Combos Browse all Suggest
Legality
| Format | Legality |
| 1v1 Commander | Legal |
| Archenemy | Legal |
| Canadian Highlander | Legal |
| Casual | Legal |
| Commander / EDH | Legal |
| Commander: Rule 0 | Legal |
| Custom | Legal |
| Duel Commander | Legal |
| Highlander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Leviathan | Legal |
| Limited | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Pauper Duel Commander | Legal |
| Pauper EDH | Legal |
| Planechase | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Quest Magic | Legal |
| Tiny Leaders | Legal |
| Vanguard | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
Provoke
Instant
Untap target creature you don't control. That creature blocks this turn if able.
Draw a card.
TheVectornaut on
Who dat boi - please help
3 years ago
Hey, I saw your comment. Is this an alternate account for twechsler or is this deck just inspired by theirs? Either way, I'll go into greater depth on some possible build paths. libraryjoy is correct in that if you're (mostly) mono-green, your best way to destroy creatures is often to take advantage of the abilities on your own creatures. You already have the deathtouch style shell so I'd just focus on that. But even with deathtouch, there are a fair number of options for guaranteeing that damage gets dealt. There are the bow/staff cards like I use in my artifact commander deck A Pile of Cans with the deathtouch from Sydri, Galvanic Genius . Then there's fight effects which you can see working with Wren's Run Packmaster in my wolfless wolf deck Size of the Fight in the Dog (although this strategy doesn't require DT if your creatures have high enough power). A final approach is forced combat damage. Since it's been mentioned the least, that's what I'll focus on here.
Forced block cards like Lure , Gift of the Deity , Indrik Umbra , Ochran Assassin , Roar of Challenge , Tempting Licid , Provoke , Irresistible Prey , or Tangle Angler are the core of such a deck. Most of these cards are rather costly in terms of CMC, and I'd consequently only recommend such a deck for slower casual play. It should be pretty strong in creature-heavy metas though. If that sounds reasonable, the next thing you have to decide on are the creatures and supporting cards. These choices aren't always obvious because of the many things a deck like this wants. For example, it may be better to play cheap deathtouch creatures like Deathcap Cultivator , Gifted Aetherborn , Narnam Renegade , Wasteland Viper , and Nightshade Peddler so you can start controlling the board sooner. But if all your DT creatures have low power, they'll only be able to kill 1 or 2 things off a big forced block. Thus, it may be better to instead grant deathtouch with other cards like Basilisk Collar , Deadly Allure , Virulent Swipe , Bow of Nylea , Archetype of Finality , or Ohran Frostfang . Then, you could just run creatures with high attack for their cost. Still, I think there's something to be said of looking for other abilities that interact well with deathtouch. First strike and double strike are the most obvious examples because they can let your creatures survive combat to attack all over again on later turns. Viridian Claw , Glissa, the Traitor , and Grappling Hook see play in such decks for this reason. Alternatively, you can learn from the synergy of the Frostfang that abilities triggering on face damage pair well with deathtouch. Only a fool would block your 1/1 DT with their 3/3, but if that 1/1 is drawing you a card, suddenly that trade sounds more appealing. Cold-Eyed Selkie , Dimir Cutpurse , Edric, Spymaster of Trest , Oakhame Adversary , Ohran Viper , Tomebound Lich , Fynn, the Fangbearer , and Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons are some cards that might fill this role.
I know I've just rattled off a lot of cards here. I'll try putting together a casual deck to demonstrate what I'm talking about when I find the time.
As an aside, I see that you've included Novablast Wurm as the only meaningful white spell in this version of the deck. It's too slow to see play in anything but ramp, but it can definitely be built around as a beefy Wrath of God too. Consider using something like Heroic Intervention or a Dauntless Escort sacrifice to break the symmetry on the board wipe. Also, creatures that grant boons on death like Thragtusk or Wurmcoil Engine could find a home in a self-wipe deck, although the Wurm might be outclassed then by something more traditional like Austere Command , Settle the Wreckage , Kindred Dominance , or Phyrexian Rebirth .
