Rafiq of the Many--Trying to force the long game

Commander / EDH* GWU (Bant)

jerimie.mcbrayer

Instant (25)

• 1x Autumn's Veil
• 1x Beast Within
• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Dig Through Time
• 1x Emergency Powers
• 1x Enlightened Tutor
• 1x Fact or Fiction
• 1x Flusterstorm
• 1x Force of Will
• 1x Hunter's Insight
• 1x Intuition
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Mission Briefing
• 1x Narset's Reversal
• 1x Nature's Claim
• 1x Negate
• 1x Pact of Negation
• 1x Path to Exile
• 1x Remand
• 1x Silence
• 1x Spell Pierce
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Trickbind
• 1x Worldly Tutor

Sorcery (6)

• 1x Armageddon
• 1x Gitaxian Probe
• 1x Green Sun's Zenith
• 1x Nature's Lore
• 1x Time Spiral
• 1x Triumph of the Hordes

Land (34)

• 1x Adarkar Wastes
• 1x Ancient Tomb
• 1x Arid Mesa
• 1x Breeding Pool
• 1x Cavern of Souls
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Dryad Arbor
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 5x Forest
• 1x Gaea's Cradle
• 1x Gemstone Caverns
• 1x Hallowed Fountain
• 6x Island
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 2x Plains
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Savannah
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Temple Garden
• 1x Tropical Island
• 1x Tundra
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Windswept Heath

Enchantment (5)

• 1x Carpet of Flowers
• 1x Exploration
• 1x Mystic Remora
• 1x Rhystic Study
• 1x Smothering Tithe

Planeswalker (1)

• 1x Teferi, Time Raveler

Artifact (16)

• 1x Azorius Signet
• 1x Birthing Pod
• 1x Chrome Mox
• 1x Crucible of Worlds
• 1x Fellwar Stone
• 1x Gilded Lotus
• 1x Grafted Exoskeleton
• 1x Grim Monolith
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Mana Vault
• 1x Mox Diamond
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Sword of Feast and Famine
• 1x Sword of Sinew and Steel
• 1x Talisman of Curiosity
• 1x Umezawa's Jitte

Creature (13)

• 1x Aven Mindcensor
• 1x Birds of Paradise
• 1x Cold-Eyed Selkie
• 1x Consecrated Sphinx
• 1x Grand Abolisher
• 1x Karmic Guide
• 1x Lavinia, Azorius Renegade
• 1x Noble Hierarch
• 1x Rafiq of the Many
• 1x Seedborn Muse
• 1x Snapcaster Mage
• 1x Stoneforge Mystic
• 1x Stonehewer Giant

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Bant offers many different options for how to build. One of the most common commanders is Derevi. While Derevi is a very powerful deck, I wanted to build something that takes a new approach. Hence Rafiq of the Many. He offers a great balance between pressure and control. His board presence demands enough attention that players can't ignore him. This allows you to dictate what stage the game remains in.

I initially built this deck as a control shell. Bant offers a wide array of countermagic. From spells like Voidslime and Render Silent, there are options for almost every scenario. Originally the deck played counterspells as it way to dictate the flow of the game. The idea was to force the long game. When other players began to run out of steam, Rafiq becomes the advantage piece.

This new build replaces many of the counterspells with hatebears. I realized that having static combo disablers worked more efficiently than trying to always keep mana up for counterspells. Additionally the creatures provide a new way to pressure opponents.

Rafiq often acts as support. Having him on the board makes things like Cold-eyed Selkie, Sword of Feast and Famine, and Umezawa's Jitte much more powerful. I often don't swing with Rafiq until I have used the other pieces in the deck to stabilize. Since you are planning to play the long game, you can't get too greedy with damage.

The deck is still being tested. As I make changes I will attempt to update.

Date added	7 years
Last updated	5 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	15 - 0 Mythic Rares 50 - 0 Rares 15 - 0 Uncommons 7 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.48
Tokens	Beast 3/3 G, Treasure