Raphael, Tough Turtle
TMT · common · Released 2026-03-06
Power
Tier shown as baseline → best-case (in its ideal shell).
Derived from the 7 atoms below.
on rate
minor value alone
needs a shell
scales up
one mode
situational
easily answered
Commander Bracket
Archetypes
Roles
Risks
Mechanics
—
Typal
—
Structural
Rationale
Raphael is a 2cmc 1/3 legendary that pings a target opponent for 1 whenever another creature enters under your control — a classic Alliance (ETB-trigger-on-ally) burn payoff. Signature in tokens-go-wide and creature-dense burn shells where repeated pings add up; also rewards aristocrats loops that churn creatures through the battlefield. Requires a steady stream of creature ETBs to generate meaningful damage, and the pings hit only one opponent at a time, limiting scalability in multiplayer.
Learnings (3)
Alliance triggers on ANY creature entering under your control, not just tokens, so creature-based ramp (mana dorks) and flicker loops count toward pings.
tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6
In multiplayer Commander, the 'target opponent' restriction means Raphael's damage is spread across a single player each trigger — he can focus-fire but doesn't scale to 3 opponents the way 'each opponent' effects do, limiting his bracket ceiling.
tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6
As a common-rarity legendary from the TMNT set, Raphael is a legal commander option in Commander and Brawl despite his low rarity, enabling a budget tokens-into-burn strategy at the helm.
tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6
Popularity
- EDHREC rank: #12,623