Peoni on
Catrunner
3 years ago
The once a turn clause is definitely a drawback for sure, but I the way I figured it is if you have enough consistent card draw happening every turn then you're still getting to use the ability and you're finding other cards that will trigger it. More card draw never hurts, especially when your commander's activated ability can be a wincon depending on how many cards you have in hand. That reminds me, Library of Leng and Reliquary Tower both serve as pretty good budget options for holding onto all of the cards you'll be drawing, with Thought Vessel being a good but less budget option.
As far as drawing on everyone else's turns, the previously mentioned Runic Armasaur is a really nice choice. Some decent green instant draw you might like are Aggressive Urge, Benefactor's Draught, Bind, Feral Instinct, Inspiring Call, Lace with Moonglove, Lammastide Weave (lol), Momentous Fall (lots of tokens makes the sacrifice no big deal, especially if you get some big ones out there), Provoke, Skyshroud Blessing, Viridescent Wisps, and Vivify could be considered. Also the previously mentioned Verdant Rebirth. I'd say replacing the more situational cards that you'd usually be cycling anyway with cards that net you draw and share the same cost as the cycle should serve as replacements. For example Stinging Shot and Thornado are probably better off being replaced by some of the 2 cmc cards I just listed like Aggressive Urge, purely because in that case you're getting an effect and a card instead of just paying 2 to draw a card.
Gnarlback Rhino and Veil of Summer also have the potential to net you a card on another player's turn, with Veil being a good card all around and giving you some much needed stack interaction to get around enemy counters.
king-saproling on
Jolrael, Mwonvuli recluse
3 years ago
Looks good. These might interest you: Ohran Frostfang, Coat of Arms, Oakhame Adversary, Drumhunter, Garruk's Packleader, Nacatl War-Pride, Muraganda Petroglyphs, Renata, Called to the Hunt, Druids' Repository, Tome of Legends, Viridescent Wisps, Dissenter's Deliverance, Lace with Moonglove, Provoke, Rending Vines, Thornado
JuQ on
Rafiq of the No Interaction
6 years ago
Hi, I have My own Rafiq deck and it actually works quite consistently (at least in my meta of kitchen table magic) Rafiq of the mostly himself.. Rafiq is an amazing commander because he needs really little help to destroy your enemies wich leaves you a lot of slots open in the deck to oil the engine of the deck. On top of that he has a really nice color identity.
I Use 39 lands which may be a bit more than enough, but at least you don't get stuck.
To pump Rafiq I focus mainly on evasion so they dont just chump-block him, Cartouche of Knowledge, Rancor, Shield of the Oversoul, Steel of the Godhead, Unquestioned Authority, Whispersilk Cloak Shroud can be a hinder but this card is just bananas.
When I find an opening or I have a counter in hand I use Might of Oaks (if he hasn't been blocked) or Enlarge to one shot a player (7+3+1)x2= 22.
All those auras you use that give Rafiq just a super big body are a bit overkill in my opinion. If you just give him +2/+0 and some evasion he will only need two attacks to kill someone. Leave you mana open and brag about all the counterspells in your hand.
Forgotten Ancient: Almost forgot about this guy. Gives no evasion, but makes anyone super big.
It looks like you are lacking serously in card draw. Card draw is crucial in Commander because you won't be able to kill and fend from all other players just with your starting seven cards. If you are the player that's drawing one card each turn then you are most likely not going to win.
Hunter's Insight will draw you 8 cards for three mana just attacking with a butt naked Rafiq that happens to be unblocked.
Hunter's Prowess is a heavier version of the previous, with a sexy +3/+3 and trample. I hope you draw the Reliquary Tower.
Snake Umbra: Up to two cards per turn and protection from death.
Pull from Tomorrow: instant braingeiser, nuff said.
Fact or Fiction, Concentrate, Secrets of the Golden City: just flat card draw with a moderate cost, gotta keep the cards comming.
Rush of Knowledge an underated spell. will get you easily four or more cards.
And seven more cards that are cantrips.
Reactions abound:
Counters: Stubborn Denial, Swan Song, Arcane Denial, Disdainful Stroke as cheap counters. Faerie Trickery, Hinder because there are stuff that you just don't want to leave in a graveyard. This spells should be Dissipate and Void Shatter instead, It's in my "to do" list. Bant Charm one of the most versatile card in the game, the three options are good.
