Unblockable Spells
You pump Rafiq, than attack, but what happens if your opponents just block? Yes you could give it flying, but what if your opponents have fliers? I hated that about Voltron Decks, and since blocking was the main reason I continued to lose, I knew I had to do something about it. I would end up having so many pump spells, and then my opponents would just block, and I'd end up flipping the table. To avoid broken tables, I added a good deal of spells that can help Rafiq give that Commander Damage without worrying about blocking. I understand these take up spots that could be well used in a commander deck for other cards, but having them can change the tides of most games, and they help my deck stay unique. Again, the cards are pretty regular for unblockable spells, and you can check out the list under "unblockable".
Shadow Rift
and
Slip Through Space
provide very helpful card draw, which is always good in getting me the last pump spell I needed to kill someone in one turn, with a similar effect from
Aqueous Form
though not as immediate. Sometimes, if I have a few unblockable spells, I feel comfortable with simply using these on their own and just drawing a card, even if Rafiq isn't it out yet, if I need another land or pump spell, etc.
Artful Dodge
is amazing, because of its cheap flashback cost, which really makes it two unblockable spells in one.If I don't draw any other unblockable spells, Artful is ridiculously powerful, and I have to say it has truly saved me many games.
Giver of Runes
can protect him from other spells as well, and can be put out earlier, making it a super good card. Having it out there can really discourage attacks at him, and they also provide a first target rather than Rafiq being the primary one. I can use this to give him protection from a certain color and thus make him unblockable to that color, which doesn't always work against multicolored decks but is still DEFINITELy worth it due to the flexibility of the giver.
Mother of Runes
is quite similar, and while it does not offer protection from colorless, it also does allow "any target". This means if someone tries to get rid of it, I can activate it in response and protect itself, whereas the giver can not do that as it says "Other" creatures. There are also some more unblockable spells labled under "Multipurpose"!
Steel of the Godhead
is quite expensive mana wise, but its vast variety of effects makes it a great card. Unblockable, buffed, and even lifelink all rolled into one, allowing us to gain a ton of life without worrying about blocking, and giving us 4 extra commander damage.
Spirit Mantle
is also an amazing card, not only basically giving Rafiq unblockable but also protecting him from any creatures that might have dangerous abilities towards him, for a mere two mana, one of which is colorless.
Aether Tunnel
and
Distortion Strike
help give Rafiq strength, and believe it or not, having that one extra power point can really decide the winner of a game since you only need to get Rafiq to a 10 power to win (due to his own exalted and double strike triggers), or in other words, +7/+7. card:Distortion Strikes second ability is also similar to
Artful Dodge
, except even better, as it does not even require a mana cost at the next turn, basically giving us two entire turns of unblockable, which is almost always enough to kill someone, at the expense of just one mana. The good thing about Artful dodge though, is that if someone kills Rafiq by that time, I can simply flash it back later, but with Distortion, I have no choice but to cast it the following turn. The final three unblockable spells are
Infiltrate
,
Cloak of Mists
(both pretty self explanatory) and
Thassa, God of the Sea
. Thassa is great, though if you draw it AFTER Rafiq is cast it can be a bit problematic due to mana costs. The reason it's so good though is that it gives us a steady reusable stream of unblockable spells for only two mana, in addition to letting us scry once per turn. It is also hard to get rid of due to its indestructible abilities! Also, though that is all the unblockable spells, some that I either want to include or had to take out but might put back in later can be found below, on my maybeboard description!
Pump Spells (Gosh I wrote too much)
Now pump spells are as you may have guessed, pretty much the most important aspect of the deck. They are all relatively cheap in mana, which is what makes them just so powerful. As is known, there is strength in numbers! (get it? numbers? pumping Rafiq?) Let's first look at the temporary pump spells.
Might of Old Krosa
is a great card, giving Rafiq +4/+4 for only one mana, though it also gives us the option to be cast as an instant for only +2/+2, which is not an amazing option, but still an option nonetheless. An important thought to keep in mind is that Rafiq needs +7/+7 not including his exalted trigger to get a one-hit kill. Thus, having +4/+4 can seriously help support that especially if I only need one more for +3/+3 or less to automatically get the kill.
Groundswell
is similar, though less driven by choice, and usually gives Rafiq +4/+4 due to the number of lands in the deck. If you didn't somehow play a land that turn, there is of course the weaker option though I would rather recommend waiting until later turns, unless of course +2/+2 is all you need to knock someone out. I don't enjoy using conditional cards as such, but sometimes they end up being one of the best options, just like in this case, as groundswell can usually turn out quite fine in my experiences.
Phytoburst
gives Rafiq +5/+5, almost everything he needs to do a one-hit KO, though of course, it is sadly a sorcery, though for Rafiq that isn't a huge deal. Nonetheless, if our opponents know what is happening when we swing it can get quite dangerous, though again in many of my experiences, it doesn't make a ridiculously large difference.
