Raphael, Fiendish Savior is just an Imposter

[@byronsmothers8064]

You gotta like the lifelink applies to their devil token's 'going down' damage too, so trade blocking is really hard to pull off against this deviant.

[@W0lfguard1997]

That was my first thought when reading this card whether that works. Kinda disgusting, especially if you have any sac outlet to get one ping during each opponents turn.

[@RoxyGotMoxy.]

​@@W0lfguard1997I enjoy using Brass Squire to equip Basilisk Collar to my devil tokens at instant speed so they turn into killspells when they're about to pop 😋😈

[@zakbrooks7354]

Super shnasty when you start increasing the damage with things like city on fire

[@catharsix]

OMG DUDE I run a Raphael deck and I did not make this connection AT ALL. Shame on me, but THANK YOU for illuminating my dense dumbass!

[@byronsmothers8064]

@@catharsix all about the timing of the effects and where the creatures are when those effects go off, short answer: they still have lifelink when that effect damage is dealt.

[@Doomer_Gloomer]

"Am I a friend? Potentially. An adversary? Conceivably. But, a saviour? That's for certain." Raphael

[@jman667755]

Considering he is stealing the power of a life domain priestess to make his "house of hope" it's very on brand he is breaking the color wheel.

[@himboghost629]

It's less a brake more like a well hidden bend, any colour can boost creatures and black red can do token generation and black also does death triggers, Hell black gets lifelink too even if it's wired on this colour combo It's just all together it gets blurry

[@henesseevalverde3124]

Only Maldhound could find a way to be angry at the most common ability in the game. Or is he jealous of how Raphael can dance across the sky and into our hearts?

[@maldhound]

I swear to god if anybody but me takes a single game action I’ll find a way to hate on it

[@fenixmeaney6170]

​@@maldhoundso, if I mindslaver you and take your turn, you won't get mad because you're technically the one taking all those game actions? Neat

[@VivBrodock]

@@maldhound "I play a land, pass"

[@Krzysztorf]

@@maldhound As every MtG player should

[@MakeVarahHappen]

@@maldhound Like a true blue player.

[@ajcunningham5892]

Rizzin and risen, they always did say the devil was attractive

[@PhoenicopterusR]

Devilishly handsome even.

[@tdimensional6733]

you mean to tell me Raphael is trying to trick you into doing something you don't want to do

[@anonsenpai6533]

Not even gonna mention the fact this man has his own theme song? That he songs himself!

[@mainmarco123]

Honestly, it's the main reason I wanna make a deck with him.

[@KallenMalefic]

He is a much better boss than the Absolute. Better song, better fight, better rizz also.

[@NicholasRoch]

We all know the first time you fought him you stopped when you heard the music… we all did

[@kevinpattie4939]

Attempt 5 to give Skullbriar, the walking grave some spotlight

[@llamarama6976]

My favourite thing to do with skullbriar is not actually commander related. Search up the un-card "time machine" remember that "remove from game" is just old exile and so is a zone... and skullbria loves keeping his counters through zones *back to the future plays*

[@reconuhd4193]

CLB just has so many aesthetically and thematically interesting commanders I want to build, especially after playing BG3

[@Lavorre]

I was playing thru the game, and started looking back at the cards like;; what I know who that is!!

[@Hakaze]

Yeah, truly sad we only got bastarised versions on Arena

[@adamfrancescutti7615]

"Put them feet on the ground, Put your hands up" Sounding like a green player there mald

[@liv9520]

Great Unclean One and Witty Roastmaster are very very fun to combine in this deck

[@LDPofclan935]

Ayo! You get it! I've built this deck on a $30 budget and got that in there. When in a similar power level, this deck is undefeated. Ending with some 80+ life, and dogging opponents. This combo happened at least 3 of the 5 or so games I've played with it. Absolutely brutal, but fun

[@Fralexion]

That tribal lifelink is SO FUN. There are tons of demons and devils that ping. I like to bring out a Pestilence Demon and gain a million life each turn.

[@ArcaneEntertainmentProductions]

"I can't stand it" Well, of course you can't. He's not only sitting down in the art, but he also flies, he physically never needs to stand

[@jlr1357]

I found the art funny because he's holding the glass of wine with his foot

[@C4PT41NSL1NKY]

Raphael is spicy selesnya, and you can't change my mind. Also for the memes, Kharn the Betrayer or Slicer, Hired Muscle. Same premise, which is a fun one.

[@tobiwolfthorn6125]

Based

[@PhoenicopterusR]

Raphael is the selesnya kid who has a goth phase in middle school, but it actually isn't "just a phase" this time.