Blossoming Defense: protection/boost, Shelter: protection/evasion, Valorous Stance: Protection/removal.
Removals, if I'm not unblockable I will open a way myself!. My phylosophy with removals is "exiling matters" if I use a card slot in a deck in a removal, I want that thing gone for sure, gone forever and not triggering anything:
Bant Charm, Selesnya Charm, Crib Swap, Reality Shift, Curse of the Swine, Valorous Stance. Also Snakeform and Polymorphist's Jest get the job done against indestructible creatures. Provoke is a pet card of me, you gotta see their faces when you meddle in combat between opponents getting one or both of the creatures dead.With the naturalize effects I also want stuff exiled, too many gods and indestructible artifacts. Sylvan Reclamation, Return to Dust, Forsake the Worldly and then those that don't ecile but are too good not to use: Acidic Slime the ooze with deathtouch is quite unwelcomming for big attackers, Qasali Pridemage too on theme with the deck, Trygon Predator reusable naturalize and can destroy two each attack.
My decks are usually low on board wipes, they are boring because they set everyone back, you included. They are only a last resort for me, it works better for me removal of strategic targets but I still run three of them Cyclonic Rift as you, AEtherspouts set one player back to stone age and he'll become the punching bag of the table, Tragic Arrogance board wipe that you lets your main guy live and the worst creature of your opponents.
I have a card slot in the deck (I think I lost a card somewhere), one of the cards I may put is Cataclysmic Gearhulk
For big final play I don't need more than Finest Hour (same as you, no brainer for the deck), Medomai the Ageless to play three turns in a row every time until they kill it.
What I think you are doing wrong:
Yes, you land count is low, it is not 35 but even lower: Maze of Ith doesn't give you mana and Serra's Sanctum in your opening hand wont give you mana either. Then you have the three fetchlands that will take another land from the deck you may need to draw later. The moment you play first time Rafiq everybody will have have their hand overflowing with removals and there will be fewer targets more deserving of removal than him, it will take you forever to get back on your toes.
You lack awfully on card draw, you only have Rhystic Study, Betrayal, Enchantress's Presence, I you don't happen to draw one of them or they get detroyed, the deck will lag and you will lose. In a blue and green deck is a crime to be low on card draw, you need many cards to be sure you get to draw some of then and then they will call to each other, the more you draw the more draw cards you'll get to keep the drawing going. About ten to fifteen cards to draw is a nice number. If you put too many you will find yourself drawing only draw spells, not good either.Rhystic Study is a great card, works on its own and in the worst case slows your opponents, keep it.
Betrayal unless you find a card with a crazy ability that may get abused untapping several times, this card is a bit weak, It's better in a control deck that is already tapping the opponents' creatures.
Enchantress's Presence You have to make up your mind, is this an enchantress deck? because if it is you better be including all the enchantress (Argothian Enchantress, Femeref Enchantress,Mesa Enchantress and Verduran Enchantress) Eidolon of Blossoms, Kor Spiritdancer, Sram, Senior Edificer, and swap several of the cards for enchantments that do something similar (I.E. mana rocks for land auras like Wild Growth). Then you will have a decent card engine.
Eldrazi Conscription big flashy card that's more than Rafiq actually needs, it will be a dead card in your hand until you finally get some way to cheat it to the battlefield. You may at one point be able to cast it but you will run out of mana and expose yourself to removals. You could wait until you have 10 mana, but do you really want to? I would take it out of the deck unless I could consistently cheat it to the battlefield (like having Bruna as commander).
Flickerform Tried this card a lot of times, 90% of the times you won't have four mana available when you need it, that's a lot. also it gives nothing else to Rafiq.
Ghostly Prison and Propaganda: You said you want to kill your oponents as soon as posible, yet you keep building a pillow fort around you. Make up your mind!
Tooth and Nail: The same, you say you want to push voltron to the limits, but you can't help but including the nine mana cost spell that puts the combo in the battlefield.
The point of having a voltron commander is that he is the win condition.