Titanic Growth
,
Larger Than Life
, and
Monstrous Growth
, which are virtually the same, though titanic can be cast at instant speed, which is certainly something that can give you a huge edge up in many games and can save you lots of pumpspells if your opponents are planning on killing Rafiq. Larger than life isn't amazing compared to this, as is monstrous growth, as I don't really ever use trample since I have unblockable spells, yet still, +4/+4 for 2 mana isn't really that bad, though I am always looking for new pumping options. But speaking of killing Rafiq, I have
Blossoming Defense
and
Vines of Vastwood
, both of which can pump Rafiq relatively or quite well, while also providing some protection: a very valuable thing in Voltron decks.
Vines of Vastwood
is especially good, as if you only have , you can still protect Rafiq without casting the entire two mana to pump and protect him, as I don't always have 2 green open to just protect him. Blossoming Defense is also a great card though, as it can be played for 1 mana too and yet it also gives a smaller buff, a buff that has certainly come in clutch for me in quite a multitude of games. The next card, card:Might of the Nephillim, is possibly one of the best here, doing everything I need to one-hit someone aside from a single point of damage, that I can almost always deal with using a separate pump spell or on the following turn. +6+6 is GREAT for only two mana, at instant speed. Or maybe... you have
Might of Oaks
, the one pump spell that completely knocks someone out aside from the use of any other pump spells. While it does cost 4 mana, 3 of that is colorless which I can usually easily get with all the ramp I have. The following two single-use pump spells are
Briar Shield
and
Seal of Strength
. Why are these considered single-use spells? Well, I typically don't use them as an enchantment, and they are instead in the deck for their sacrificing abilities, which is basically a 1 mana +3/+3 if I want them to be. Seal of strength is quite amazing too as you can play it for a single mana even BEFORE Rafiq comes out, though of course you'd have to be wary of enchantment removal. People typically don't see its power until it is too late though, meaning I can usually do such safely. It is also good because if someone goes to destroy it, you can sacrifice them in response and still get the pumping part, making them quite flexible with whatever is going on. Now on to some of the last single-use pump spells, which in some respect are in their own category:
Mutagenic Growth
and
Invigorate
. These literally cost no mana and are almost never seen coming, increasing the chance of your victory, and helping you win even if you don't have any mana left over. You typically don't want to hard cast them, though I suppose that is also always an option. Playing things like this after you are tappedout for such a small price is so strong, as they can usually finish the job if I are tappedout from pump and unblockable spells. Even if I'm aren't tappedout, they are still ridiculously powerful, for SURE. Now for the grand finale, the one and only...
Berserk
!!! Berserk is an expensive but amazing pump spell, though by itself it isn't necessarily the best. After you play one of the lesser pump spells, Berserk can completely finish the job, and is super cheap in mana letting us usually have some mana leftover afterwards as well, to cast anything else I may wish to do. Even by itself, it is basically a 1 mana +/3+3 which is already the strength of
Briar Shield
! After that, it just gets even stronger. One of the most amazing parts about Bersek is also, its synergy with Indestructible. Some cards mentioned later give Rafiq this ability, letting us double his power for one mana at no second cost. But alas, what about the more permanent pump spells? well- enchantments make up the majority of this sub-section!
Blessing of the Nephilim
wouldn't normally be something you'd want, but due to the fact it lasts much longer than something like
Giant Growth
, it has functioned very well in the deck and is a great supporter for something like berserk. It also helps represent white more in the deck and even out the colors used.
Bastion Protector
and
Shield of the Oversoul
are both very synergistic with berserk, allowing us to keep Rafiq despite what it says, due to the fact that Rafiq would now be indestructible. Bastion can also be played BEFORE Rafiq is out, and I have played in many times very early with something like
Sol Ring
or
Ancient Tomb
. Shield can only be played later, but also gives Rafiq the extra flier ability, which is always great especially if your opponents obviously don't have fliers, as it saves us the cost of unblockable spells.
Favor of the Overbeing
is also similar to this, allowing us to save Rafiq as a blocker and giving us a better chance at getting his damage in, and of course pumping him by two extra, which actually turns out to 4 due to his double strike. And now, we strike down to the final two cards, that certainly tip towards the more expensive side in mana.
Finest Hour
is obviously pretty great in the deck, allowing Rafiq to have two turn swings, allowing us to certainly kill one person a turn though in most cases it ends up being two. Its exalted ability is also extremely helpful, in all occasions! The deck doesn't really ride with many expensive mana things, as the entire theme of the deck is to be quick with one time use spells, but nonetheless, a scarce few of these cards can be found within it. Last but not least there is
Hunter's Prowess
, which draws us a TON of cards, usually from 14-28, though I will talk more about draw in just a second!