Rafiq of the ManyRafiq of the Many | Art by Michael Komarck

The recent Marvel Super Heroes set featured "attacking alone" as a strategy in both the main set and Jumpstart product. This is a perfect opportunity to revisit Commander's decorated champion of single combat: Rafiq of the ManyRafiq of the Many.

I love commanders like Rafiq. Give me a direction, but don't do the work for me. If you like commanders that challenge your deck building and gameplay skills, then this Rafiq rebuild is for you.

In Command

Rafiq of the Many first appeared in Shards of Alara and turned the tide for Aggro in 20-life formats. His ability to pump a creature and give it double strike made earlier drops into later threats.

That Wayne Reynolds promo art is sharp, befitting a Commander known for having an edge. I've heard stories from more experienced players of a time when Rafiq of the Many was a fearsome presence in the command zone.

Of course, that was before FIRE design torched old conventions of game balance. By the time I started playing Commander in earnest, Chulane, Teller of TalesChulane, Teller of Tales overwhelmingly dominated the popularity contest for top Bant () commander. These days, 4.8k stalwart Rafiq decks stand valiantly against a field of convenient value-engine piles.

It's tempting to monologue about power creep in order to rationalize Rafiq's slide down the rankings.

It's easy to point fingers at easy-mode commanders, but Ms. BumbleflowerMs. Bumbleflower didn't do anything to Rafiq.

Objectively, Rafiq of the Many is self-limiting to a small pool of permanents, and reliant on an approach to combat that doesn't scale to Commander's multiplayer environment.

Exalted and other "attacks alone" triggers expect you to attack one opponent with one creature. If you want a detailed explanation of why that's a problem, check out Cas Hinds' attacking exposé. They make a lot of solid points, and I'm pragmatic enough to recognize the inherent disadvantage of attacking one opponent among three to trigger exalted.

...BUT...

Attacking is fun, and I'll never stop building combat decks just because conventional wisdom says I should do something more efficient. So today I'm rebuilding EDHREC's average deck for Rafiq of the Many with cards from Marvel Super Heroes, and a few other recent releases. Despite the fact that the set mechanics from MSH directly support Rafiq's primary game plan, these new "attacks alone" cards are appearing in single-digit percentages of Rafiq decks.

Striking from the shadows, Peggy Carter, Secret AgentPeggy Carter, Secret Agent is currently the most popular MSH card with Rafiq. Still, she's barely made a ripple in the data: a mere 11 of 227 Rafiq decks updated since Marvel's release. I think that number should be a lot higher, given her exalted-adjacent trigger grants indestructible. She perfectly mitigates the risk of attacking alone, significantly improving the combat math. Peggy isn't the only deserving Marvel card missing a chance on the dance floor with Rafiq. There are several others, and I'll cover each one in turn.

Alone, but Not Lonely

First up, we have S.H.I.E.L.D.'s frontman Nick Fury, SpymasterNick Fury, Spymaster. Like any good spy, Nick isn't playing fair. First strike is not a fair keyword. He provides card draw without giving anything to an opponent, which is woefully rare in white. AND, he cheats creatures into play.

Those other creatures come into play tapped and attacking, which creates a couple interesting rules interactions for this deck. As an upside, you resolve this effect after satisfying the requirement to put all your "attacks alone" triggers on the stack. That means you get to have your cake and throw it at your opponents too. As a minor downside, that creature won't get any of its own attack triggers, which is relevant because that's almost every creature in this deck.

Peggy Carter's niece, Sharon, is something of a lone wolf. Agent 13, Sharon CarterAgent 13, Sharon Carter is not nearly as potent as Nick Fury, but she still offers a form of card advantage.

Somehow Sharon reminds me of Tempered in SolitudeTempered in Solitude, which, sadly, is out of Rafiq's color identity. I know Clues and impulse draw lead to different play patterns, but I would really like to have both as an option. Since it's not, I'll accept my one clue per combat and move on.

Next, this character is more feline than lupine. Black Panther, Claws of BastBlack Panther, Claws of Bast is showcasing his territorial nature with an attacks alone trigger that leaves a mark.

