Typically he kills in 2 hits with almost any of the pumps.
What if the General Damage rule didn't exist? Over the Top Kill:
Turn 2 Rafiq
Turn 3 Might of Oaks + Berserk = 44 damage
(trample makes sure that's happening) However, Fog is the funniest slap in the face to this.
For Absurdity (this could happen):
Turn 2 Rafiq
Turn 3 Finest Hour
Turn 4 Might of Oaks + Berserk = 48 damage in the first combat step, and then 52 damage in the second combat step for a total of 100 damage on turn 4.
Rafiq comes out on turns 2 or 3 gets big quick and kills quick. Sometimes he can kill on turns 3 or 4. If he only eats removal once, you will have the mana to get him out again either on the same turn or the turn after. Mana should never ever be an issue.
EDIT: I'm going to better utilize this second post to show everyone my take on a more balanced Rafiq deck for 1v1. This will not simply lose to a hinder, condemn, or other tuck spell effect like the all-in strategy typically struggles with. This deck can still win quickly through general damage, but leans more towards aggro/control as my opponents still tend to spend a lot of their resources dealing with Rafiq (cause he's the boogey man).
A card that I have come across once and just hated was Slaughter. It can be pretty difficult to play around unless you luck into countermagic or some way to make it lose its target so it fizzles.
Also I wanted to note this list is using a variant of the French Ban-list because of the LGS that I play at on Tuesday nights so that is why cards like (Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, etc.. are not in here)
Well, I guess we're doing this now. I think the 90% Phyrexian NPH is going to take at least 10 slots in this deck, making testing a list now a little pointless, but may as well build it right if you're going to.
I'm not a huge fan of that list. It's too traditional; you've mostly just replaced Rafiq's usual creatures with infectors and added a few pump spells. In theory, a neo-infect build should be fast enough to take advantage of new classes of spells.
Most notably, I think you want to forget about most counterspells, and focus on counterspell blockers instead. This is because the answers we're concerned with are instant-speed spot removal (in response to a pump spell) and counterspells, in that order. Since we're trying to win very, very fast, we're not going to be able to hold mana up in any case.
Garruk and Venser don't do enough here (even with Venser's -1). Elspeth is good, Jace 2.0 would be okay.
The infectors look like about the best we can do for now. I wouldn't bother with Phyrexian Juggernaut though. Corpse Cur might be okay when we get some more next set. Priests of Norn and Tine Shrike might both be good enough.
There are some other creatures that should be in here. Even though we're infect, Cephalid Constable and Cold-Eyed Selkie are still absolutely brutal and synergistic with all our pump spells. One enhanced hit from either wins games, so play em.
The most important card you're missing is Grafted Exoskeleton, which should be paired with Stoneforge Mystic and Steelshaper's Gift. Our protection spells mitigate the drawback, and it makes Rafiq instantly lethal. It also lets Stoneforge Mystic act as a pseudo-infect creature and turns mana dorks deadly. I probably wouldn't play either of the Swords or Whispersilk Cloak here (too expensive, and SoFaF/Cloak block pump spells), but look at some cheaper equipment. Bonesplitter is okay. Livewire Lash is bonkers with all the pump.
I wouldn't be playing Signets or Rampant Growths here. Those are for decks whose real curve starts at 4. We're trying to win by then. Play some 1-mana elves and Mox Diamond instead. Even Lotus Petal and Elvish Spirit Guide will be good.
"Sluggish" is a not a word that should ever be associated with this deck. With a good hand, it's unquestionably the fastest aggro deck in the format. Our mission is to try to maximize the number of good hands. We're aiming to finish every game by turn 5 at the absolute latest.
Also I changed the layout of the Orginal Post in an attempt to organize it better and I'm probably going to sleeve this back up and test it some more at my LGS and depending on the results I may even write a primer to this deck.
Maybe, but I'm trying to keep the curve as low as possible for almost every spell. Like I said I'll be sleeving this back up and doing some testing for it at my local LGS. I know they're both good cards and Condemn is only 1cc but it also only stops their creature if it attacks and that usually isn't what I'm concerned with (except maybe against Zur). I usually just want an immediate answer to their creature if it is even going to be problematic and as such if I wanted another removal that could deal with their creature right away I may consider Pongify or Unsummon or heck I may add more 2cc countermagic like Arcane Denial or Mana Leak.
If I were to add either of those two before testing, it would be Hinder since it has the potential to immediately deal with their general, instead of Condemn that only deals with attacking creatures.
Would Prismatic Strands have a place in this deck, or do you not have enough white creatures to reliably flash it back? Mother of Runes is much better, but it never hurts to have some back up.
Also, why Sol Ring over Mana Crypt? They do both functionally the same thing, but Mana Crypt comes down a lot faster, and can help push some other things along.
Personally, I'd say if you were looking to add in Hinder, it might just be better to run Mana Leak, as it's easier to cast and cheaper, and still relevant for the window your deck looks like it's trying to establish.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Ask yourselves, all of you, what power would hell have if those imprisoned here could not dream of heaven?
EDH:
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV Zo-Zu the Punisher Phelddagrif
Rhys the Redeemed
Ashling the Pilgrim
Ruhan of the Fomori
Rafiq of the Many
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Aurelia, the Warleader
Animar, Soul of Elements
Borborygmos Enraged
Riku of Two Reflections
Would Prismatic Strands have a place in this deck, or do you not have enough white creatures to reliably flash it back? Mother of Runes is much better, but it never hurts to have some back up.
Also, why Sol Ring over Mana Crypt? They do both functionally the same thing, but Mana Crypt comes down a lot faster, and can help push some other things along.
Personally, I'd say if you were looking to add in Hinder, it might just be better to run Mana Leak, as it's easier to cast and cheaper, and still relevant for the window your deck looks like it's trying to establish.
As for Mana Crypt that's been in the deck since day 1, you probably just missed it. I did however realize that my card count was off for some reason and Finest Hour wasn't in the list to my amazement, I must have forgotten it when I was trying to mentally re-assemble this list. I had to take out Burgeoning for it though. granted I'm usually not going to get much from Burgeoning unless it is dropped turn 1.
