The World is Our Oyster…
The internet continues to be vast and ever growing, and so our attachment to it grows stronger with that evolution. Within that vastness, though, reveals a large spectrum of available information out there. While sifting through that vastness, it is important to be aware of some of the unreliable and rather misleading sections that exist. When the internet becomes the database for answering our primary questions- there is a natural instinct to believe it is filled with truth. Internet literacy will reveal that is simply not the case, and that the internet holds large amount of misleading or plainly false information.
Considering things like an author’s intention, bias, and overarching goals could shift the way a story is told. In other words, the way that information is presented could vary depending on who is writing it, and sometimes that can lead to some misleading or inaccurate content. Some authors may be trying to sell you something, or advertising their own solution to an issue. Some information may be coming entirely from a guy who thinks he knows everything on Reddit, and posts about it a lot. When exploring, there is now a required extra step to ensure that the information you’ve located is truly reliable, which now proves to be an interesting hurdle as AI continues to grow.
Now That We Have AI…
Measuring reliability can be somewhat straightforward on content that is more black and white. My mind jumps to things like math and other examples of objective information. AI can peruse around textbooks and different resources to pull together some sort of answer. I find it to be more grey when searching more subjective information. Something like “How to be happy?” or “How to find motivation?” could pull from a huge spectrum of sources that, most likely, wouldn’t apply to every single person.
I find myself searching online for information on creative tasks, which also tends to yield muddy results. For example, I play a lot of Magic the Gathering, which is a table top board game that could be built around whatever a player’s preference is. There’s some things that work better than others, but there’s not exactly a right or wrong way to play. Even though I don’t have the confidence in AI’s ability to be creative, I still find myself looking up suggestions online for the decks that I build. Though, that usually ends up manifesting to exploration of other deck lists posted by humans.
I decided to ask three AI models how to build MTG decks around a commander (basically, the leader of the deck) that I have been playing for a very long time. I decided to ask the exact same prompt to all three of the below models: “How can I build a good Magic the Gathering commander deck for Raphael, Fiendish Savior? Provide me with the sources you used, too.”
Here is what I ended up with:
Based on the search results, here’s how to build a strong Raphael, Fiendish Savior Commander deck:
Core Strategy
Raphael is best built around a Rakdos (red-black) Devil/Demon/Aristocrats theme. The deck focuses on generating small tokens, sacrificing them for value, and leveraging Raphael’s discount ability to cast fiends from your hand or graveyard.
Key Card Categories :
High-Synergy Creatures:
- Zurzoth, Chaos Rider (68% inclusion)
- Mahadi, Emporium Master (71% inclusion)
- Rakdos, the Showstopper (60% inclusion)
- Witty Roastmaster (58% inclusion)
- Zariel, Archduke of Avernus (55% inclusion)
- Mayhem Devil, Kardur Doomscourge, Rakdos Patron of Chaos, Balor, Sin Prodder
Sacrifice Engines:
- Ashnod’s Altar and Phyrexian Altar (turn tokens into mana)
- Skullclamp (draw cards off small creatures)
- Goblin Bombardment, Impact Tremors (damage when creatures enter/exit)
Token Generators & Tutors:
- Burn Down the House (52% inclusion)
- Devils’ Playground, Dance with Devils (generate devils)
- Victimize, Reanimate (reanimate fallen creatures)
Removal & Disruption:
- Bedevil, Rakdos Charm, Terminate, Blasphemous Act, Deadly Dispute
Mana Base: 1 Use Rakdos dual lands: Smoldering Marsh, Dragonskull Summit, Blood Crypt, Foreboding Ruins, plus staples like Sol Ring and Arcane Signet
Win Conditions:
- Sacrifice synergies with cards like Mayhem Devil creating lethal through damage
- Liliana’s Contract (37% inclusion) for demon tribal themes
Budget Ranges :
Affordable options ($15-50), mid-range ($50-200), or optimized builds exist depending on your budget.