Your deck want's to be too many things (a voltron deck, an enchantress deck, a control-combo deck), but at the end of the day is none. Try to focus on your game plan, you can't just fill a deck with good stuff and expect it to work consistently.
Argy on
Black-Green-Newb-Help
7 years ago
You have to make some cuts somewhere, which means you will have to make the tough decisions to cut some very good cards.
Welcome to the world of Magic deck building.
If I were you I'd make my plan to win:
put cards in my graveyard + get back the most powerful ones = get big Creatures on the field early to smash face + get cards in hand that destroy Opponent Creatures
A secondary idea is to Regenerate as many of your Creatures as you can. You may have to drop this secondary idea to get your number of cards to 60.
Cards that fall outside that equation, such as ones that make your Opponent discard cards, will have to go.
I would ditch these ones:
Provoke
Ranger's Guile
Hypnotic Cloud
Mind Rot
Nightsnare
Duress (I KNOW, it's a bloody good card, but something has to go and it doesn't fit the theme)
I'm iffy about Rakshasa's Secret - it fits the theme but you've got so many other ways of putting cards into your Graveyard. You don't want to end up milling yourself
Deathreap Ritual
Drudge Beetle
Elvish Aberration
Liliana's Specter (keep this if your Opponent has a lot of fliers)
Necromancer's Assistant - body is too weak
Those to me are the clear cuts.
You will also need to look at cards with conflicting aims - some of them need to Delve, which removes cards from your Graveyard, whereas others get bigger the more Creatures or other cards you KEEP in your Graveyard.
My feeling on this is probably to ditch the ones that get bigger depending on the number of cards in your 'yard. This is because, with the amount of cards you will be discarding, you should be able to play your Delve cards quite early.
You need to get rid of 10 more cards to make the deck 36 Non-Land cards. Then add 24 Lands.
Be careful when Delving to keep four cards with different types, to get Delerium bonuses.
I hope that has helped a bit.
At the very least you can see how I chose cards, and can do that for yourself if you decide to build a different way.
papahiggs on
Borboogermos Beatdown (Retired)
7 years ago
Familiar Ground > Battlefront Krushok
Cards that need replacing IMHO:Burning-Tree Emissary - basically casts itself for free, but its a vanilla 2/2. Great card in a 60 card deck, but not in commander.Longshot Squad - unless you meta is super heavy with fliers, you shouldn't need the reach.Fade into Antiquity - I would replace with Krosan GripMagmatic Chasm - seems underwhelming. Most of your creatures can trample through, so I would replace it with something like BrawnExpedite - can be replaced by so many better cards. Fires of Yavimaya, Fervor, etc.Gruul Charm - underwhelming - I would replace with ramp or something that has more impact on the game.Provoke - one time effect that I think will have little impact - try Grappling Hook perhaps? Goes really well with familiar ground.Scour from Existence - replace with Spine of Ish SahSignal the Clans -- replace with Worldly Tutor or Tooth and Nail or Green Sun's Zenith Wrap in Vigor - most of the time this will not save your dudes as most wrath effects state the creatures cannot be regenerated. Perhaps Inspiring Call?
Some things to think about:
Whispersilk Cloak makes your commander a real problemHardened Scales would be really goodZendikar Resurgent would also fit well with so many creatures.
GamingDownPat on
8 years ago
I really like the idea of this deck. Seems like it would be fun to play. I would suggest trying to scale your mana curve back closer to one cost.
Stuff like Birds of Paradise, Bond Beetle, Caller of Gales, Caustic Caterpillar, Druid Lyrist for utility.
Cosi's Trickster because of the format.
Essence Warden, Overrun, Gaea's Anthem, Overwhelm, Predatory Rampage, Superior Numbers, Triumph of the Hordes, Tower Above just to frustrate people.
Blue Sun's Zenith, Telling Time kind of stuff for card draw.
If you are going deathtouch for removal, cards that allow you to dictate blockers could help alot. Hunt Down - Irresistible Prey - Provoke. That kind of thing.
Also you might want to consider using bounce effects as limited removal. Peel from Reality - Evacuation Seems like that would play in nicely with the commander's theme.
| Have (1) | ajmcnulty |
| Want (0) |