[@jroden06]

Ooooohh the fiends got a tribal commander! You love to see it! Just like I'd love to see you tear into Meren of Clan Nel Toth ❤

[@christopherwilson7410]

"Thats right i learned your silly color names" 😂😂😂

[@johnmcglumphy9274]

I have him as one of my commanders. It’s a demon, devil tribal life gain deck. It’s throws everyone off when you tell them your playing Rakdos lifegain.

[@VultureXV]

... sacrifice fodder? ...each turn? ...that also hurts people when it dies! ...in black-red!! My cup runneth over!

[@whisperingserpent]

This is peak Rakdos card design, I think he looks like a great card. Xyris roast?

[@stripeybag6977]

Either Nashi would be nice to see, Moon's Legacy or Moon's Scion.

[@mandalorianmanic9525]

Raphael does an immense amount of work for my Be'lakor demon tribal deck. He's a good boy.

[@YawgmothWasRight]

I mean, the point of his story arc in BG3 is that he's such a fraud, he managed to convince himself he's actually a big shot, so that tracks

[@gembish1681]

Please do Umbris, Fear Manifest! My rule for the deck is to only play it against people who want to play against it or who I would want to salt-farm

[@zavexcapricious2519]

Or just one player, cause everytime I use him against only one person his ability doesnt do him much good lol you know, outside of asshole move of exiling that person's cards

[@colemcnutt4136]

A 29th attempt at politely requesting Sapling of Colfenor for a roast.

[@localdevilcat2463]

flying is like your tall friend smacking the top of your head unprovoked

[@mcswaggerduff8946]

I love using Raphael in my Rankle and Torbran deck, no bad shenanigans occur there at all 🙃

[@sharlockshacolmes9381]

The only magic card with a music theme. You better believe I'll play it everytime I cast him.

[@christopherpatricklizares5306]

Gotta admit the bit about flying is new to me. But I'd also like to ask for some love for Scion of the Ur-Dragon, so maybe that's why I'm used to it by now.

[@Eclipsenobody]

Please do Wilson, The Refined Grizzly!!

[@amc6169]

Would you please do Muldrotha? My personal favorite, would love to see you tear her apart

[@CharlesB147]

"Hot Topic customers" 🤣🤣💀 I'm dead bro

[@BasedMorlis]

God I can’t wait for Mald to roast Jon Irenicus.

[@mackinzie]

Me just trying to feed bartolomeo thinking how fun this guy would be to have around

[@craigm.8125]

I've been enjoying these, from Phyrexian Obliterator to the First Sliver and your recent ones! I do wonder though, when are we going to sit down and talk about Karametra, God of Free Real Estate?

[@wingdinggaster6737]

When do you plan on doing the new Ixalan things. I’d be interested to hear your take on the new Simic merfolk legend that does funky things when you explore

[@SporeTres]

Remember Mald that Raphael ist canonically horrible in bed.

[@zacharyhawley1693]

😂 gotta play that blue stereotype somehow. 💙

[@aethertech]

He's got a great fucking villain song too.

[@hatashi1239]

I feel like I’m in the matrix, I was just looking at this guy as a commander yesterday 😂

[@Ryuka1993]

Ah yes, Belakor's honorary Demon best friend guy

[@zad8027]

By the laws of cannon Raphael is bad at the deed

[@alistorexeprimexiii6973]

Ah yo, it's my boi. We running y'all pockets with him

[@jeremyblack1929]

It makes sense that it's a graveyard ability, and that he helps gain life. After all life, ALL mortal life, must die.

[@phillipclementson2872]

He may be rizzing, but unfortunately he is canonically bad in the sack

[@PhantomZ0027]

Best line put your feet on the ground put your hands up

[@locald3migod]

I would like to amend him getting it with the canonical statement of while Raphael can infact get it, we know from second hand sources he's terrible at it

[@mikesapanero8572]

Can't wait for the Indoraptor review. Gotta Jund 'em out!

[@gnomebob]

Never thought I'd hear someone take issue with Flying

[@celeste9958]

Dihada? She's scary to see pop into the battlefield.

[@Juniper_Rose]

Maldhound heard that Disney villain song and just said "This man is up to some Shit™"

[@thoptertoken514]

Bassault monolith + mazmeric orb + any eldrazi that shuffles your graveyard back in allows you to activate his ability during each of your opponent's terms.

[@llamarama6976]

Or you could just use tortured existence and some spare mana. Means you are not bloating your deck with creatures that dont combo with the commander and room for other cards

[@thoptertoken514]

@llamarama6976 But you're not thinking about all the demons you can reanimate with dread return. It's practically like having a tutor. It also works as a way to protect your graveyard. If someone tries to exhale it, just mill tell you hit a Titan. There are 2 that you can run that will shuffle your yard back in.

