<p style="text-align: right;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ragost, Deft Gastronaut" href="#" target="_blank">Ragost, Deft Gastronaut</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.zackstella.com/">Zack Stella</a></p>
<p>I could go for a lobster roll right now...</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Roll-Roll-Roll-Roll"></div></div>
<p>Welcome once again to <em>Fire and Ice</em>! This is the data-driven series where I go over cards that are becoming more or less popular for different Commander decks, and talk about why they may be gaining or losing popularity. I'm Julia, EDHREC's Duchess of Data, and I'm super excited to jump into today's article! As a reminder, the math that supports this series is detailed in <a href="https://edhrec.com/articles/fireicescoremath">this article</a>.</p>
<p>EDHREC, of course, has a ton of data. We'll draw conclusions from that data about how certain commanders' decks have changed over time, give insight about new cards, and hopefully provide some tech for your favorite commander's list.</p>
<p>Today, we're focusing on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ragost, Deft Gastronaut" href="#" target="_blank">Ragost, Deft Gastronaut</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This Lobster Citizen is the 88th most popular commander on EDHREC, and is undeniably cool. They're the latest in a long line of Boros (<span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>) artifact commanders, but this time with a nautical twist!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ragost, Deft Gastronaut"></div></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ragost, Deft Gastronaut" href="#" target="_blank">Ragost, Deft Gastronaut</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div id="attachment_192977" style="width: 999px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-28.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-192977" class="size-full wp-image-192977" src="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-28.png" alt="What's Hot and What's Not for Ragost, Deft Gastronaut?" width="989" height="550" srcset="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-28.png 989w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-28-300x167.png 300w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-28-768x427.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 989px) 100vw, 989px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-192977" class="wp-caption-text">What's Hot and What's Not for Ragost, Deft Gastronaut?</p></div>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Ragost is a 2/2 Lobster Citizen. They turn all of our artifacts into Foods, meaning that we can pay <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-tap" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> them, and sacrifice them to gain three life. We can also pay <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-tap" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> Ragost, and sacrifice a Food to deal three damage to each opponent. Also also, Ragost becomes untapped at the beginning of each end step if we gained life that turn.</p>
<p>That's a lot of abilities for just two mana! In summary, Ragost makes everything Food, lets us weaponize Food to whittle away opposing life totals, and can do so each turn if we're gaining life consistently. This super strong text box has led Ragost to be the most popular Boros artifact commander!</p>
<p>Among Ragost's most popular cards are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Weapons Manufacturing" href="#" target="_blank">Weapons Manufacturing</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (84% inclusion), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nuka-Cola Vending Machine" href="#" target="_blank">Nuka-Cola Vending Machine</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (79% inclusion), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Academy Manufactor" href="#" target="_blank">Academy Manufactor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (79% inclusion).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Weapons Manufacturing"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Nuka-Cola Vending Machine"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Academy Manufactor"></div></div>
<h2>What's Fiery for Ragost Decks?</h2>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gleaming Splendor" href="#" target="_blank">Gleaming Splendor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 14.16</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gleaming Splendor"></div></div>
<p>Gleaming Splendor's 14.16 is among the highest Fire Scores we've ever seen in this series, and it's easy to see why. This enchantment is a fantastic, powerful card that just so happens to synergize beautifully with our commander.</p>
<p>We'll be making tons of Treasure tokens and drawing a few extra cards, all for the low, low cost of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. It's amazing how much value this two-drop can provide. The Treasures that Gleaming Splendor makes will also trigger effects like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ingenious Artillerist" href="#" target="_blank">Ingenious Artillerist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Leonin Elder" href="#" target="_blank">Leonin Elder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, keeping our wheels spinning.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Getaway Barrel" href="#" target="_blank">Getaway Barrel</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 6.57</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Getaway Barrel"></div></div>