I'm not going to bother with Hinder just yet or Mana Leak. Need to test the waters at my LGS before I make any further changes.
Mirri's Guile should be added to the deck to help with card quality
True, that would be nice to have in this deck, I mean Sensei's Diving Top is the better card but I didn't include it because I didn't want to be spending a mana each turn to rearrange the top 3. Unfortunately I don't have a Mirri's Guile yet so I'll have to postpone adding it to the deck, but I will start looking for it at my LGS or buy it from eBay with my next paycheck (would buy one now but rent is due today).
I did some goldfishing with this last night, had 2 games with consecutive turn 4 answer-it-or-lose moments and a game where I had capsize with buyback mana on turn 3 so essentially answer it or lose.
The first two games were these conditions:
Game 1: Rafiq turn 3 -> Distortion Strike + Might of Oaks turn 4
Game 2: Rafiq turn 3 -> Finest Hour turn 4 (this wasn't necessarily answer or lose they could chump block his first or second attack)
Still the goldfish never does anything to stop you but the speed is always fun to witness.
Cards I took out: Sakura-Tribe Elder (I only run 3 basic lands, would have taken out Rampant Growth instead but I have a foil 7th edition art of this and it is too hilarious to take out) Cataclysm (just felt unnecessary in the deck)
Cards I put in: Enlightened Tutor (Not certain I want this in yet or not. The deck is supposed to play accel or tempo every turn till Rafiq wins. However this is very good for speeding up the game when Rafiq is already shrouded and you really need Finest Hour.) O-Naginata (So much faster than Loxodon Warhammer.)
There are still some other concerns that I have for the deck that I haven't decided on yet.
In one situation I had Birds of Paradise out and Rafiq of the Many but I had them both shrouded via Whispersilk Cloak and Lightning Greaves which kept me from moving equipment around or using any of the spells I had in hand to pump Rafiq and swing for the win. Fortunately I already had Sword of Fire and Ice on the Birds before I had equipped the Cloak to it. So once Rafiq came out I started swinging with a shrouded, unblockable, double-striking, flying, pro-blue, pro-red, 3/4 Birds of Paradise that was dealing 4 additional damage from swords and drawing me 2 cards a turn. @_@
My opponent complained about the shroud on them about as much as I did, I wanted to win quickly via pump spells but he had answers in hand so it kind worked out for me in the end.
I didn't get to my LGS until around 8:30pm so I only got 3 games in before I started trading for all kinds of cool EDH stuff.
Next week I'll try to get more games in so I can post more thoughts on what does and doesn't work well in the deck.
P.S. Game 1 was funny cause when I told my opponent that the deck was purely 1v1. He looked at Rafiq and guessed what some of the cards were in the deck and had an idea of my strategy. Then he asked me if I could get Rafiq out on turn 2. I told him sometimes with like a god hand. Sure enough Turn 1:Mana Crypt, Coldsteel Heart, and a fetch land. Turn 2: Play a land, and out comes Rafiq. He laughed, and said, sure only with a god hand, right?
What about Tithe? Seems like a better card than most of your mana ramp.
Sorry I always seem to forget about that card since I haven't picked one up yet.
I really need to sleeve this deck up, playtest some, and try to make some more tweaks to it. However, lately I have been running a Rafiq deck that isn't so narrow minded as this strategy can become boring rather quickly.
I think Tithe would definately have a place in a revised list but I'm not going to simply change the list until I've had a chance to test it. EDIT: It's a nice card but it doesn't actually ramp. So that is probably why I don't have one in my current list. It's great for grabbing some dual lands for color fixing though.
Honestly, I need to sit down and try out this new Magic software "Cockatrice" and start playtesting my EDH ideas with some of the players here at MTGsalvation.
Okay so here is my build on Rafiq. This is my first EDH deck that I have built so I may be missing some good cards. Possible changes are -1 Knight of the reliquary for +1 unblockable 2/2 dude (I forget it's name). What other cards should I add?
@Saluir:
I feel your deck is a bit divided between multiplayer / 1v1, and then there are some things you are just missing.
First of all... NO BANT CHARM?! Seriously I HIGHLY recommend you put this in, it is the best charm in EDH.
Just look at its options: Choose one - Destroy target artifact (deals with mana accel, utility, equipment, and some creatures); or put target creature on the bottom of its owner's library (tucking your opponent's general at instant speed sounds good); or counter target instant spell (stop their counter/draw/removal/disruption/tutor).
A few of your cards are on the expensive side while you aren't running a lot of accelleration.
I didn't see any wrath effects.
Very little removal for artifacts/enchantments.
No equipment.
Also there are other planeswalkers that could benefit you. Especially Garruk to help accelerate your mana production and give you an overrun to help alpha strike.
I'm not saying you need all or a lot of these things, but adjusting for some of them should improve your deck's gameplay some more.
@Saluir:
I feel your deck is a bit divided between multiplayer / 1v1, and then there are some things you are just missing.
First of all... NO BANT CHARM?! Seriously I HIGHLY recommend you put this in, it is the best charm in EDH.
Just look at its options: Choose one - Destroy target artifact (deals with mana accel, utility, equipment, and some creatures); or put target creature on the bottom of its owner's library (tucking your opponent's general at instant speed sounds good); or counter target instant spell (stop their counter/draw/removal/disruption/tutor).
A few of your cards are on the expensive side while you aren't running a lot of accelleration.
I didn't see any wrath effects.
Very little removal for artifacts/enchantments.
No equipment.
Also there are other planeswalkers that could benefit you. Especially Garruk to help accelerate your mana production and give you an overrun to help alpha strike.
I'm not saying you need all or a lot of these things, but adjusting for some of them should improve your deck's gameplay some more.
Sorry I replied so late, been really busy until now. First of all you are right my deck is a mix between multiplayer and 1v1. I keep playing in both types of games so my deck gets messed up xD.
