<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ral, Monsoon Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Ral, Monsoon Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/burmak">Dmitry Burmak</a></em></p>
<p>Monsoon season? That's good, we've been in dire need of some rain anyways!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Acid Rain"></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.</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 into new cards, and hopefully provide some tech for your favorite commander's list.</p>
<p>It's that time again, so we'll be focusing on a <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets?utm_source=edhrec" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bracket 5 (a.k.a. cEDH)</a> commander in this article. Today's edition is about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ral, Monsoon Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Ral, Monsoon Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a super cool flip card from <em>Modern Horizons 3</em>. Ral has been gaining steam recently, and has proved himself to be a super powerful commander. Let's see what this one-time guild leader can do.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards side-by-side"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ral, Monsoon Mage"></div></div>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link side-by-side"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ral, Monsoon Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Ral, Monsoon Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div id="attachment_190798" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-1-15.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-190798" class="wp-image-190798 size-large" src="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-1-15-1024x452.png" alt="What's Hot and What's Not for Ral, Monsoon Mage?" width="1024" height="452" srcset="https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-1-15-1024x452.png 1024w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-1-15-300x133.png 300w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-1-15-768x339.png 768w, https://cloudflare.edhrec.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/newplot-1-15.png 1245w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-190798" class="wp-caption-text">What's Hot and What's Not for Ral, Monsoon Mage?</p></div>
<p>For <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-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Ral is a 1/3 Human Wizard. He reduces the cost of our instant and sorcery spells by <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. Additionally, when we cast an instant or sorcery, we flip a coin. If we win the flip, we get to flip Ral into a super powerful planeswalker that enters the battlefield with two loyalty, plus one additional loyalty counter for each instant or sorcery we've cast that turn. We can then +1 Ral to reduce the cost of our spells by <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> again, -2 him to deal two damage divided as we choose among up to two targets (and probably draw a card), and -8 Ral to get a whole bunch of free spells from the top of our deck.</p>
<p>Players often try to storm off before flipping Ral, stacking a whole bunch of spells up before letting any of the coin flips go off. This allows for an immediate activation of the planeswalker's ultimate ability. Pilots make good use of Ral's cost reduction, stringing together card draw spells and rituals to build up a storm count of at least six before transforming their commander. These decks can win the game quite quickly, and often present lethal to their opponents before they can blink.</p>
<p>Among this commander's most popular cards are <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Desperate Ritual" href="#" target="_blank">Desperate Ritual</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (79% inclusion rate), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Past in Flames" href="#" target="_blank">Past in Flames</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (75% inclusion rate), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brain Freeze" href="#" target="_blank">Brain Freeze</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (66% inclusion rate).</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Desperate Ritual"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Past in Flames"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brain Freeze"></div></div>
<h2>What's Fiery for Ral Decks?</h2>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vision of Love" href="#" target="_blank">Vision of Love</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Abandon Attachments" href="#" target="_blank">Abandon Attachments</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Scores of 9.55 and 1.27</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vision of Love"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abandon Attachments"></div></div>
<p>These cards are very similar, and they're both improvements on the classic <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tormenting Voice" href="#" target="_blank">Tormenting Voice</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Both Vision of Love and Abandon Attachments are card neutral, and don't force us to discard (or sacrifice) anything as an additional cost.</p>
<p>Upon resolving, these spells remove themselves and a discarded card from our hand, replacing them with two cards from our library. This isn't technically "card advantage," but it is great card selection. With our commander on the field, we can cast either of these spells for just one mana. That's a great rate to see two more cards, and we can even dump some spells into our graveyard for later use.</p>
