Raphael, Ninja Destroyer

Raphael is a forced-combat creature with a unique mana engine built into his Enrage ability. Every time he takes damage, you generate red mana equal to that damage that persists through steps and phases—turning your opponents' attacks into a resource engine. Your gameplan revolves around getting Raphael into combat repeatedly, soaking damage from blockers, and converting that incoming harm into explosive red mana for huge spells or ability activations. You're not trying to be a traditional aggro deck; instead, you're a midrange engine that leverages forced blocks into card advantage and overwhelming tempo swings.

Build around cards that multiply the value of damage taken: cards like Stuffy Doll, Boros Charm, or any protection effects that preserve Raphael while he soaks incoming blockers. You'll want payoffs for all that red mana—big X-spells like Torment of Hailfire or Red Sun's Zenith, or repeated abilities that drain/draw/deal damage. Fill the rest with ramp, removal, and efficient red creatures to pressure early while Raphael comes online. The beauty is that every blocked attack is essentially an investment that pays dividends later in the turn.

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