[@llamarama6976]

@@thoptertoken514 i undestand its a powerful combo but i personally am not a fan of cards that outside of said combo are not as useful for the deck. What if you get stuck with the eldrazi in hand? (Sure theres probably a way to bin it in rakdos but would you rather that was a card that you could play?) Most shuffle eldrazi are 10 or so mana and will not synergise with the deck. Mesmeric orb certainly helps mill to proxy rapheal. But what if it mills basalt monolith? What if you just never find your reanimation cards beacuse they get milled or dont turn up? Then its just one devil a turn which you could always get some other way. And basalt monolith can be an okay mana source since rapheal is 5 mana but there is better mana rocks out there. This combo requires 3 specific cards (2 actually needed on field one just in deck) for about 5 manas worth (9 if we throw in the dread return fun stuff). Tortured existance requires 1 card slot and 5 manas worth (assuming average 4 player game and that you will get your own turns devil some other way) on the first turn. Then only 3 mana for the rest of the game (granted your combo is free afterwards). I just think tortured existance is more likely to be fine and work always by itself and without rapheal. Im not saying dont do your combo yourself. Go for what you find fun :) and it certainly makes your deck unique. i just personally think if i was to draw only one of the cards out of the 3 i would not be happy with it

[@llamarama6976]

I tell you what tho stick the combo into a graveyard shennanigans deck like hogaak, muldrotha (so you can cast combo pieces out of the graveyard and use unearth effects to find them) or slimefoot and squee then you have an absolute brew cooking. Those decks absolutely froth at the mouth at the prospect of putting their whole deck in at once amd have insurance.

[@thoptertoken514]

@llamarama6976 Don't get me wrong. I'm also running Tortured existence. And I've won a lot of games because a Titan got stuck in my hand, and I was able to just cast it late in the game. But at the end of the day it is commander And the fact that we both have such different opinions on the same commander shows the depth of the game. You did make a lot of good points, and I'm now building a Hogaak deck. Lol

[@BrittishAnger]

While Rakdos entire credo is "If I hurt so do you", it often ends up dying of its own machinations and while that shit is hilarious a single chance to at least get more than two life from your slow lands in a deck means a better chance to inflict the pain and live to hurt again... And while you spit heat at 'Lesnya, lest we forget Orzhov and Extort, this is literally Rakdos Extort and I'm all aboard the pain train for it.

[@samuraicupcake289]

Raphael is more than happy to let some goblins stick his minions in a cannon... for whatever reason them splattering on your opponents heals you and Raphael finds it so entertaining he brings more "volunteers" each turn! 😈👌

[@shivandragon636]

I play dragons. Everything flying and breathing that hot morning breath all over

[@kallahcreates6942]

Speaking of funny color names, what are your thoughts on Orzhov's boss and CEO: Teysa, Orzhov Scion?

[@marcoottina654]

So, sacrifice, death, mill and discard will trigger this Aloe-flavores rectal cactus, nice

[@zavexcapricious2519]

I love how he says Raphael can get it when he is canonically terrible in bed in the eyes of even a prostitute lol

[@maldhound]

The game hadn’t come out when I filmed this 🥲 I couldn’t know lmao

[@zavexcapricious2519]

@@maldhound fair lol I just find it hilarious how ironic it is XD

[@Konpekikaminari]

I mean, Mald's not wrong, Raphael _can_ get it The facts that he cannot give it, or that's he finishes before you're done reading this card are unrelated

[@lyman6]

I wonder what the chances of getting Mald's take on *Aragorn, the Uniter* are.

[@onewholeegg]

Oh my god you're right it's literally Selesnya in a hot trench coat

[@WMDistraction]

I’m surprised Maelstrom Wanderer hasn’t gotten roasted. It’s literally right there.

[@faeriedragon348]

As someone who plays an Eldraine faerie deck, the ground is for peasants.

[@JKCR626]

Olivia Crimson Bride would be pretty silly. Or my personal favorite Jegantha

[@michealvalois4463]

Attempt 2 for Uril the Miststalker. Its such a simple card but gonna turn into a 10 minute video of Mald complaining about Green/Selesnya/Naya Voltron.

[@TrippyGame]

My favourite part is that Raphael canonically sucks in bed

[@maximillionchaoswolf]

That sounds like a fun build i might try a rakdos deck now.

[@scottdahneke1031]

I run this guy in my Be'Lakor deck and he has saved me from killing myself more times than I care to admit. Lifelink FTW.

[@moviefan2236]

Hey, it's not my fault most dragons in this game have flying and my Miirym deck happens to be one of my favorite decks since it was the first deck I ever built that wasn't just an upgraded precon and is a deck that genuinely wins me games.

[@ShadowAgent94]

Still looking forward to Sephara Sky's Blade.