Yeah I really need to put Bant charm in the deck! Maybe because I play legacy so much I might be wrong on this, but Austere command kill's my stuff too and that just seems really annoying. Why take out Sylvan tutor and put in an artifact, enchantment, and land killer? Sylvan can search for such a card or I can find a better creature depending on the situation. Let me know what you think. Tooth and Nail seems like a good card. My only concern is that the mana cost might get in my way. Defense can also be found using the two tutors I have.. The Bant Charm change I'll make right away. yeah Dissipate is a better card. Also agree on dream fracture. Arcane Denial also looks better. Overwhelming intellect is in my opinion a really good card. I have drawn 8 cards thanks to it once! Also I have never found it to get in my way. I'll try Garruk out but I'm not so sure how well garruk will do. Jitte looks like a great card but I also like avenger. I'll try Jitte out and let you know what I think.
Honestly my main deck does have Tropical Island in it. I'm not sure what exactly happened. I'll edit my original post and make the change to how it really was. The land changes you suggested are great!
Wrath effects can be a deterrent- especially if you are focused on winning early with Rafiq. I ended up taking mine out of my current build. Engineereed Explosives may be a better bet.
And Meddling Mage is another card you may want to consider.
I probably should throw Whispersilk Cloak back in but my current version of the deck doesn't rely as heavily on Rafiq to win. So cards like Dueling Grounds are less necessary. Lotus Petal just isn't that great when you're not trying to rush Rafiq out on turn 2 or 3. I'd rather use a signet over it.
Also, good ol' Jace Beleren/ Sun Titan combo works well for me; you may want to give that a try.
Yea I should probably take out Mulldrifter and put in Jace Beleren. A friend of mine is borrowing my playset at the moment though.
Does Mimic Vat actually help in this type of deck? I playtested it in my deck, but never had any real luck with it.
It's something I wanted to try out and can at times create huge card advantage. Like Mulldrifter / any Titan / and some other EtB creatures getting imprinted on it. Occasionally you get a cool creature from your opponent. However, it has been less impresive for me lately so it may simply get cut for Whispersilk Cloak or Consecrated Sphinx (been wanting to try out the Sphinx).
Wrath effects can be a deterrent- especially if you are focused on winning early with Rafiq. I ended up taking mine out of my current build. Engineereed Explosives may be a better bet.
I don't always intend on winning early with Rafiq. I wanted to have a decent number of board wipes for those sticky situations (i.e. tokens, zoo style beat down, Momir Vig decks, etc..) and really the only two that can really hurt me are Wrath of God and Akroma's Vengeance since they always hit all my creatures as well, but at least Akroma's Vengeance can be cycled when it isn't needed. Also when I use Austere Command it usually hurts my opponent more than it ever does me.
And Meddling Mage is another card you may want to consider.
The only reason to play this creature that I can think of at the moment is to name my opponent's general. Which means its not always a great top deck mid to late game. I would probably rather have Oblation in the deck over Meddling Mage since it can deal with nearly any problem.
At the moment I've stopped testing my Rafiq deck just so I don't get burnt out on playing it. I'm currently using my Jenara Bant Control list which can definately make better use of Mimic Vat with all the creatres that have EtB effects.
This list uses the Multiplayer ban list. If you want to switch to the French Ban list simply make the following changes:
OUT: Serra Ascendant
IN: Phantasmal Image/Gilded Drake
OUT: Mana Drain
IN: Spell Crumple/Hinder/Stifle/Mental Misstep
OUTs: Mana Crypt and Sol Ring
2 INs: Farseek/Wild Growth/Utopia Sprawl/Fyndhorn Elves/Lotus Cobra/Fertile Ground/etc...
OUT: Sensei's Divining Top
IN: Mirri's Guilde
OUT: Strip Mine
IN: Tectonic Edge
Turn 3 or 4 Single Spell (Triumph of the Hordes, Might of Oaks, Finest Hour, Putrefax, or if you have 6 Grafted Exoskeleton)
Turn 3 or 4 Two Spells Berserk + 2nd spell (Invigorate, Mutagenic Growth, Rancor, Vines of the Vastwood, O-Naginata, and many more)
Typically he kills in 2 hits with almost any of the pumps.
What if the General Damage rule didn't exist? Over the Top Kill:
Turn 2 Rafiq
Turn 3 Might of Oaks + Berserk = 44 damage
(trample makes sure that's happening) However, Fog is the funniest slap in the face to this.
For Absurdity (this could happen):
Turn 2 Rafiq
Turn 3 Finest Hour
Turn 4 Might of Oaks + Berserk = 48 damage in the first combat step, and then 52 damage in the second combat step for a total of 100 damage on turn 4.
