Draw AND Discard Deck? with Raffine, Scheming Seer 🛠 Commander Mechanic

[@CommanderMechanic]

The full deck list is available on Moxfield here: www.moxfield.com/decks/fa_5kbGQNkeL-AmZKDANPw

[@martijnvandenderen7160]

Nice deck! My deck with Raffine was inspired by this one, but I put in more unblockable creatures since flyers might be blocked with reach or other flyers... Also Indestructible does a good job. Although it is a long road but Stuffy Doll is also fun to play in this deck. No one dears to block her! :-D And she keeps on getting bigger....

[@jgicantfindaname]

I hope you or whomever reads this but an amazing card for both reanimate version and discard in this list would be hallowed spirit keeper. Makes a number of 1/1 fliers equal to the amount of creatures in your yard when it dies. Could easily make a ton of tokens and nuke somebody with ashnods altar and debt to the deathless. This commander is amazingly versatile. I'm not into the CEDH scene so can't speak to that but for a fun powerful commander in Esper that can easily be built numerous ways I'm in love. Thassas Oracle is also a cheeky win con since you can control exactly how many cards you draw by the number of attacks you make. Sage of hours can abuse to take extra turns easily as well. Or the unlockable 2 mana infect creature in blue though that might be in bad taste.

[@elvisleong6358]

I've been playing this deck since raffine was spoiled and it's been pretty strong as a reanimator commander

[@dapperghastmeowregard]

Bah, I'll stick with my Rexandermator deck thank you very much :P

[@alexanderficken9354]

It's quite great with a mix of synergy cards I think, a bit of everything

[@09419]

That is what I'm doing with him. Kind of in a janky way, using shadow creatures for nostalgia kick, and hell's caretaker and other repeatedable reanimation methods to set up loops with things like ashen rider and archon of justice.

[@bigchungus2536]

I'm gonna do a hatebear reanimator control type thing. Lots of creatures that raise the price of things and then those that sac to counter if they don't pay. Either counter key spells or make them cost all their mana then keep bringing those creatures back as needed with a suite of low cmc reanimation spells. Gonna be sweeet

[@Katia413]

I'm obsessed with this commander. I've taken it go-wide mill with Mystic Redaction + Psychic Corrosion. Swing in with 25 creatures, and so long as Raffine is on the board, it's a wrap! (I also went with a Madness/Disturb subtheme, which has been a ton of midrange fun!)

[@thrasherftw]

25 creatures is pretty big ask tho, but that does sound cool. Lots of ways to take this commander

[@Katia413]

@@thrasherftw yeah, it def needs some creature token action to get it going, and ideally only like 10-15, assuming folks have drawn a good # of cards before i'm able to get to that state. i'm running a few other Connive cards (Mask of the Schemer, Kamiz, Ledger Shredder) to expedite the process.

[@thrasherftw]

@@Katia413 nice! I’m trying to narrow down my strategy and get this deck put together. Thinking lots of draw and discard synergy, flying tribal, maybe slight reanimator? It’s tough, literally so many different avenues to go down.

[@afspeellijstnaruto]

I was looking at my Varina the Lich Queen deck...and apart from the flying stuff, it actually looks a LOT like this one. I also think that Raffine and Varina can work together a bit when it comes to drawing and discarding. With Varina getting rid of excess lands in the yard to make zombies.

[@Y0kAiS]

This card is so much fun when built around 🤔

[@williamkeiser7562]

Ive been building it with kind of a go wide but reanimator at same time and having fun with it. Myriad creatures are nice for the go wide part with hero of bladehold and similar creatures to up the connive count then dump creatures that reanimare on their own or can cast from the grave. Shadow of the grave is really nice too when the connive count is high too. Get all the counters from the trugger then keep all the cards. Its becoming oje of my more favorites to play in terms of fun.