<p>Some players in the Ral cEDH Discord community told me that they'll often sacrifice artifacts instead of discarding cards during Vision of Love's resolution, often preferring to sacrifice tapped mana rocks (or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Great Furnace" href="#" target="_blank">Great Furnace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>). This is a fantastic move, and can actually make the spell card-positive. If we sacrifice a spent <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Springleaf Drum" href="#" target="_blank">Springleaf Drum</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> after using it to make the <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> we need for this spell, it's practically free to cast!</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flashback" href="#" target="_blank">Flashback</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 9.15</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flashback"></div></div>
<p>Speaking of reusing cards in our graveyard...</p>
<p>Flashback is a fantastic spell, letting us pay just <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> to use the best spell in our 'yard one more time. We can use this to interact with an opponent's spells on the stack, generate more mana, or even draw extra cards. This spell gets better and better as the game goes on, given the inevitable growth of our graveyard's size.</p>
<p>It's also of note that Ral reduces the cost of whatever spell we choose to grant flashback to. That lets us continue benefitting from his mana-saving ability.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hex Magic" href="#" target="_blank">Hex Magic</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 7.86</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hex Magic"></div></div>
<p>This is a super powerful card advantage spell, often granting us access to five or more cards for just three mana. That rate is unbeatable, even at sorcery speed. It's better than most of the one-sided wheel effects out there, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valakut Awakening" href="#" target="_blank">Valakut Awakening</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, because we maintain temporary access to the cards that we're getting rid of.</p>
<p>There are tons of cards in Ral lists that allow us to ditch our hand to draw a large number of cards, but this is the only one-sided wheel that allows us to cast the cards that we remove from our hand! <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Will of the Jeskai" href="#" target="_blank">Will of the Jeskai</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> also lets us use the cards we say goodbye to, but it unfortunately also allows our opponents to wheel.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flow State" href="#" target="_blank">Flow State</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 6.63</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flow State"></div></div>
<p>Unless this is the first spell we're casting in a game, we'll be able to place two cards into our hand with its effect. Putting an instant or sorcery spell into our bin is trivial! Other card draw spells, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Impulse" href="#" target="_blank">Impulse</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stock Up" href="#" target="_blank">Stock Up</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, let us look at more cards. But Flow State's rate of two cards for two mana is subtly more powerful than most other card advantage pieces available to Commander players.</p>
<p>We get shiny, new card draw spells nearly every set these days, so it's not guaranteed that Flow State is a permanent fixture for Ral pilots. But, at least for now, it's a great inclusion in competitive 99s.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hexing Squelcher" href="#" target="_blank">Hexing Squelcher</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Fire Score of 2.77</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hexing Squelcher"></div></div>
<p>What can I add to the discourse about this card that hasn't already been said? It's a lovely way to protect our stuff, and the Goblin depicted in the art is probably a very nice guy!</p>
<p>Seriously, though, we'll usually win by storming off, which involves casting lots of valuable spells. We can use this guy to protect our rituals and card draw spells, letting us continue moving towards repeated activations of Ral's big <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-loyalty-down" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>.</p>
<h2>What's Icy for Ral Decks?</h2>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Recoup" href="#" target="_blank">Recoup</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Ice Score of -1.54</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Recoup"></div></div>
<p>A few Ral players told me that this spell is outdated, having been replaced by both <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flashback" href="#" target="_blank">Flashback</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sorceress&#039;s Schemes" href="#" target="_blank">Sorceress&#039;s Schemes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It is nice, admittedly, that this spell both provides flashback to a spell <em>and</em> has flashback itself. That makes it much easier to put this spell in the graveyard with something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Consider" href="#" target="_blank">Consider</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, as we can still extract some usefulness from it down the line.</p>