1 Rafiq of the Many
<(^-^<) Control (>^-^)>
Countermagic (8)
1 Counterspell
1 Delay
1 Force of Will (or Stifle, or Mental Misstep)
1 Mana Drain
1 Mana Leak
1 Memory Lapse
1 Negate
1 Remand
1 Boomerang
1 Capsize
1 Orim's Chant
1 Plow Under
1 Sunder
1 Temporal Manipulation
1 Temporal Spring
1 Treachery
1 Bant Charm
1 Nature's Claim
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sylvan Library
<(^-^<) Helps Rafiq Win (>^-^)>
Planeswalker (1)
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Blighted Agent
1 Cephalid Constable
1 Cold-eyed Selkie
1 Mother of Runes
1 Putrefax
1 Serra Ascendant
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Angelic Destiny
1 Armadillo Cloak
1 Finest Hour
1 Rancor
1 Spirit Mantle
1 Berserk
1 Distortion Strike
1 Might of Oaks
1 Riding the Dilu Horse (Budget options: Invigorate/Predator Strike)
1 Triumph of the Hordes
1 Vines of Vastwood
<(^-^<) Acceleration (>^-^)>
Creature Accel (5)
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Bloom Tender
1 Llanowar Elf
1 Noble Heirarch
1 Nature's Lore
1 Three Visits
1 Azorius Signet
1 Chrome Mox
1 Coalition Relic
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Diamond
1 Selesnya Signet
1 Simic Signet
1 Sol Ring
<(^-^<) Mana Base (>^-^)>
Lands (36)
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Stripmine
1 Wasteland
1 Yavimaya Hollow
1 City of Brass
1 Command Tower
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Savannah
1 Tropical Island
1 Tundra
1 Breeding Pool
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Temple Garden
1 Arid Mesa
1 Flooded Strand
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Flooded Grove
1 Mystic Gate
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Razorverge Thicket
1 Seachrome Coast
2 Forest
2 Islands
1 Plains
1 Rafiq of the Many
Planeswalker (1)
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Creatures (12)
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Blighted Agent
1 Bloom Tender
1 Cephalid Constable
1 Cold-eyed Selkie
1 Llanowar Elf
1 Mother of Runes
1 Noble Heirarch
1 Putrefax
1 Serra Ascendant
1 Stoneforge Mystic
Instants (23)
1 Bant Charm
1 Berserk
1 Boomerang
1 Capsize
1 Counterspell
1 Delay
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Force of Will (or Stifle, or Mental Misstep)
1 Mana Drain
1 Mana Leak
1 Memory Lapse
1 Might of Oaks
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Nature's Claim
1 Negate
1 Orim's Chant
1 Path to Exile
1 Remand
1 Temporal Spring
1 Sunder
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Vines of Vastwood
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Distortion Strike
1 Nature's Lore
1 Plow Under
1 Riding the Dilu Horse (Budget options: Invigorate/Predator Strike)
1 Temporal Manipulation
1 Three Visits
1 Triumph of the Hordes
Enchantments (7)
1 Angelic Destiny
1 Armadillo Cloak
1 Finest Hour
1 Rancor
1 Spirit Mantle
1 Sylvan Library
1 Treachery
Artifact (13)
1 Azorius Signet
1 Chrome Mox
1 Coalition Relic
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Diamond
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Selesnya Signet
1 Simic Signet
1 Sol Ring
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Umezawa's Jitte
Lands (36)
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Stripmine
1 Wasteland
1 Yavimaya Hollow
1 City of Brass
1 Command Tower
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Savannah
1 Tropical Island
1 Tundra
1 Breeding Pool
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Temple Garden
1 Arid Mesa
1 Flooded Strand
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Flooded Grove
1 Mystic Gate
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Razorverge Thicket
1 Seachrome Coast
2 Forest
2 Islands
1 Plains
Some cards that I would suggest trying out:
Help Rafiq Win:
Invigorate, Mutagenic Growth, Riding the Dilu Horse, Emerge Unscathed, Spirit en-Dal, Shelter, Sylvan Might, Sword of Feast and Famine, Pemmin's Aura, Triumph of the Hordes, Grafted Exoskeleton
Counters & Tempo:
Turn Aside, Rebuff the Wicked, Snap, Into the Roil, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Balance (If your playgroup allows it), Cataclysm, Parallax Tide, Parallax Wave, (For these last two suggestions use them if you're playing online, with proxies, or can afford them) Ravages of War, and Capture of Jingzhou.
----------------------
Here are most of the cards that help Rafiq win via pumps, protection, evasion, or can remove a problematic creature from his path at a low mana cost:
0cc - Invigorate
0cc - Mutagenic Growth
1cc - Rancor
1cc - O-naginata
1cc - Swords to Plowshares
1cc - Path to Exile
1cc - Apostle's Blessing (only costs 1 if you pay the 2 life)
1cc - Shadow Rift
1cc - Emerge Unscathed
1cc - Seedling Charm
1cc - Infiltrate
1cc - Dispatch (Great if you have metalcraft)
1cc - Pongify (budget card, can remove their general or problem critter but leaves them a chump blocker)
1cc - Condemn
1cc - Oust
1cc - Withstand Death
2cc - Vines of the Vastwood
