Rafiq's Revengers

Commander / EDH Blink Control Counterspell Equip GWU (Bant) Midrange Multiplayer Protection Turns Voltron

Icaruskid

Land (33)

• 1x Adarkar Wastes
• 1x Bountiful Promenade
• 1x Breeding Pool
• 1x Brushland
• 1x Canopy Vista
• 1x City of Brass
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Dryad Arbor
• 1x Flooded Grove
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Forest
• 1x Hallowed Fountain
• 1x Hinterland Harbor
• 1x Horizon Canopy
• 1x Island
• 1x Krosan Verge
• 1x Mana Confluence
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Mystic Gate
• 1x Plains
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Prismatic Vista
• 1x Razorverge Thicket
• 1x Reflecting Pool
• 1x Rejuvenating Springs
• 1x Sea of Clouds
• 1x Seachrome Coast
• 1x Sunpetal Grove
• 1x Temple Garden
• 1x Waterlogged Grove
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Wooded Bastion
• 1x Yavimaya Coast

Enchantment (6)

• 1x Dueling Grounds
• 1x Finest Hour
• 1x Mystic Remora
• 1x Rhystic Study
• 1x Smothering Tithe
• 1x Sylvan Library

Creature (20)

• 1x Avacyn's Pilgrim
• 1x Bastion Protector
• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Bloom Tender
• 1x Coiling Oracle
• 1x Elvish Mystic
• 1x Esper Sentinel
• 1x Eternal Witness
• 1x Fyndhorn Elves
• 1x Giver of Runes
• 1x Grand Abolisher
• 1x Guardian Augmenter
• 1x Lavinia, Azorius Renegade
• 1x Linvala, Keeper of Silence
• 1x Meddling Mage
• 1x Noble Hierarch
• 1x Restoration Angel
• 1x Snapcaster Mage
• 1x Spellseeker
• 1x Stoneforge Mystic

Sorcery (14)

• 1x Armageddon
• 1x Compulsive Research
• 1x Open the Armory
• 1x Personal Tutor
• 1x Ponder
• 1x Regrowth
• 1x Steelshaper's Gift
• 1x Strategic Planning
• 1x Temporal Manipulation
• 1x Temporal Mastery
• 1x Time Spiral
• 1x Time Warp
• 1x Wargate
• 1x Wrath of God

Commander (1)

Instant (15)

• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Eladamri's Call
• 1x Enlightened Tutor
• 1x Ephemerate
• 1x Krosan Grip
• 1x Memory Lapse
• 1x Mystical Tutor
• 1x Negate
• 1x Opt
• 1x Pact of Negation
• 1x Snakeskin Veil
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Worldly Tutor

Artifact (11)

• 1x Chrome Mox
• 1x Hammer of Nazahn
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Mana Vault
• 1x Mox Opal
• 1x Shadowspear
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Sword of Feast and Famine
• 1x Sword of Fire and Ice
• 1x Trailblazer's Boots

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Maybeboard

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Abundant Harvest

Creature (1)

• 1x Timeless Witness

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Art credit: Joey Mason

Intro

Rafiq of the Many is a classic voltron commander that rewards combat damage from a single attacking creature. There are many ways to build around him including enchantments, exalted, and infect. In this build, our weapons master leverages equipment to deliver lethal damage while using hatebears, extra turns, and a recursion package (that's the revenge bit) to run away with the win. Now featuring 11 Strixhaven Mystical Archives cards!

Why play this deck

• You enjoy playing your commander in every game.
• You prefer to win through combat damage and commander damage.
• You like the idea of attacking with a single creature powered up by the best weapons in the game.
• are your favorite colors.
• A midrange deck with durable threats is more your style than aggressive decks that can run out of steam or slow control decks.
• The flavor of a legendary human knight appeals to you.
• Taking extra turns is fun.

Why not play this deck

• You dislike having a commander that is crucial to your strategy.
• You enjoy attacking with multiple creatures.
• You do not have fun winning through combat damage.
• You prefer to fly under the radar and avoid being targeted by opponents.
• You are on a budget.
• You are not a fan of human archetypes, Arthurian legend, or Thor Ragnarok.
• The chance to say "It's hammer time!" while equipping Hammer of Nazahn is not humorous to you.

How to Win

1. Commander damage.
2. Combat damage.

How to Play

Opening
The early game usually involves playing draw resources like Mystic Remora, Sylvan Library, and Rhystic Study and accelerating mana with cards like Birds of Paradise, Noble Hierarch, and Smothering Tithe. It also involves playing control cards like Lavinia, Azorius Renegade and Grand Abolisher to slow down opponents and bait out their removal. Finally, the early game is about finding protection like Giver of Runes, Lightning Greaves, and Bastion Protector so Rafiq enters the battlefield safely.

Middle Game
The middle game involves equipping weapons to Rafiq and pushing extreme damage normally only possible in the endgame. It also involves drawing cards to keep protection live and amplifying the damage even further. If given the choice, Lightning Greaves and Hammer of Nazahn are priority weapons as they grant hexproof and indestructible. Sometimes I won't play Rafiq until Lightning Greaves, Hammer of Nazahn, Giver of Runes, or Bastion Protector are already in play. From there, Sword of Fire and Ice grants draw power and Trailblazer's Boots makes Rafiq unblockable.

Endgame
If you reach an endgame, control cards like Dueling Grounds and Linvala, Keeper of Silence can control the board so that your middle game plan remains effective to close out the game. Finally, Armageddon and extra turns from Time Warp, Time Spiral, Temporal Manipulation, and Temporal Mastery can help Rafiq run away with the game, especially when they can be played again and again with recursion spells like Regrowth, Eternal Witness, and Snapcaster Mage.

Max out the Competitive Meter

Counterspell > Mana Drain
Strategic Planning > Sphinx's Revelation
Snakeskin Veil > Heroic Intervention
Restoration Angel > Seasons Past
Ephemerate > Intuition
Check lands > Original Dual Lands

Top Ranked	Achieved #8 position overall 3 years ago Achieved #7 position in Commander / EDH 3 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Control 3 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Equip 3 years ago
Date added	3 years
Last updated	2 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	15 - 0 Mythic Rares 60 - 0 Rares 13 - 0 Uncommons 9 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.19
Tokens	Treasure
Folders	rafiq, Edh decks, impresive