Sources: MTGGoldfish, EDHREC
Build Raphael as a Rakdos graveyard-and-token aristocrats deck, not as a generic Demon tribal deck. Raphael rewards you for putting creature cards into your graveyard, then turns that event into Devil tokens. His other Demons, Devils, Imps, and Tieflings also receive +1/+1 and lifelink. 1
1. Understand Raphael’s plan
Raphael’s key ability says that at the beginning of each end step, if a creature card was put into your graveyard from anywhere that turn, you create a 1/1 Devil token with “When this token dies, it deals 1 damage to any target.” 2
That gives you three primary objectives:
- Put creature cards into your graveyard
- Create and sacrifice Devil tokens
- Turn those deaths into damage, mana, cards, or life loss
Because Raphael specifically checks for a creature card, a sacrificed creature in your graveyard works, while a Devil token dying does not itself satisfy that condition. 1
2. Recommended deck structure
A solid starting distribution is:
- 36–38 lands
- 10–12 ramp cards
- 10–12 card-advantage cards
- 8–10 removal/protection spells
- 25–30 creatures
- 8–12 token, sacrifice, or payoff cards
Keep the creature curve fairly low. Raphael costs five mana, so the deck should function before he enters the battlefield and become much stronger afterward.
3. Creatures to prioritize
Sacrifice and token engines
- Zurzoth, Chaos Rider
- Mahadi, Emporium Master
- Mayhem Devil
- Body Dropper
- Spiteful Prankster
- Witty Roastmaster
- Hellrider
- Kardur, Doomscourge
These are among the most common high-synergy choices in Raphael decks on EDHREC. 3
Demons and other large threats
Use a core of powerful Demons rather than filling the deck with expensive tribal cards that do nothing on their own:
- Rakdos, the Showstopper
- Rakdos, Lord of Riots
- Rakdos, Patron of Chaos
- Balor
- Archfiend of Depravity
- Harvester of Souls
- Orcus, Prince of Undeath
- Bloodgift Demon
- Rune-Scarred Demon
- Reaper from the Abyss
- Vilis, Broker of Blood
- Archfiend of Despair
These cards appear frequently in Raphael lists and provide removal, card advantage, reanimation, or finishing power. 3
Creatures worth sacrificing
Include creatures that produce value when they enter or die:
- Plaguecrafter
- Burnished Hart
- Persistent Specimen
- Doomed Dissenter
- Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia
- Sengir Autocrat
- Ophiomancer is not legal in Rakdos, so avoid it.
- Gravebreaker Lamia
- Stitcher’s Supplier
- Viscera Seer is not legal in Rakdos, so replace it with Carrion Feeder or Woe Strider.
The important point is that your creatures should still be useful when they are milled, discarded, sacrificed, or reanimated.
4. Sacrifice outlets and payoffs
Sacrifice outlets
- Ashnod’s Altar
- Phyrexian Altar
- Goblin Bombardment
- Vampiric Rites
- High Market
- Phyrexian Tower
- Carrion Feeder
- Woe Strider
- Deadly Dispute
- Village Rites
- Corrupted Conviction
EDHREC identifies Ashnod’s Altar, Skullclamp, Deadly Dispute, Village Rites, and Goblin Bombardment as commonly played Raphael support cards. 3
Death and token payoffs
- Mayhem Devil
- Impact Tremors
- Witty Roastmaster
- Bastion of Remembrance
- Blood Artist is not legal in Rakdos? It has black color identity only, so it is legal.
- Zulaport Cutthroat is also legal.
- Syr Konrad, the Grim
- Grave Pact
- Dictate of Erebos
- Warstorm Surge
- Sanguine Bond
Use several different kinds of payoffs so the deck can win through combat, direct damage, or life-drain.
