block for my opponent, as well as protect important creatures if necessary.

Other cards like Oko, Thief of Crowns, Shalai, Voice of Plenty and Jenara, Asura of War are just generically good stuff and can be considered removable if anything better shows up.


That's pretty much everything I can say about this build. I played it for quite a while now, the list has evolved a lot over time, and I think it got way better thanks to some very good green cards like Hexdrinker, Questing Beast and some others.

It's definitely not Tier 1 but it can hold it's ground against very good decks nonetheless. I will keep track of my results with this deck on the list below this description.

Results

LOSS vs Ludevic, Necro-Alchemist & Kraum, Ludevic's Opus 0-2
WIN vs Tuvasa the Sunlit 2-0
LOSS vs Syr Faren, the Hengehammer 0-2
WIN vs Rafiq of the Many 2-1
WIN vs Braids, Cabal Minion 2-1
LOSS vs Golos, Tireless Pilgrim 1-2
LOSS vs Heliod, Sun-Crowned 0-2
WIN vs Anax, Hardened in the Forge 2-0
WIN vs Daretti, Scrap Savant 2-0
LOSS vs Sisay, Weatherlight Captain 0-2
WIN vs Prossh, Skyraider of Kher 2-1
WIN vs Kiku, Night's Flower 2-0
LOSS vs Braids, Cabal Minion 0-2
LOSS vs Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath 1-2
LOSS vs Kytheon, Hero of Akros   0-2
WIN vs Sai, Master Thopterist 2-1
WIN vs Feather, the Redeemed 2-1
WIN vs Gallia of the Endless Dance 2-0
WIN vs Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer 2-1
LOSS vs Sidisi, Brood Tyrant 1-2
WIN vs Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca 2-1
WIN vs Sidisi, Brood Tyrant 2-1
LOSS vs Sidisi, Brood Tyrant 1-2
LOSS vs Kadena, Slinking Sorcerer 0-2
WIN vs Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis 2-1
WIN vs Queen Marchesa 2-1
WIN vs Omnath, Locus of Rage 2-0
WIN vs Feather, the Redeemed 2-0
LOSS vs Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis 0-2
WIN vs Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis 2-1
WIN vs Tymna the Weaver & Thrasios, Triton Hero 2-0
WIN vs Maelstrom Wanderer 2-0
WIN vs Sai, Master Thopterist 2-1
WIN vs Gishath, Sun's Avatar 2-0
LOSS vs Kraum, Ludevic's Opus & Reyhan, Last of the Abzan 1-2
WIN vs Leovold, Emissary of Trest 2-0
LOSS vs Urza, Lord High Artificer 1-2
LOSS vs Rowan Kenrith & Will Kenrith 0-2
WIN vs Radha, Heir to Keld 2-0
WIN vs Rhonas the Indomitable 2-0
LOSS vs Queen Marchesa 0-2
WIN vs Brago, King Eternal 2-0
WIN vs Brago, King Eternal 2-0
WIN vs Rashmi, Eternities Crafter 2-0
WIN vs Tymna the Weaver & Kraum, Ludevic's Opus 2-1
WIN vs Captain Sisay 2-1
LOSS vs Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow 1-2
WIN vs Ezuri, Claw of Progress 2-1
LOSS vs Teferi, Temporal Archmage 0-2
LOSS vs Daretti, Scrap Savant 1-2
WIN vs Ezuri, Renegade Leader 2-1
LOSS vs Sai, Master Thopterist 0-2
WIN vs Ruric Thar, the Unbowed 2-0

Date added	5 years
Last updated	3 years
Legality	This deck is Duel Commander legal.
Rarity (main - side)	14 - 0 Mythic Rares 46 - 0 Rares 11 - 0 Uncommons 16 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.11
Tokens	Elk 3/3 G, Emblem Tamiyo, Field Researcher, Food
Folders	TO BUILD, Bant