The best part of exalted is the way it stacks with other instances of exalted. Black Panther trades the group benefit of the exalted ability word for a permanent increase of power and toughness via +1/+1 counters.

If opponents' defenses are getting under your skin, then consider Luke Cage, Power ManLuke Cage, Power Man's unbreakable skin as an alternative to risking a more valuable game piece.

The downside to Luke Cage is his insistence on being the lone attacker. Without that trigger, he's just a vanilla 2/5, contributing very little to the game plan beyond blocking. Still, I appreciate cards that allow a deck to pivot and reduce dependence on the commander. For those situations when Rafiq isn't available to swing, Luke is a viable backup plan.

Not Heroes, but Still Super

Exalted most often appears on creatures, but there's a sprinkling of other permanent types with "attacks alone" triggers. Marvel Super Heroes included an enchantment, Strategic InterventionStrategic Intervention, and an Equipment, S.H.I.E.L.D. Spy KitS.H.I.E.L.D. Spy Kit. I'm grouping these together because they sort of reflect one another.

Strategic Intervention is a weaker version of Angelic BenedictionAngelic Benediction, but it also costs half as much mana. Soft removal like tapping creatures is a small utility that can make a big difference in combat, or deprive opponents of resources.

As much as I like tapping my opponents' stuff, I love untapping my stuff. The S.H.I.E.L.D. Spy Kit gives our lone attacker pseudo-vigilance, with the added benefit of filtering the top of the library.

While the members of Team Avatar are not Marvel-ous, I could not resist the chance to slot this card in a deck. For one less mana, it yields the same power/toughness boost as Angelic ExaltationAngelic Exaltation, and does double duty as removal in a pinch. It's worth noting that removal effect is also difficult to counter, because it's an activated ability, not casting the spell.

Rafiq, Alara's Mightiest Hero

Missing, but Not Missed

Because my baseline for this rebuild was an average deck, there were some cards that are popular, but not ideal. I'm not going into detail every single cut, but there is one in particular that deserves a discussion.

Giving exalted to all your Auras is cracked. Rashel, Fist of TormRashel, Fist of Torm appears in 30% of Rafiq decks, and I'm sure many of those Rafiq players are happy with their choice. Rashel is an awesome commander in its own right, and excellent in any deck with Auras as the primary focus. However, I felt my take on Rafiq didn't contain enough Auras to justify the slot for Rashel.

There's another notable exclusion, the only Marvel card that actually had exalted in the text box.

Wonder Woman Zarda, the Power PrincessZarda, the Power Princess is yet another card that would be great with a Maskwood NexusMaskwood Nexus. That's boring and parasitic. There are no other typal cards in this list to justify a slot for both Zarda and Maskwood Nexus, and there aren't enough Heroes in the list to justify Zarda alone.

Done, but Not Finished

Three flaws I noticed in the average Rafiq list could be another article on their own, so I'm tacking on a quick lightning round to wrap things up.

One: not enough lands. The average list weighed in at 36, but I prefer to start at 42 and tune from there. I added Baxter BuildingBaxter Building because it's a better Bonders' EnclaveBonders' Enclave. It enters untapped to make mana, fixes colors, and draws cards for very low cost of inclusion.

Two: not enough interaction. One key add here is Invisible Force FieldInvisible Force Field. Protection spells like this are always measured against Heroic InterventionHeroic Intervention, and Invisible Force Field doesn't quite measure up because its defensive effect is a lot narrower. That said, rebound gives you at least one extra chance to attack without hazarding your own creatures.

Three: not enough graveyard recursion. I tossed in Call Damage ControlCall Damage Control, because it's usually going to be better than RegrowthRegrowth. That's pretty good considering Regrowth was restricted in Vintage for 19 years.

That's it for the lighting round. Do you have stories from Rafiq's glory days? What would you do differently with this list? Tell us in the comments below.

This deck is done enough to play, but there's a lot more I would love to tinker with. That's the way of deckbuilding, and the way Disney and Marvel handle storytelling. Like any Marvel movie, I'm ending this article with a sequel setup.

John will return with more deck techs and unsolicited opinions.