2cc - Sylvan Might
2cc - Umezawa's Jitte
2cc - Might of the Nephilim
2cc - Shelter
2cc - Spirit en-Dal (Forecast each turn for Shadow)
2cc - Puresteel Paladin (Great if you have metalcraft)
2cc - Spellskite (protection for Rafiq)
2cc - Horned Helm
2cc - Vorrac Battlehorns
2cc - Neurok Stealthsuit
2cc - Veil of Secrecy
2cc - Cloak of Mists
2cc - Gilded Drake
2cc - Trailblazer's Boots
3cc - Beast Within (Instant mono-green Vindicate that leaves them a chump-blocker)
3cc - Riding the Dilu Horse (pricey to attain in real life)
3cc - Sword of Fire and Ice
3cc - Sword of Feast and Famine
3cc - Sword of War and Peace
3cc - Sword of Light and Shadow
3cc - Sword of Body and Mind
3cc - Sword of Vengeance
3cc - Loxodon Warhammer
3cc - Helm of Kaldra
3cc - Steel of the Godhead
3cc - Armadillo Cloak
3cc - Unquestioned Authority
3cc - Pemmin's Aura
3cc - Wildsize
3cc - Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
3cc - Oblation
3cc - Teleport
4cc - Grafted Exoskeleton
4cc - Parallax Wave
4cc - Touch of Invisibility
4cc - Trailblazer
Artifacts
0cc - Mox Diamond
0cc - Chrome Mox
0cc - Lotus Petal
0cc - Mana Crypt
0cc - Mox Opal (if you're running enough artifacts)
1cc - Sol Ring
2cc - Azorius Signet
2cc - Selesnya Signet
2cc - Simic Signet
2cc - Coldsteel Heart
2cc - Sphere of Suns
2cc - Talisman of Progress
2cc - Talisman of Unity
Enchantments
1cc - Fastbond (its banned, but if your playgroup allows it then use it)
1cc - Exploration
1cc - Burgeoning
1cc - Utopia Sprawl
1cc - Wild Growth
2cc - Fertile Ground
Creatures
1cc - Birds of Paradise
1cc - Noble Heirarch
1cc - Llanowar Elf
1cc - Fyndhorn Elves
1cc - Boreal Druid
1cc - Arbor Elf
2cc - Bloom Tender
2cc - Gemhide Sliver
2cc - Harabaz Druid
2cc - Utopia Tree
2cc - Sakura-Tribe Elder
Spells
1cc - Crop Rotation (not really accel but it makes sure your land is on the right colors so you don't fall behind)
1cc - Search for Tomorrow
2cc - Nature's Lore
2cc - Three Visits
2cc - Farseek
2cc - Rampant Growth
2cc - Explore
0cc - Force of Will (5cc if you hardcast it)
0cc - Misdirection (Not an actual Counter, but helpful. 5cc if you hardcast it)
0cc - Foil (4cc if you hardcast it)
0cc - Disrupting Shoal (can be difficult to use)
0cc - Daze (if you're willing to bounce an island, or pay 2cc)
0cc - Mental Misstep
0cc - Pact of Negation (DON'T forget to pay next upkeep)
1cc - Orim's Chant (Kind of counter tempo and the kicker is nice)
1cc - Silence (Kind of counter tempo)
1cc - Force Spike
1cc - Mana Tithe
1cc - Turn Aside
1cc - Rebuff the Wicked
1cc - Avoid Fate
1cc - Intervene
1cc - Stifle
2cc - Mana Drain
2cc - Counterspell
2cc - Remand
2cc - Arcane Denial
2cc - Memory Lapse
2cc - Mana Leak
2cc - Delay
2cc - Negate
2cc - Abeyance (Kind of counter tempo and cantrip)
2cc - Due Respect (can keep future blockers out of the way and slow their mana)
2cc - Trickbind
2cc - Hindering Light
2cc - Dawn Charm
Xcc - Ertai's Meddling (can stop a spell for a turn at 2cc)
4cc - Rewind (free if you can cast it)
0cc - Snapback (creature bounce only, exile a blue card from your hand and it's free)
1cc - Unsummon
1cc - Chain of Vapor (this is pretty nice turn 1 or 2)
1cc - Aether Spellbomb (takes 2 mana to play and use the ability)
1cc - Seal of Removal
2cc - Boomerang
2cc - Eye of Nowhere (2nd Boomerang)
2cc - Hoodwink
2cc - Into the Roil
2cc - Disperse
2cc - Snap (only creatures, but its free)
2cc - Stern Proctor (bounce your opponents artifact accel, and have a body on the field)
2cc - Withdraw (potential to return 2 creatures to owner's hand)
3cc - Oblation (not exactly bounce but very good against general-centric decks)
3cc - Temporal Spring
3cc - Fallow Earth
3cc - Capsize
3cc - Wipe Away
3cc - Consign to Dream
3cc - Regress
3cc - Venser's Diffusion
3cc - Rescind (has cycling)
3cc - Rushing River (kicker for 2 bounces)
3cc - Deliver (Stand/Deliver)
3cc - Aether Snipe (3cc to evoke it)
3cc - Symbol of Unsummoning (Creature bounce only, and draw a card)
3cc - Cephalid Constable (he's really great bounce with rafiq's effect)
Xcc - Repeal (bounce a 1 drop and draw a card ^_^)
2cc - Balance (If your playgroup allows it)
3cc - Ice Storm
3cc - Winter's Grasp
3cc - Thermokarst
4cc - Parallax Tide
4cc - Armaggedon
4cc - Ravages of War
4cc - Cataclysm
4cc - Mwonvuli Acid-Moss
4cc - Creeping Mold
4cc - Reap and Sow
3cc - Savor the Moment + a way to untap Rafiq (i.e. Scryb Ranger)
5cc - Capture of Jingzhou
5cc - Time Warp
5cc - Temporal Manipulation
6cc - Time Stop
6cc - Walk the Aeons
3cc - Hinder
3cc - Bant Charm
3cc - Dissipate
3cc - Faerie Trickery
3cc - Lapse of Certainty
4cc - Parallax Tide
4cc - Cryptic Command
4cc - Temporal Eddy
4cc - Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4cc - Cataclysm
5cc - Plow Under
5cc - Sunder
5cc - Primal Command
5cc - Stunted Growth
A card that I have come across once and just hated was Slaughter. It can be pretty difficult to play around unless you luck into countermagic or some way to make it lose its target so it fizzles.