<p>This artifact is a perfect target to sacrifice with our commander's <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-tap" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> ability. If we take that game action, we can ping our opponents for three damage and grab a powerful creature from the top of our deck.</p>
<p>We may occasionally whiff with this card, but the chance at paying just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> for a curve-topping creature is too enticing to pass up! Plus, with creatures like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Myr Retriever" href="#" target="_blank">Myr Retriever</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> on our side, we can crack this barrel multiple times per game.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mjölnir, Hammer of Thor" href="#" target="_blank">Mjölnir, Hammer of Thor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 4.45</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mjölnir, Hammer of Thor"></div></div>
<p>This is a damage doubler for our commander. It does cost a good bit of mana (total of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to cast and equip), but this Equipment does provide some value upon entering the battlefield. I'd rather play this than something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gratuitous Violence" href="#" target="_blank">Gratuitous Violence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> because of that ETB effect.</p>
<p>This Hammer does have a second effect, letting us pay <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and discard it to get a mini-wipe like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pyroclasm" href="#" target="_blank">Pyroclasm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This won't be relevant often, but I'm all for cards that give us options!</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Belladonna Took" href="#" target="_blank">Belladonna Took</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 4.04</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Belladonna Took"></div></div>
<p>This is another fantastic two-drop from the recent <em>Hobbit</em> set. We'll be making tons of Clues, Foods, and Treasures to keep Ragost well-fed, meaning we'll often get all three of Belladonna's abilities to trigger! It's nice that we only need one token to enter to gain a life, as that'll allow us to consistently untap Ragost!</p>
<p>It's a shame that her top-end ability just puts a +1/+1 counter on each of our creatures, as we're not often going to win through combat. It's certainly not a bad thing, as having a beefier board of creatures is never bad, but we're often aiming to win through noncombat damage.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hawkeye&#039;s Bow" href="#" target="_blank">Hawkeye&#039;s Bow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 3.96</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hawkeye&#039;s Bow"></div></div>
<p>This one-drop Equipment basically allows Ragost to ping our opponents for four damage instead of three. That cuts the number of activations of our commander needed for victory from 14 to 10! We'll, of course, have other pingers like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Weftstalker Ardent" href="#" target="_blank">Weftstalker Ardent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> that contribute to our game plan. But, this Equipment does a good bit to accelerate our clock.</p>
<p>This Equipment doesn't have many good creatures in our list to attach itself to other than our commander, so pilots should be aware that putting the Bow on Ragost will likely attract opposing removal.</p>
<h2>What's Icy for Ragost Decks?</h2>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Lifelink" href="#" target="_blank">Lifelink</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Ice Score of -1.12</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Lifelink"></div></div>
<p>This one-mana enchantment allows Ragost to gain us life whenever they ping our opponents, creating a simple way to untap our commander. This combination of cards will let us gain 27 life per turn rotation, assuming we've got <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and three artifacts lying around to activate our commander's ability. That's fantastic, and can really let us run away with the game.</p>
<p>But, much like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hawkeye&#039;s Bow" href="#" target="_blank">Hawkeye&#039;s Bow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, this enchantment puts a sizable target on our commander's back. Lifelink will go directly to the graveyard once Ragost is removed, and pilots that are cutting this card have likely become frustrated by this fact. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Basilisk Collar" href="#" target="_blank">Basilisk Collar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a nice replacement, as the Equipment will stick around even if Ragost doesn't.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solemn Simulacrum" href="#" target="_blank">Solemn Simulacrum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Ice Score of -1.12</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Solemn Simulacrum"></div></div>
