⚡ Rafiq, the Control Freak ⚡

Commander / EDH Aggro Exalted GWU (Bant) Multiplayer Voltron

zniwalla

Land (36)

• 1x Ancient Tomb
• 1x Breeding Pool
• 1x Cathedral of War
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Eiganjo Castle
• 1x Fabled Passage
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 4x Forest
• 1x Glacial Fortress
• 1x Hallowed Fountain
• 1x Hinterland Harbor
• 4x Island
• 1x Minamo, School at Water's Edge
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
• 4x Plains
• 1x Prismatic Vista
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Savannah
• 1x Sunpetal Grove
• 1x Temple Garden
• 1x Tropical Island
• 1x Tundra
• 1x Waterlogged Grove
• 1x Windswept Heath
• 1x Yavimaya Hollow

Get Damage Through (10)

• 1x Blighted Agent
• 1x Cold-Eyed Selkie
• 1x Daxos of Meletis
• 1x Giver of Runes
• 1x Loxodon Warhammer
• 1x Lu Xun, Scholar General
• 1x Mother of Runes
• 1x Rancor
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Steel of the Godhead

Control (7)

• 1x Gaddock Teeg
• 1x Grand Abolisher
• 1x Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Render Silent
• 1x Spell Crumple
• 1x Voidslime

Tutor (5)

• 1x Eladamri's Call
• 1x Idyllic Tutor
• 1x Stoneforge Mystic
• 1x Stonehewer Giant
• 1x Wargate

Protection (17)

• 1x Bear Umbra
• 1x Eiganjo Castle
• 1x Giver of Runes
• 1x Glory
• 1x Indrik Umbra
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Mother of Runes
• 1x Privileged Position
• 1x Shield of the Oversoul
• 1x Sigarda, Host of Herons
• 1x Simic Charm
• 1x Snake Umbra
• 1x Sword of Body and Mind
• 1x Sword of Feast and Famine
• 1x Sword of Fire and Ice
• 1x Sword of Light and Shadow
• 1x Yavimaya Hollow

Pump (14)

• 1x Bear Umbra
• 1x Bounty of Might
• 1x Eldrazi Conscription
• 1x Loxodon Warhammer
• 1x Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
• 1x Rancor
• 1x Shield of the Oversoul
• 1x Simic Charm
• 1x Steel of the Godhead
• 1x Sword of Body and Mind
• 1x Sword of Feast and Famine
• 1x Sword of Fire and Ice
• 1x Sword of Light and Shadow
• 1x Umezawa's Jitte

Misc. Utility (9)

• 1x Bident of Thassa
• 1x Edric, Spymaster of Trest
• 1x Minamo, School at Water's Edge
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Silverblade Paladin
• 1x Sword of Body and Mind
• 1x Sword of Feast and Famine
• 1x Sword of Fire and Ice
• 1x Sword of Light and Shadow

Creature Removal (6)

• 1x Eldrazi Conscription
• 1x Indrik Umbra
• 1x Simic Charm
• 1x Single Combat
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Umezawa's Jitte

Win Condition (5)

• 1x Bounty of Might
• 1x Eldrazi Conscription
• 1x Finest Hour
• 1x Medomai the Ageless
• 1x Sovereigns of Lost Alara

Commander (1)

Card Advantage (16)

• 1x Bident of Thassa
• 1x Bounty of the Luxa
• 1x Cold-Eyed Selkie
• 1x Consecrated Sphinx
• 1x Daxos of Meletis
• 1x Edric, Spymaster of Trest
• 1x Lu Xun, Scholar General
• 1x Mystic Remora
• 1x Ohran Viper
• 1x Rhystic Study
• 1x Snake Umbra
• 1x Sword of Fire and Ice
• 1x Sword of Light and Shadow
• 1x Sylvan Library
• 1x Thada Adel, Acquisitor
• 1x Waterlogged Grove

Ramp (12)