Also I wanted to note this list is using a variant of the French Ban-list because of the LGS that I play at on Tuesday nights so that is why cards like (Mana Crypt, Sol Ring, etc.. are not in here)
Anyways on to the decklist:
------------------
1 Rafiq of the Many
Planeswalkers (3):
------------------
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Jace the Mind Sculptor
1 Venser, the Sojourner
Creatures (23):
------------------
1 Acidic Slime
1 Battlegrace Angel
1 Body Double
1 Coiling Oracle
1 Cold-Eyed Selkie
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Eternal Witness
1 Genesis
1 Mirror Entity
1 Mulldrifter
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Oracle of Mul Daya
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Primeval Titan
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Reveillark
1 Serra Ascendant
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Sun Titan
1 Trygon Predator
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Wood Elves
Enchantments (6):
------------------
1 Angelic Destiny
1 Finest Hour
1 Rancor
1 Survival of the Fittest
1 Sylvan Library
1 Treachery
------------------
1 Bant Charm
1 Capsize
1 Cryptic Command
1 Delay
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Krosan Grip
1 Mana Drain
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Path to Exile
1 Return to Dust
1 Spell Crumple
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Vines of the Vastwood
Sorceries (7):
------------------
1 Austere Command
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Mwonvuli Acid-Moss
1 Nature's Lore
1 Plow Under
1 Three Visits
1 Wrath of God
Artifacts (9):
------------------
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mimic Vat
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Umezawa's Jitte
Lands (37):
------------------
Colorless Utility:
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Kor Haven
1 Strip Mine
1 Yavimaya Hollow
1 City of Brass
1 Command Tower
1 Reflecting Pool
Duals, Shocks, and Fetches:
1 Savannah
1 Tropical Island
1 Tundra
1 Breeding Pool
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Temple Garden
1 Arid Mesa
1 Flooded Strand
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
Other 2 color producing lands:
1 Flooded Grove
1 Mystic Gate
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Sunpetal Grove
Basic Lands (Unhinged/Zendikar/Unglued):
3 Forests
3 Islands
3 Plains
1 Rafiq of the Many
Planeswalkers (1)
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Creatures (9)
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Cephalid Constable
1 Cold-eyed Selkie
1 Elvish Spirit Guide
1 Mother of Runes
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Thrummingbird
1 Blight Mamba
1 Blighted Agent
1 Cystbearer
1 Glistener Elf
1 Ichorclaw Myr
1 Lost Leonin
1 Necropede
1 Plague Myr
1 Putrefax
1 Rot Wolf
1 Viridian Corrupter
Instants (21)
1 Abeyance
1 Bant Charm
1 Berserk
1 Bounty of the Hunt
1 Emerged Unscathed
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Giant Growth
1 Groundswell
1 Invigorate
1 Might of Old Krosa
1 Mutagenic Growth
1 Nature's Claim
1 Orim's Chant
1 Path to Exile
1 Silence
1 Snap
1 Stonewood Invocation
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Sylvan Might
1 Vines of Vastwood
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Distortion Strike
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Steelshaper's Gift
1 Triumph of the Hordes
Enchantments (6)
1 Angelic Destiny
1 Corrupted Conscience
1 Finest Hour
1 Rancor
1 Spirit Mantle
1 Sylvan Library
Artifact (11)
1 Bonesplitter
1 Chrome Mox
1 Contagion Clasp
1 Grafted Exoskeleton
1 Grafted Wargear
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Livewire Lash
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mox Diamond
1 Runechanter's Pike
1 Sol Ring
Lands (36)
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Yavimaya Hollow
1 Savannah
1 Tropical Island
1 Tundra
1 Breeding Pool
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Temple Garden
1 Arid Mesa
1 Flooded Strand
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Adarkar Wastes
1 Brushland
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Flooded Grove
1 Mystic Gate
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Command Tower
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Seaside Citadel
1 City of Brass
1 Gemstone Mine
2 Forest
2 Island
2 Plains
Writ of Passage
Spirit en-Dal
Wild Might
Seal of Strength
Gaea's Might
Might of Alara
Rushing River
Edric, Spymaster of Trest
Utopia Sprawl
No one has any comments or suggestions for improving this deck?
Took out Loxodon Warhammer for Distortion Strike since it is much more relevant for this style of deck.
Also I changed the layout of the Orginal Post in an attempt to organize it better and I'm probably going to sleeve this back up and test it some more at my LGS and depending on the results I may even write a primer to this deck.
and condemn
Maybe, but I'm trying to keep the curve as low as possible for almost every spell. Like I said I'll be sleeving this back up and doing some testing for it at my local LGS. I know they're both good cards and Condemn is only 1cc but it also only stops their creature if it attacks and that usually isn't what I'm concerned with (except maybe against Zur). I usually just want an immediate answer to their creature if it is even going to be problematic and as such if I wanted another removal that could deal with their creature right away I may consider Pongify or Unsummon or heck I may add more 2cc countermagic like Arcane Denial or Mana Leak.
If I were to add either of those two before testing, it would be Hinder since it has the potential to immediately deal with their general, instead of Condemn that only deals with attacking creatures.
Also, why Sol Ring over Mana Crypt? They do both functionally the same thing, but Mana Crypt comes down a lot faster, and can help push some other things along.
Personally, I'd say if you were looking to add in Hinder, it might just be better to run Mana Leak, as it's easier to cast and cheaper, and still relevant for the window your deck looks like it's trying to establish.
EDH:
Zo-Zu the Punisher
Phelddagrif
Rhys the Redeemed
Ashling the Pilgrim
Ruhan of the Fomori
Rafiq of the Many
Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Aurelia, the Warleader
Animar, Soul of Elements
Borborygmos Enraged
Riku of Two Reflections
Prismatic Strands seems alright and it does stop spells like Earthquake or damage from Ashling the Pilgrim, but I seriously doubt there will be many chances for me to flash it back.
As for Mana Crypt that's been in the deck since day 1, you probably just missed it. I did however realize that my card count was off for some reason and Finest Hour wasn't in the list to my amazement, I must have forgotten it when I was trying to mentally re-assemble this list. I had to take out Burgeoning for it though. granted I'm usually not going to get much from Burgeoning unless it is dropped turn 1.
I'm not going to bother with Hinder just yet or Mana Leak. Need to test the waters at my LGS before I make any further changes.
Thanks for the suggestions though I will keep Prismatic Strands and Mana Leak in mind.
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
Trade:
True, that would be nice to have in this deck, I mean Sensei's Diving Top is the better card but I didn't include it because I didn't want to be spending a mana each turn to rearrange the top 3. Unfortunately I don't have a Mirri's Guile yet so I'll have to postpone adding it to the deck, but I will start looking for it at my LGS or buy it from eBay with my next paycheck (would buy one now but rent is due today).
I did some goldfishing with this last night, had 2 games with consecutive turn 4 answer-it-or-lose moments and a game where I had capsize with buyback mana on turn 3 so essentially answer it or lose.
The first two games were these conditions:
Game 1: Rafiq turn 3 -> Distortion Strike + Might of Oaks turn 4
Game 2: Rafiq turn 3 -> Finest Hour turn 4 (this wasn't necessarily answer or lose they could chump block his first or second attack)
Still the goldfish never does anything to stop you but the speed is always fun to witness.