<p>But Flashback is an instant and costs <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> less. It's hard to make the case for Recoup under these conditions.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Flare of Duplication" href="#" target="_blank">Flare of Duplication</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Ice Score of -1.41</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Flare of Duplication"></div></div>
<p>Many Ral lists run 10 or fewer creatures, and pilots aren't often willing to sacrifice their commander for this sort of effect. Flare of Duplication is better suited for cEDH decks with disposable, low-on-board-impact commanders like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh" href="#" target="_blank">Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>Flare of Duplication isn't a bad spell by any means, it's just not a great fit in this 99.</p>
<h3><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Runaway Steam-Kin" href="#" target="_blank">Runaway Steam-Kin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - Ice Score of -1.23</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Runaway Steam-Kin"></div></div>
<p>The Ral players let me know that this creature isn't often targeted with opposing removal spells, as those are usually saved for Ral himself. But, even still, this creature can be a bit too slow. It only gives us mana in bursts of <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-r" 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>, forcing us to string together spells in a somewhat awkward way. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Birgi, God of Storytelling" href="#" target="_blank">Birgi, God of Storytelling</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Electro, Assaulting Battery" href="#" target="_blank">Electro, Assaulting Battery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Storm-Kiln Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Storm-Kiln Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can give us access to that mana right away, which is much more in line with our game plan.</p>
<h2>What's in a Ral, Monsoon Mage Deck?</h2>
<p>In lieu of our traditional deckbuilding process, I've taken significant inspiration from <a href="https://moxfield.com/users/WeBeenChillin">JankOfJank</a>'s "<a href="https://moxfield.com/decks/nmG_zNiugEeTszW5ojaQrQ">'NASA: The Parker Solar Probe' — Ral, Monsoon Mage: Turbo Storm cEDH</a>" list from the <a href="https://cedh-decklist-database.com/">cEDH Decklist Database</a>. I modified their list slightly, just adding our Fiery cards and removing our Icy cards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Fire and Ice - Ral, Monsoon Mage" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Ral, Monsoon Mage // Ral, Leyline Prodigy
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty
*1 Electro, Assaulting Battery
*1 Gandalf, Goblins&#039; Bane // Flameshape
*1 Hexing Squelcher
*1 Pinnacle Monk // Mystic Peak
*1 Simian Spirit Guide
*1 Storm-Kiln Artist
*1 Tavern Scoundrel
*1 Treasonous Ogre
*1 _____ Goblin
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Abandon Attachments
*1 An Offer You Can&#039;t Refuse
*1 Brain Freeze
*1 Deflecting Swat
*1 Demand Answers
*1 Desperate Ritual
*1 Fierce Guardianship
*1 Flashback
*1 Flusterstorm
*1 Frantic Search
*1 Gut Shot
*1 Invoke Calamity
*1 Lava Dart
*1 Lightning Bolt
*1 March of Reckless Joy
*1 Mental Misstep
*1 Mystical Tutor
*1 Opera Love Song
*1 Pact of Negation
*1 Pyretic Ritual
*1 Pyroblast
*1 Red Elemental Blast
*1 Redirect Lightning
*1 Reiterate
*1 Seething Song
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 Snap
*1 Tibalt&#039;s Trickery
*1 Twinferno
*1 Untimely Malfunction
*1 Vision of Love
*1 You Find Some Prisoners
[/Instants]
[Artifacts]
*1 Chrome Mox
*1 Lion&#039;s Eye Diamond
*1 Lotus Petal
*1 Mana Vault
*1 Mox Amber
*1 Mox Diamond
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Springleaf Drum
*1 Vexing Bauble
[/Artifacts]
[Sorceries]
*1 Dragon&#039;s Desire
*1 Echo of Eons
*1 Flow State
*1 Gamble
*1 Gitaxian Probe
*1 Hex Magic
*1 Hidden Strings
*1 Highway Robbery
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Mind&#039;s Desire
*1 Overmaster
*1 Past in Flames
*1 Quiet Speculation
*1 Reckless Impulse
*1 Rite of Flame
*1 Rob the Archives
*1 Romantic Rendezvous
*1 Sea Gate Restoration // Sea Gate, Reborn
*1 Shatterskull Smashing // Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass
*1 Solve the Equation
*1 Stock Up
*1 Strike It Rich
*1 Timetwister
*1 Wheel of Fortune
*1 Wheel of Misfortune
*1 Will of the Jeskai
*1 Windfall
*1 Wrenn&#039;s Resolve
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Mystic Remora
*1 Underworld Breach
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Ancient Tomb
*1 Arid Mesa
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 City of Traitors
*1 Command Tower
*1 Fiery Islet
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Gemstone Caverns
*1 Great Furnace
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Mountain
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Sandstone Needle
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Steam Vents
*1 Thundering Falls
*1 Volcanic Island
*1 Wooded Foothills
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>As always, these cEDH articles are made possible by some extremely helpful folks on relevant Discord servers. During this writing process, I consulted the players over at the <a href="https://discord.gg/EJJBhqYDcg">Ral Monsoon Mage - cEDH</a> server, using their thoughts to guide my write-up. If you're interested in bringing Izzet spellslinging shenanigans to your next cEDH game, go join the server. Thanks to the Ral players for their help, and thanks to all of you for reading this edition of <em>Fire and Ice.</em></p>


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