5. Put creatures in the graveyard deliberately
Raphael does not need you to sacrifice creatures specifically; his trigger works if a creature card reaches your graveyard from anywhere that turn. 2 Good enablers include:
- Buried Alive
- Entomb
- Faithless Looting
- Thrill of Possibility
- Big Score
- Demonic Counsel
- Stitcher’s Supplier
- Millikin
- Vile Entomber
- Final Parting
Then recover those creatures with:
- Reanimate
- Victimize
- Dread Return
- Animate Dead
- Living Death
- Orcus, Prince of Undeath
- Whip of Erebos
- Phyrexian Reclamation
Reanimate, Victimize, Dread Return, and Living Death are all represented in Raphael deck data on EDHREC. 3
6. Card draw and ramp
Ramp
Start with:
- Sol Ring
- Arcane Signet
- Rakdos Signet
- Talisman of Indulgence
- Fellwar Stone
- Mind Stone
- Wayfarer’s Bauble
- Ashnod’s Altar
- Black Market
- Jeska’s Will
Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Rakdos Signet, and Talisman of Indulgence are among the most frequently played mana rocks in Raphael decks. 3
Card advantage
- Skullclamp
- Deadly Dispute
- Village Rites
- Harvester of Souls
- Morbid Opportunist
- Grim Haruspex
- Midnight Reaper
- Phyrexian Arena
- Black Market Connections
- Liliana’s Contract
- Bolas’s Citadel
Skullclamp and Liliana’s Contract are especially popular in Raphael lists, while Black Market Connections and Phyrexian Arena provide steady long-game value. 3
7. Removal and protection
A useful Rakdos interaction package would include:
- Terminate
- Bedevil
- Chaos Warp
- Rakdos Charm
- Feed the Swarm
- Abrade
- Vandalblast
- Blasphemous Act
- Toxic Deluge
- Deadly Rollick
- Malakir Rebirth
- Feign Death
- Not Dead After All
- Lightning Greaves
- Swiftfoot Boots
Bedevil, Rakdos Charm, Terminate, Blasphemous Act, and Chaos Warp are among the most common interaction choices in Raphael decks. 3
8. How the deck wins
Go wide with Devils
Raphael’s end-step trigger creates Devils whenever a creature card entered your graveyard during the turn. 1 With multiple sacrifice outlets and death triggers, you can build a large board and attack with creatures that receive Raphael’s +1/+1 bonus and lifelink. 2
Aristocrats damage
A typical sequence is:
- Sacrifice a creature.
- Raphael creates a Devil at the end step.
- Sacrifice the Devil to Goblin Bombardment or another outlet.
- Use Mayhem Devil, Impact Tremors, Witty Roastmaster, or a death trigger to deal additional damage.
The Raphael deck data strongly supports this aristocrats approach, with the commander page tagged for Demons, Aristocrats, Devils, and lifegain. 3
Demon tribal finish
Cards such as Rakdos, the Showstopper, Rakdos, Lord of Riots, Archfiend of Despair, and Liliana’s Contract give you a secondary Demon-based route to victory. 3 Avoid making every creature an expensive Demon; retain enough cheap creatures and sacrifice fodder to reliably trigger Raphael.
9. Mana base
Use roughly 36–38 lands, with a balance of Swamps, Mountains, and Rakdos dual lands. Good options include:
- Command Tower
- Blood Crypt
- Smoldering Marsh
- Dragonskull Summit
- Foreboding Ruins
- Haunted Ridge
- Sulfurous Springs
- Blightstep Pathway
- Temple of Malice
- Rakdos Carnarium
- Path of Ancestry
- Bojuka Bog
- Phyrexian Tower
- High Market
- Westvale Abbey
Command Tower, Smoldering Marsh, Dragonskull Summit, Foreboding Ruins, and Path of Ancestry are common lands in Raphael lists. 3 Bojuka Bog is also a useful utility land against opposing graveyard decks. 3
Sample core
A good first version could begin with this package:
Commander
- Raphael, Fiendish Savior
Engines and payoffs
- Zurzoth, Chaos Rider
- Mahadi, Emporium Master
- Mayhem Devil
- Witty Roastmaster
- Spiteful Prankster
- Goblin Bombardment
- Impact Tremors
- Ashnod’s Altar
- Skullclamp
- Grave Pact
Graveyard package
- Stitcher’s Supplier
- Buried Alive
- Faithless Looting
- Entomb
- Reanimate
- Victimize
- Dread Return
- Living Death
Threats
- Rakdos, the Showstopper
- Rakdos, Lord of Riots
- Balor
- Harvester of Souls
- Archfiend of Depravity
- Orcus, Prince of Undeath
- Rune-Scarred Demon
- Archfiend of Despair
Interaction
- Bedevil
- Terminate
- Chaos Warp
- Rakdos Charm
- Feed the Swarm
- Vandalblast
- Blasphemous Act
- Malakir Rebirth
The best way to tune the deck is to play several games and cut cards that are powerful but do not advance one of the deck’s three core actions: fill the graveyard, sacrifice creatures, or profit from deaths.