<p>The Sad Robot is not a very good card. It does a little bit of everything we want, and is even a good sacrifice target for our commander, but <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-4" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is a lot to ask for a basic land on the field and a card in our hand.</p>
<p>I'd rather play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ichor Wellspring" href="#" target="_blank">Ichor Wellspring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mycosynth Wellspring" href="#" target="_blank">Mycosynth Wellspring</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> than this card. Solemn Simulacrum just isn't good enough anymore.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith" href="#" target="_blank">Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Ice Score of -1.11</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith"></div></div>
<p>It's neat to make some disposable artifacts whenever we play a land, but Ragost decks aren't exactly vomiting lands onto the field. Pilots would rather ramp with Treasure tokens than lands, so Toggo will probably make less than half a dozen Rock tokens over the course of a game.</p>
<p>While Toggo is great in his own list, he's an easy cut from a Boros deck like this one.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Apothecary White" href="#" target="_blank">Apothecary White</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Ice Score of -1.10</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Apothecary White"></div></div>
<p>It's interesting to see Apothecary White declining in popularity, because it seems like exactly the kind of card that Ragost pilots would want. It makes disposable artifact tokens, and lets us tap our artifacts to go wide and make as many blockers as our heart desires.</p>
<p>It's possible that this creature's mana cost of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-3" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-w" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> is too much to ask, but beyond that I'm puzzled! If you know why this card is seeing less play recently, please let me know in the comments.</p>
<h2>What's in a Ragost, Deft Gastronaut Deck?</h2>
<p>Here's a Ragost deck with all of their hot cards included and all of their cold cards excluded:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Fire and Ice - Ragost, Deft Gastronaut" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Ragost, Deft Gastronaut
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Basilisk Collar
*1 Boros Signet
*1 Caduceus, Staff of Hermes
*1 Getaway Barrel
*1 Hawkeye&#039;s Bow
*1 Ichor Wellspring
*1 Implement of Improvement
*1 Krark-Clan Ironworks
*1 Lembas
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Liquimetal Torque
*1 Mjölnir, Hammer of Thor
*1 Mycosynth Wellspring
*1 Nimblewright Schematic
*1 Nuka-Cola Vending Machine
*1 Nutrient Block
*1 Prized Statue
*1 Scrapheap
*1 Servo Schematic
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Talisman of Conviction
*1 Transmutation Font
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Academy Manufactor
*1 Astrid Peth
*1 Belladonna Took
*1 Crime Novelist
*1 Foundry Inspector
*1 Goblin Engineer
*1 Haliya, Guided by Light
*1 Illustrious Wanderglyph
*1 Ingenious Artillerist
*1 Junk Diver
*1 Leonin Elder
*1 Loyal Apprentice
*1 Myr Retriever
*1 Ratchet, Field Medic // Ratchet, Rescue Racer
*1 Reckless Fireweaver
*1 Sami, Wildcat Captain
*1 Scrap Trawler
*1 Stridehangar Automaton
*1 Syr Ginger, the Meal Ender
*1 The Gaffer
*1 Weftstalker Ardent
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Authority of the Consuls
*1 Descent into Avernus
*1 Gleaming Splendor
*1 Sheltered by Ghosts
*1 Smothering Tithe
*1 Spirit Loop
*1 Weapons Manufacturing
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Big Score
*1 Boros Charm
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Dispatch
*1 Generous Gift
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Unexpected Windfall
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Sevinne&#039;s Reclamation
*1 The Battle of Bywater
*1 Vandalblast
[/Sorceries]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Tezzeret, Cruel Captain
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Den
*1 Battlefield Forge
*1 Buried Ruin
*1 Clifftop Retreat
*1 Command Tower
*1 Darksteel Citadel
*1 Furycalm Snarl
*1 Great Furnace
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*9 Mountain
*10 Plains
*1 Rugged Prairie
*1 Rustvale Bridge
*1 Sacred Foundry
*1 Spectator Seating
*1 Sundown Pass
*1 Treasure Vault
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Kooky, off-kilter creature types are what makes <em>Magic</em> magic. Ragost is a neat card, but I doubt they'd be nearly as popular if they were just a Human Artificer instead of being a Lobster Citizen. Flavorful designs are good designs, and I truly hope we see more silly type lines in the future.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="The Reality Chip"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Holy Cow"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Melek, Izzet Paragon"></div></div>
<p>What's your favorite creature type combination in <em>Magic</em>? Let me know in the comments below, and I'll be back next week with another <em>Fire and Ice</em>!</p>


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