[@fiddlestyxify]

Love the flyers subtheme. Didn't even think about for Raffine. At first glance, I'd probably cut Alela and throw in Inniaz, the Gale Force. His ability to blow permanents around adds to the whole "I'm altering the deal" thing I think the Obscura represent, especially since you control who gets what.

[@stevendefeo8424]

Thanks for the card suggestions. I love this deck

[@Crowover]

I actually stepped away from reanimator and went for a more flyers in the sky type of deck and put counters on flyers

[@nerd_mor]

Great job as always, good sir

[@CommanderMechanic]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@felicionetto8473]

I've imagined sphinx tribal with reanimator theme. For a long time I've been drafting a esper sphix tribal.

[@BrakkoJanus]

Do you think it would make sense to buy the Obscura precon with the plan on putting Raffine at the helm with minor modifications?

[@CommanderMechanic]

That can absolutely work, sure

[@thrasherftw]

Thats my plan as well, makes for a pretty cheap deck, and can upgrade as I go along.

[@DanKeller]

Nice. I like it

[@CommanderMechanic]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@brandynfitzgerald9259]

Do you have a patreon? Would love to have you dissect my Raffine deck, I think I'm trying to do to much.

[@CommanderMechanic]

sure do, it's linked in the video comments but you can find it here: www.patreon.com/CMDRMechanic

[@Mouse2379]

Any wide deck that focuses on attack triggers needs reconnaissance. Gives pseudo vigilance and let’s you remove at risk weenies from combat before combat damage is delt. It’s an old one drop from way back. Should easily over preform in this deck

[@janderson9413]

No Changeling Outcast or Dauthi Voidwalker (or other cards with Shadow)? And Wonder seems like a waste when almost all of your creatures already have flying.

[@danielharrison2383]

ehhh, varina does it better

[@C00kiesAplenty]

Varina is like, nearly strictly worse though.

[@PBlot1]

Well, technically, but arguably not by much at all. Zombies already include reanimators, groupslug effects, token generators, and other things this looting deck wants. Bone Miser is a zombie, and most Varina decks include archfiend of ifnir. You don't have the +1/+1 counters, but Varina's lifegain has its own payoffs and can make up for not having enough blockers

[@C00kiesAplenty]

@@PBlot1 Arguably by a lot. The reanimators are largely the same, as with the groupslug. The token generators are better for Raffine (Adeline, Hero of Bladehold, etc are very good in Raffine but pointless in Varina). Bone Miser is a zombie, but Archfiend isn't. Both will trigger Raffine, only one will trigger Varina. There are a plethora of 1-2 mana lifegain creatures that will outpace Varina should you choose to put counters on them with Raffine, or play them at all. Varina is very much superior as the esper zombie commander, obviously, but generally Raffine is just a better commander.

[@danielharrison2383]

@@PBlot1 well said

[@PBlot1]

@@C00kiesAplenty I'd argue about the token generation being much better for Raffine - zombies have not only generators (God-Eternal Oketra, Diregraf Colossus, Noosegraf Mob - though Raffine's better w/that last one, yes!) but creatures that replace those tokens (Wilhelt, Death Tyrant). Regardless, that's not my argument. Zombies on their own cover all the bases that Varina or Raffine can need, and a better way to maximize their 'X' is with multiple copies of the triggered ability on the field. In this, Varina is better able to use Raffine himself as a 'backup', whereas Raffine's deck would have to stick to zombie tribal to use Varina the same way. Either can use Spark Double and Sakashima, but those need Varina/Raffine in the field to copy them. I believe a Varina deck with Raffine in the 99 is stronger than any non-zombie Raffine deck. Also, having lifegain in the command zone, allows us to have cards like Angelic Accord and Cradle of Vitality without needing a bunch of little lifegain creatures cluttering the deck. Oh, and Varina can make her *own* tokens after the board's wiped, from cards in the graveyard. Raffine needs you to cast creatures, or to have token generators in the field - and if your opponent's a blue troll...