Sources
- Wizards of the Coast Gatherer card database: Raphael’s official card text and Commander legality. 2
- Scryfall card database: Raphael’s complete Oracle text, mana cost, creature types, and token wording. 1
- EDHREC Raphael commander page: deck themes, popular cards, synergy data, and mana base recommendations. 3
- EDHREC upgraded Raphael data: higher-power card choices and commonly used aristocrats, Demon, and Devil packages. 4
- MTGGoldfish Raphael deck listings: examples of published Raphael decklists and budget ranges. 5
- [1]https://scryfall.com/card/clb/292/raphael-fiendish-savior
- [2]https://gatherer.wizards.com/CLB/en-us/292/raphael-fiendish-savior
- [3]https://edhrec.com/commanders/raphael-fiendish-savior
- [4]https://edhrec.com/commanders/raphael-fiendish-savior/upgraded
- [5]https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/commander-raphael-fiendish-savior/decks
- (TOKENS USED: 131,364)
Here’s a streamlined, actionable guide to building a high-synergy Raphael, Fiendish Savior Commander deck, optimized for his Devil token generation, sacrifice synergies, and graveyard recursion themes. I’ve included a sample decklist skeleton, key card categories, and sources for further research.
1. Deckbuilding Philosophy
Raphael thrives on three core mechanics:
- Graveyard Filling: Get creature cards into your graveyard (via milling, discarding, or sacrificing).
- Token Generation: Raphael creates a 1/1 Devil token at each end step if a creature card hit your graveyard that turn.
- Sacrifice Payoffs: Use outlets like Ashnod’s Altar or Mayhem Devil to turn tokens into damage, card draw, or mana.
Avoid: Overloading on expensive Demons that don’t synergize with Raphael’s triggers.
2. Key Card Categories
A. Sacrifice Outlets (Must-Haves)
These turn creatures/tokens into value:
- Ashnod’s Altar (free mana from any creature)
- Phyrexian Altar (mana from black creatures)
- Goblin Bombardment (ping opponents when creatures die)
- Woe Strider (free sacrifice outlet + escape)
- Carrion Feeder (grows when creatures die)
- Viscera Seer (scry when creatures die)
B. Token Generators
Create fodder for sacrifice outlets:
- Zurzoth, Chaos Rider (Devil tokens + haste)
- Kardur, Doomscourge (free discard outlet)
- Witty Roastmaster (Devil tokens + damage)
- Burn Down the House (create Devils)
- Dance with Devils (create Devils)
C. Graveyard Enablers
Fill your graveyard with creature cards:
- Stitcher’s Supplier (mill yourself)
- Buried Alive (tutor 3 creatures to graveyard)
- Faithless Looting (draw + discard)
- Entomb (tutor a creature to graveyard)
- Satyr Wayfinder (fixing + graveyard fill)
D. Payoff Cards (Win Conditions)
Turn deaths into wins:
- Mayhem Devil (damage when creatures die)
- Impact Tremors (damage when creatures enter)
- Bastion of Remembrance (exile creatures for damage)
- Blood Artist (life loss when creatures die)
- Zulaport Cutthroat (life loss when creatures die)
E. Removal & Interaction
- Terminate (instant-speed removal)
- Bedevil (destroy artifact/enchantment)
- Blasphemous Act (board wipe)
- Chaos Warp (flexible removal)
- Feed the Swarm (destroy enchantment)
F. Ramp & Card Draw
- Sol Ring (staple ramp)
- Arcane Signet (color fixing)
- Rakdos Signet (color fixing)
- Skullclamp (draw off tokens)
- Deadly Dispute (draw + treasure)
- Phyrexian Arena (steady card draw)
3. Sample Decklist Skeleton (60-Card Core)
| Category | Example Cards |
|---|---|
| Commander | Raphael, Fiendish Savior |
| Sacrifice Outlets | Ashnod’s Altar, Phyrexian Altar, Goblin Bombardment, Woe Strider |
| Token Generators | Zurzoth, Chaos Rider, Kardur, Doomscourge, Witty Roastmaster |
| Graveyard Enablers | Stitcher’s Supplier, Buried Alive, Faithless Looting, Entomb |
| Payoff Cards | Mayhem Devil, Impact Tremors, Bastion of Remembrance, Blood Artist |
| Removal | Terminate, Bedevil, Blasphemous Act, Chaos Warp |
| Ramp & Draw | Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Skullclamp, Deadly Dispute, Phyrexian Arena |
