The Commander
Exalted (Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, that creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Whenever a creature you control attacks alone, it gains double strike until end of turn.
Guide
Gameplan
Rafiq is a dedicated Voltron/Bant Exalted deck: suit up a single attacker each turn, swing alone, and use Rafiq's double strike plus a stack of exalted triggers to deal lethal (often commander) damage by turn 4-6. You play defense and ramp early, deploy your evasive threat, and protect it with counterspells and pump.
Strengths
- Doubles all combat damage via double strike, making even small power totals lethal fast
- Bant colors give the best protection suite: counters, hexproof, blink, and removal
- Exalted triggers stack from your whole board even though only one creature attacks
- Commander damage closes games quickly (21 damage in 1-2 hits)
- Wide access to evasion enablers like flying, trample, and unblockable
Weaknesses
- Classic glass cannon: heavy reliance on one creature invites targeted removal and board wipes
- Vulnerable to fogs, blockers, and damage-prevention effects
- If Rafiq is answered, the deck can stall without a backup beater
- Attacking alone means no go-wide pressure and easy chump blocks if not evasive
- Can be hated out as the obvious threat at the table
Key Cards
- Finest Hour — Gives an extra combat phase when a creature attacks alone, often doubling your already-doubled damage for a one-shot kill.
- Rancor — Recurring trample for cheap so blockers can't save an opponent, and it returns after wipes.
- Sword of Feast and Famine — Protection from two colors plus untapping all lands lets you swing and then hold up interaction.
- Sigarda, Host of Herons — Hexproof from targeted removal and edicts protects your investment in Rafiq or another carrier.
- Aqueous Form — Cheap unblockable plus scry ensures your double-striking threat connects every turn.
- Shalai, Voice of Plenty — Gives you and your creatures hexproof, shutting down spot removal aimed at your attacker.
Upgrade Path
Prioritize cheap evasion and protection (Steelshaper's Gift, Stoneforge Mystic, Heroic Intervention, Teferi's Protection) so your threat reliably connects and survives wipes. Add the best swords and auras (Sword of Fire and Ice, Sword of Sinew and Steel, Battle Mastery for redundant double strike) plus extra combat steps like Aggravated Assault. Lower your curve, run fast mana (Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, signets), and include a second resilient carrier so removing Rafiq doesn't end the game.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸21+ commander damage from Rafiq with auras/equipment and double strike
- ▸One-shot kills using Finest Hour for extra combats
- ▸A protected hexproof beater carrying voltron pieces
- ▸Infect or trample finisher made lethal by doubled damage
Archetypes
- Voltron — Rafiq turns one well-equipped creature into a lethal commander-damage threat with double strike and exalted.
- Exalted Tribal — He's the premier exalted payoff, stacking buffs from a board of exalted creatures onto a lone attacker.
- Bant Control — GUW lets you protect a single threat with counters, hexproof, and removal while grinding the table out.
- Blink/Value — Flicker effects can reset auras targeting and protect your carrier while generating incremental advantage.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (GUW), by popularity.