Sakura-Tribe Elder (I only run 3 basic lands, would have taken out Rampant Growth instead but I have a foil 7th edition art of this and it is too hilarious to take out)
Cataclysm (just felt unnecessary in the deck)
Cards I put in:
Enlightened Tutor (Not certain I want this in yet or not. The deck is supposed to play accel or tempo every turn till Rafiq wins. However this is very good for speeding up the game when Rafiq is already shrouded and you really need Finest Hour.)
O-Naginata (So much faster than Loxodon Warhammer.)
There are still some other concerns that I have for the deck that I haven't decided on yet.
In one situation I had Birds of Paradise out and Rafiq of the Many but I had them both shrouded via Whispersilk Cloak and Lightning Greaves which kept me from moving equipment around or using any of the spells I had in hand to pump Rafiq and swing for the win. Fortunately I already had Sword of Fire and Ice on the Birds before I had equipped the Cloak to it. So once Rafiq came out I started swinging with a shrouded, unblockable, double-striking, flying, pro-blue, pro-red, 3/4 Birds of Paradise that was dealing 4 additional damage from swords and drawing me 2 cards a turn. @_@
My opponent complained about the shroud on them about as much as I did, I wanted to win quickly via pump spells but he had answers in hand so it kind worked out for me in the end.
I didn't get to my LGS until around 8:30pm so I only got 3 games in before I started trading for all kinds of cool EDH stuff.
Next week I'll try to get more games in so I can post more thoughts on what does and doesn't work well in the deck.
P.S. Game 1 was funny cause when I told my opponent that the deck was purely 1v1. He looked at Rafiq and guessed what some of the cards were in the deck and had an idea of my strategy. Then he asked me if I could get Rafiq out on turn 2. I told him sometimes with like a god hand. Sure enough Turn 1: Mana Crypt, Coldsteel Heart, and a fetch land. Turn 2: Play a land, and out comes Rafiq. He laughed, and said, sure only with a god hand, right?
Finding Finest Hour seems pretty good...
Sorry I always seem to forget about that card since I haven't picked one up yet.
I really need to sleeve this deck up, playtest some, and try to make some more tweaks to it. However, lately I have been running a Rafiq deck that isn't so narrow minded as this strategy can become boring rather quickly.
I think Tithe would definately have a place in a revised list but I'm not going to simply change the list until I've had a chance to test it. EDIT: It's a nice card but it doesn't actually ramp. So that is probably why I don't have one in my current list. It's great for grabbing some dual lands for color fixing though.
Honestly, I need to sit down and try out this new Magic software "Cockatrice" and start playtesting my EDH ideas with some of the players here at MTGsalvation.
I doubt that it is perfected or the most controlling, but it does well and I'm more than happy to hear suggestions or criticisms about it.
1 Akroma Angel of Wrath
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Battlegrace angel
1 Knight of the reliquary
1 Serra Ascendant
1 Angelic Arbiter
1 Giltspire Avenger
1 Iona, shield of emeria
1 Linvala, keeper of silence
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Terastodon
1 Trygon Predator
1 Arbor Elf
1 Birds of paradise
1 Fynhorn Elves
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Wall of roots
1 Sol Ring
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Dauntless Escort
1 Eternal Witness
1 Sylvan Tutor
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Defense of the heart
1 survival of the fittest
1 Eladmari's call
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Intuition
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Journey to nowhere
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Treachery
1 Orim's Chant
1 Path to Exile
1 Pongify
1 Silence
1 Swords to plowshares
1 Absorb
1 Condescend
1 Counter Spell
1 Cryptic Command
1 Dispersal Shield
1 Exclude
1 Faerie Trickery
1 False Summoning
1 Force of will
1 Mana Drain
1 Negate
1 Overwhelming Intellect
1 Brainsorm
1 Jace's Ingenuity
1 Concentrate
1 Mind Spring
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Jace, the mind sculptor
1 Breeding Pool
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Flooded Strand
4 Forest
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Hallowed Fountain
6 Island
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
5 Plains
1 Polluted Delta
1 Razorverge Thicket
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Savannah
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Seachrome Coast
1 Seaside Citadel
1 Selesnya sanctuary
1 Simic growth Chamber
1 Stirring wood
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Tropical Island
1 Temple Garden
1 Tundra
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
Placed 18th playing Elves Combo in Starcitygames San Jose legacy open
I feel your deck is a bit divided between multiplayer / 1v1, and then there are some things you are just missing.
First of all... NO BANT CHARM?! Seriously I HIGHLY recommend you put this in, it is the best charm in EDH.
Just look at its options:
Choose one - Destroy target artifact (deals with mana accel, utility, equipment, and some creatures); or put target creature on the bottom of its owner's library (tucking your opponent's general at instant speed sounds good); or counter target instant spell (stop their counter/draw/removal/disruption/tutor).
A few of your cards are on the expensive side while you aren't running a lot of accelleration.
I didn't see any wrath effects.
Very little removal for artifacts/enchantments.
No equipment.
Also there are other planeswalkers that could benefit you. Especially Garruk to help accelerate your mana production and give you an overrun to help alpha strike.
I'm not saying you need all or a lot of these things, but adjusting for some of them should improve your deck's gameplay some more.
I'm also curious why you aren't running Tropical Island.
So here are some suggestions for changes:
-1 Angelic Arbiter :: +1 Austere Command
-1 Sylvan Tutor :: +1 Acidic Slime
-1 Defense of the Heart :: +1 Tooth and Nail
-1 Silence :: +1 Bant Charm
-1 Faerie Trickery :: +1 Dissipate
-1 Absorb :: +1 Dream Fracture
-1 Dispersal Shield :: +1 Arcane Denial
-1 Overwhelming Intellect :: +1 Dismiss
-1 Arbor Elf (he is cool with a few dual lands but sometimes he can't do his job) :: +1 Garruk the Wildspeaker
-1 Giltspire Avenger :: +1 Umezawa's Jitte
Now these suggestions I'm about to make for your lands should help your early game and help you not suffer as much from any successful land destruction.