| Lands | Blood Crypt, Smoldering Marsh, Dragonskull Summit, Command Tower, Bojuka Bog |
4. Mana Base (36-38 Lands)
- Dual Lands: Blood Crypt, Smoldering Marsh, Dragonskull Summit, Foreboding Ruins
- Utility Lands: Bojuka Bog (graveyard hate), Phyrexian Tower (sac outlet), High Market (sac outlet)
- Basics: Swamp, Mountain
5. Upgrades & Budget Options
| Budget Option | Upgrade Option |
|---|---|
| Carrion Feeder | Ashnod’s Altar |
| Village Rites | Deadly Dispute |
| Blood Artist | Bastion of Remembrance |
| Faithless Looting | Entomb |
6. How to Win
- Early Game: Ramp, fill graveyard with enablers (e.g., Stitcher’s Supplier).
- Mid Game: Play Raphael, generate Devil tokens, and sacrifice them for value.
- Late Game: Use payoffs like Mayhem Devil or Bastion of Remembrance to close the game.
Sources Used
- EDHREC Raphael Page (edhrec.com/commanders/raphael-fiendish-savior)
- Aggregates top cards, themes, and decklists for Raphael.
- Scryfall Card Database (scryfall.com)
- Verified Raphael’s Oracle text and token mechanics.
- MTGGoldfish Raphael Decks (mtggoldfish.com)
- Example decklists and budget breakdowns.
- Commander Spellbook (commanderspellbook.com)
- Synergy combos for Raphael (e.g., Raphael + Ashnod’s Altar).
- (TOKENS USED: 7,374)
Honestly?
I don’t think it did the worst in the world. All three models gave me different routes on how to build these decks, and there are many staples that end up appearing in each pathway. If you’ve never played Magic before, I think it would give you a good idea on where to begin with the deck building process. As someone who has built and played many decks, I would say that AI seems to jump right for the cards that tend to just be overall good cards for many decks, maybe not the best to synergize with Raphael. I do believe that this article on “Why AI Can’t be Creative (yet)” sums up some of my feelings on how this went. AI is a little predictable when it tries to become an entity capable of creativity. Deck building is a skill you can learn from experience. The more you play, the more you learn, and the more you know how to win against opponents. It is a very human thing to deck build because of the intuitive nature of the game. This is human versus human game play, and there’s a lot of creativity that comes out in that. If I were to pose it as a situation of life or death where you have to build a winning deck, would you:
Ask the guy who has been playing Magic competitively for years?
OR
Ask AI to make you a deck?
Personally, I am probably going for the guy.
Reflection
GPT gave me the most fleshed out strategy for deck building, and seemed more detailed by giving me exact card names to explore and what their purpose would be. The other two sort of picked one vague route they deemed as popular, and gave me directions on how that would go. It is interesting to see all three models using popular websites like EDHREC, Scryfall, and MTG Goldfish to build their answers. Generally those are the websites that I find myself using, and they are primarily built off of using human feedback and personal deck list postings. Still, there’s a lot of difference between the responses, despite the similar sources. I don’t think any of the responses are violently wrong, but it does go to show the spectrum of information available on those sources alone. I think it really is interesting to compare the responses of different models on creative tasks, because they always spit things out as though they are fact. GPT starting off with “Build Raphael as a Rakdos graveyard-and-token aristocrats deck, not as a generic Demon tribal deck” reads like a demand, even though there’s plenty of different ways to go about it.
While AI may be beneficial for some people who want to get started on something creative like Magic, I would still urge individuals to try and find their own way through other humans more. Really, I would emphasize staying informed on the content and information that’s out there to be consumed, and to always assess before assuming truth.
