Raphael, Ninja Destroyer

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Raphael is a 4cmc 4/4 with a mandatory-block clause that turns incoming combat damage into a burst of floating red mana (Enrage trigger), making him a potent mana engine in decks that can repeatedly ping or block-bait him. The mana persists across steps/phases, enabling large X-spells, storm lines, or storm-like chains — a genuine combo enabler in red shells. His forced-block static ability means opponents must commit a blocker every attack, which combines with damage-doubling or ping effects to generate enormous mana bursts; however, opponents controlling creature density also control how much mana he generates.

• Raphael's Enrage trigger produces mana equal to ALL damage dealt, so combining him with damage-doublers like Dictate of the Twin Gods or Fiery Emancipation can generate exponential mana from a single block — e.g. 4 damage doubled to 8 red mana from one swing.

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• Because opponents choose which creatures block Raphael, they control how many blockers trade and thus how much damage he takes; in low-creature boards he may deal damage unblocked and generate zero Enrage mana.

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• The floating mana persists across steps and phases (not just until end of step), so mana generated during declare-blockers can be spent on main-phase X-spells or instant-speed abilities later in the same turn.

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• EDHREC rank: #15,943