-1 Razorverge Thicket :: +1 Tropical Island
-1 Seachrome Coast :: +1 Reflecting Pool
-1 Azorius Chancery :: +1 Azorius Signet
-1 Selesnya Sanctuary (you have it listed as Selesnya Citadel) :: +1 Selesnya Signet
-1 Simic Growth Chamber :: +1 Simic Signet
Sorry I replied so late, been really busy until now. First of all you are right my deck is a mix between multiplayer and 1v1. I keep playing in both types of games so my deck gets messed up xD.
Yeah I really need to put Bant charm in the deck! Maybe because I play legacy so much I might be wrong on this, but Austere command kill's my stuff too and that just seems really annoying. Why take out Sylvan tutor and put in an artifact, enchantment, and land killer? Sylvan can search for such a card or I can find a better creature depending on the situation. Let me know what you think. Tooth and Nail seems like a good card. My only concern is that the mana cost might get in my way. Defense can also be found using the two tutors I have.. The Bant Charm change I'll make right away. yeah Dissipate is a better card. Also agree on dream fracture. Arcane Denial also looks better. Overwhelming intellect is in my opinion a really good card. I have drawn 8 cards thanks to it once! Also I have never found it to get in my way. I'll try Garruk out but I'm not so sure how well garruk will do. Jitte looks like a great card but I also like avenger. I'll try Jitte out and let you know what I think.
Honestly my main deck does have Tropical Island in it. I'm not sure what exactly happened. I'll edit my original post and make the change to how it really was. The land changes you suggested are great!
Placed 18th playing Elves Combo in Starcitygames San Jose legacy open
-1 Silence : +1 Bant Charm
-1 Trickery : +1 Dissipate
-1 Absorb : +1 Dream Fracture
-1 Dispersal Shield : +1 Arcane Denial
-1 Arbor Elf: +1 Garruk
-1 Giltspire : +1 Jitte
-1 Razerverge : +1 mana Crypt (I had forgotten to wright tropical island so I decided to add Mana crypt)
-1 Azorius Chancery : +1 signet
-1 Selesnya : +1 Selesnya Signet
-1 simic growth : +1 Simic signet
-1 seachrome Coast : +1 reflecting pool
Here is the new deck
1 Akroma Angel of Wrath
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Battlegrace angel
1 Knight of the reliquary
1 Serra Ascendant
1 Angelic Arbiter
1 Iona, shield of emeria
1 Linvala, keeper of silence
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Terastodon
1 Trygon Predator
1 Mana Crypt
1 Simic Signet
1 Azorius Signet
1 Selesnya Signet
1 Birds of paradise
1 Fynhorn Elves
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Wall of roots
1 Sol Ring
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Dauntless Escort
1 Eternal Witness
1 Sylvan Tutor
1 Idyllic Tutor
1 Defense of the heart
1 survival of the fittest
1 Eladmari's call
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Intuition
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Journey to nowhere
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Treachery
1 Orim's Chant
1 Path to Exile
1 Pongify
1 Bant Charm
1 Swords to plowshares
1 Dream Fracture
1 Condescend
1 Counter Spell
1 Cryptic Command
1 Arcane Denial
1 Exclude
1 Dissipate
1 False Summoning
1 Force of will
1 Mana Drain
1 Negate
1 Overwhelming Intellect
1 Brainsorm
1 Jace's Ingenuity
1 Concentrate
1 Mind Spring
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
1 Breeding Pool
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Flooded Strand
4 Forest
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Hallowed Fountain
6 Island
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
5 Plains
1 Polluted Delta
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Savannah
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Reflecting pool
1 Seaside Citadel
1 Stirring wood
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Tropical Island
1 Temple Garden
1 Tundra
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
Placed 18th playing Elves Combo in Starcitygames San Jose legacy open
First of all, no Whispersilk Cloak, Dueling Grounds, or Lotus Petal?
Also, good ol' Jace Beleren/ Sun Titan combo works well for me; you may want to give that a try.
Does Mimic Vat actually help in this type of deck? I playtested it in my deck, but never had any real luck with it.
You may want to consider some cards that can fish your general out in case he gets hit with a Condemn. Cards like Congregation at Dawn and Eladamri's Call work well.
Wrath effects can be a deterrent- especially if you are focused on winning early with Rafiq. I ended up taking mine out of my current build. Engineereed Explosives may be a better bet.
And Meddling Mage is another card you may want to consider.
I probably should throw Whispersilk Cloak back in but my current version of the deck doesn't rely as heavily on Rafiq to win. So cards like Dueling Grounds are less necessary. Lotus Petal just isn't that great when you're not trying to rush Rafiq out on turn 2 or 3. I'd rather use a signet over it.
Yea I should probably take out Mulldrifter and put in Jace Beleren. A friend of mine is borrowing my playset at the moment though.
It's something I wanted to try out and can at times create huge card advantage. Like Mulldrifter / any Titan / and some other EtB creatures getting imprinted on it. Occasionally you get a cool creature from your opponent. However, it has been less impresive for me lately so it may simply get cut for Whispersilk Cloak or Consecrated Sphinx (been wanting to try out the Sphinx).
Eladamri's Call, Green Sun's Zenith, and Wargate are the ones I'm most likely to use if I decide to put more creature tutors in here.
I don't always intend on winning early with Rafiq. I wanted to have a decent number of board wipes for those sticky situations (i.e. tokens, zoo style beat down, Momir Vig decks, etc..) and really the only two that can really hurt me are Wrath of God and Akroma's Vengeance since they always hit all my creatures as well, but at least Akroma's Vengeance can be cycled when it isn't needed. Also when I use Austere Command it usually hurts my opponent more than it ever does me.
The only reason to play this creature that I can think of at the moment is to name my opponent's general. Which means its not always a great top deck mid to late game. I would probably rather have Oblation in the deck over Meddling Mage since it can deal with nearly any problem.
At the moment I've stopped testing my Rafiq deck just so I don't get burnt out on playing it. I'm currently using my Jenara Bant Control list which can definately make better use of Mimic Vat with all the creatres that have EtB effects.
I run the nexus. Works well.