• 1x Ancient Tomb
• 1x Bear Umbra
• 1x Bounty of the Luxa
• 1x Cartographer's Hawk
• 1x Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Mana Vault
• 1x Noble Hierarch
• 1x Oracle of Mul Daya
• 1x Smothering Tithe
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Sword of Feast and Famine

Exalted (7)

• 1x Ardent Plea
• 1x Cathedral of War
• 1x Finest Hour
• 1x Noble Hierarch
• 1x Qasali Pridemage
• 1x Sovereigns of Lost Alara
• 1x Sublime Archangel

Artifact/Enchantment Removal (4)

• 1x Aura Shards
• 1x Eldrazi Conscription
• 1x Qasali Pridemage
• 1x Trygon Predator

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What Is This?

This is Rafiq living in a somewhat more control-oriented shell than you might be used to! It's also some rarely played cards alongside some very well-known staples.

You get too beat your opponent in the face with some really nasty creatures while maintaining control - nice.

Can You Give Me Some Highlights?

Sure!

Three benefits of having Rafiq in a control shell:

• Access to actual counterspells: Mana Drain, Render Silent and Spell Crumple.
• Making life tough for your opponents and easier for us: Gaddock Teeg, Grand Abolisher and Grand Arbiter Augustin IV.
• Can't really think of a third benefit, but the conclusion of the above is that we make it hard for our opponents to spoil our board presence, heh!

Three ways of protecting key pieces:

• Static protects like: Sigarda, Host of Herons and Privileged Position.
• Protection from different colors: Glory, Mother of Runes, Giver of Runes and all our Swords of X,Y and Z
• Soft invincibility in the form of: Bear Umbra, Indrik Umbra, Snake Umbra and Yavimaya Hollow

Three ways to win:

• Together with Rafiq of the Many these cards can win the game by themselves: Bounty of Might, Sovereigns of Lost Alara, Eldrazi Conscription and Finest Hour
• This creature gets too good with Rafiq: Medomai the Ageless. Hello two extra turns with Rafiq! (Four with Finest Hour also on the board)
• Regular beatdown by all other creatures is also a real threat combined with the included auras and equipments. Especially Blighted Agent is a deadly fucker.

Have a look at the cards under the category "Card Advantage", "Ramp" and "Tutor" to be ensured that we're actually able to maneuver this deck in a smooth fashion - won't highlight anything specific, but rest assured that the gears are greased as the famous saying goes...

Why This Commander?

He's a threat on his own, empty board or not this menacing dude will always draw attention. Sitting comfortably in his control shell alongside his good friends, not much is needed for him to explode. Double strike is a cool keyword and attacking alone is a funny strategy.

Why Would I Play This Deck?

You would like to pick this deck if you love to win by hitting your opponents with creatures for the win (or cards/lands). If you like massive damage without going infinite this is for you. Buffing your creatures with various auras and equipments should talk to your inner Magic strategy. Besides, if you like to break the stereotype of a typical Rafiq voltron deck, this will also make you love this deck - it is a wee bit different from what you see on the shelves elsewhere.

Why Would I Want to Avoid This Deck?

Even though we're in a control shell trying to protect our mighty commander, you would want to avoid this deck if you do not like voltron: It is still vulnerable to heavy spot removal and creature hate. If you like quirky combos not involving creatures this deck is not for you. Neither is winning in funky ways part of this deck.

Final Notes

I hope you find this deck interesting - I do.

I'm welcoming all suggestions!

Lot's of love.

Top Ranked	Achieved #29 position overall 3 years ago Achieved #24 position in Commander / EDH 4 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Aggro 4 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH GWU (Bant) 4 years ago
Date added	5 years
Last updated	4 years
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	11 - 0 Mythic Rares 57 - 0 Rares 14 - 0 Uncommons 6 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.20
Tokens	Human 2/2 G, Treasure, Wolf 2/2 G
Folders	Rafiq · upgrade ideas, Cool Decks that Inspire Me, Commander