[@nonaG123]

Ah yes... my man Raphael... this deck is fun and he's right to question that lifelink... I gain like 30-50 life per game and he's the ONLY life gain card in the deck... I just casually res him 5 times as they keep trying to kill him....

[@LegendLeaguer]

Do you also run Rain of Gore?

[@llamarama6976]

Not to mention he is in the literal colours that allow you to spend that life like a overzealous credit card user. Simply swing with a massive demon then cash in the life into cards and value FULL SEND BLACK MARKET CONNECTIONS BAYBEEEEE

[@llamarama6976]

@@LegendLeaguer rain of gore is a weird card because a. Its mirrored effect so it would affect you and b. Actually it doesnt at the same time because i believe lifelink does not actually trigger? it?kzbin.infoSljhBdzPlcg?si=G5a9axfnUItBsBpg source of this belief.

[@siosilvar]

​@@llamarama6976 That's specifically called out in the Gatherer notes on the card. "2013-04-15 This does not apply to life gain caused by combat damage from a creature with lifelink."

[@llamarama6976]

@@siosilvar yeah the short said it was due to the fact lifelink is actually a statebased action that modifies damage. Rain of gore is not a great card imo since it cannot prevent one of the most common forms of lifegain

[@aurorareed31127]

This brings me to something, as someone who plays a dragon deck I wish flying could be turned off

[@japhettheprophet4619]

Would you kindly do Slimefoot the Stowaway or The Mycotyrant next, cause I’d love to see your take on fungus/saprolings

[@MajorFail13]

Missed an upload but second day of pulling for a Greasefang roast. More tax evasion than a junkyard owned by a gan- wait a second.

[@jaylanriorden6341]

Maybe you could do a speed run of all the Omnaths?

[@alexanderl187]

Hahaha so, you can't stand flying. Trying picturing it! Lol

[@hotdachsbun]

Kelsien the Plague. Please funny man. Please make a video for Kelsien the Plague. Great video yet again.

[@andrewfornes5320]

I changed my Zurzoth, Chaos Rider who was Mono-Red Devils into this guy. Having more creature types & giving lifelink to the tokens even for their death triggers just outclassed Zurzoth. He has a spot in ths 99 though.

[@idontno6d105]

oh hey a commander I actually play with. and one of my first commanders at that.

[@Gunnofspades]

Add this to belakor demon tribal and every demon hitting the field is bombing something a little harder and gaining you life. Only one of three non demons I even consider running in that beautiful machine of doom

[@Ginger0616]

My main deck is flyers I laughed way to hard at this 😂😂😂

[@philliparnesen4493]

Pretty sure at this point if they released a 1 mana blue instant that can't be countered, and tutors itself out of your deck on turn one that says "You win the game" when played, he would call it fair because of "what green gets".

[@spec-opsteve756]

Lol I just started magic a month ago, just put together a deck for him last night, now there’s a video about him.

[@piercearora7681]

Please do Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow!

[@americanidiot2202]

Witch of the moors gonna go dummy hard in this deck

[@vuhuynh4995]

Mind doing Jinnie Fay? I would love your thoughts on token conversion shenanigans.

[@ApostleO]

Please roast my boy Nekusar, the Mindrazer.

[@VenificusL]

May you grace us with a review of Marath, pretty please with extra +1/+1 counters on top?

[@jobsonchagas2138]

I await the day that capitalism wins and he talks about galazeth.

[@ladonvg9538]

I need a reaction of Wilson, Refined Grizzly + Flaming Fist

[@FernLovebond]

My new favorite card.

[@n.henzler50]

Nobody tell MH that Raphael is canonically bad in bed.

[@NovaZero100]

I like the second ability on that, but the fact that you only get one per turn? I want all the devil's that can explode on my enemies! Other hand, I still want to hear your take on my Orzhov Bae, Eriette.

[@runegage4553]

I second this. All hail the aura queen.

[@ladyivygaming2838]

LIVESSS, OH MORTAL LIVESSS

[@MrDevildoc101]

Don’t forget about the when that token dies it has lifelink and it deals one damage so it gets worse

[@Leonardodeboni0406]

Trample is the most honest ability.

[@Kokonutzlz]

I feel like with the new Descend mechanic, I will rule 0 Raphael into saying "if you descended with a creature..." It both sounds like you're descending into a hellpit and Raphael is rizzing that creature

[@greystgermain542]

This deviant is best used in the 99 for be'lakor because lifelink with be'lakor etbs is funny

[@cedricgagnon8456]

Abbadon the dispoiler when

[@markman11111]

Sadly we have in-game canon confirmation that Raphael is trash in bed. RIP

[@Lightmagician60]

i think the lifelink applies to the 1 damage ping to.. just for insult