REDHREC #268

Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer

Legendary Creature — Monkey Pirate

Whenever Ragavan deals combat damage to a player, create a Treasure token and exile the top card of that player's library. Until end of turn, you may cast that card. Dash {1}{R} (You may cast this spell for its dash cost. If you do, it gains haste, and it's returned from the battlefield to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next end step.)

2 / 1

Build with Strategy Build from Scratch

From$44.30USDBuy on TCGPlayer

“Tiny monkey with haste steals cards and makes treasures every swing.”

PlaystyleAggro

DifficultyIntermediate

Wins viaCombat damage, Tokens swarm

ThemesSacrifice, Tokens, Spellslinger

Strategy

How this commander wants to play

Ragavan is all about turning combat damage into card advantage and mana acceleration. Every hit generates a Treasure token for ramp and exiles a card from an opponent's deck that you get to cast for free. The dash mechanic means you're not locked into keeping him on the battlefield—you can swing, generate value, and bounce him back, then replay him next turn with haste. This makes him incredibly efficient at generating tempo while stealing resources from your opponents.

Build around evasion and ways to make Ragavan unblockable or hard to block: cards like Dowsing Dagger, Embercleave, or simple evasion spells turn him into a consistent damage dealer. You'll want cheap interaction and creatures that synergize with Treasures—both for ramping into bigger threats and for sacrifice outlets. The goal is to chain together multiple attacks, accelerate your mana, and either overwhelm the table with tokens and threats or cast stolen spells to finish games.

Strategy generated by Tapped Decks AI. Not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.

Key Synergies

Cards that especially shine here

Budget Build

Same gameplan, less money

Skip expensive fetch lands and play basic mountains with budget ramp like Llanowar Elves; replace pricey lords with Goblin Bombardment or Pashalik Mons for sacrifice value.