Raka Disciple MTG Card


Raka Disciple - Apocalypse
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Minotaur Wizard
Released2001-06-04
Set symbol
Set nameApocalypse
Set codeAPC
Power 1
Toughness 1
Number66
Frame1997
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byArnie Swekel

Key Takeaways

  1. Raka Disciple excels in providing strategic options with its card advantage and instant speed abilities.
  2. The card’s specific mana cost and discard requirement may limit its use to certain deck builds.
  3. Its versatility and meta-relevance make Raka Disciple a worthy contender for inclusion in diverse strategies.

Text of card

o W, oc T: Prevent the next 1 damage that would be dealt to target creature or player this turn. o U, oc T: Target creature gains flying until end of turn.

"The strong can also be subtle."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Raka Disciple excels in providing card advantage, allowing you to sift through your deck and enhance your strategic options during play. This ensures that you’re rarely left without actions or responses to your opponent’s threats.

Resource Acceleration: The Raka Disciple offers valuable options for accelerating your resources. By potentially untapping your lands or artifacts, it helps you to ramp up your mana pool and deploy threats or answers ahead of the curve.

Instant Speed: This card operates at instant speed, giving you the flexibility to respond to your opponents’ moves during their turn. This tactical advantage can disrupt your adversaries’ plans, while maximizing the utilization of your mana each round.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Raka Disciple demands that you toss another card from your hand into the graveyard to activate its abilities. This trade-off can put you at a strategic disadvantage, especially when your hand is already running thin and every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: This card’s mana cost is split across three colors—white, blue, and red—making it a challenge to cast outside of dedicated tri-color decks. Players running fewer colors may find it difficult to integrate Raka Disciple smoothly into their mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Commanding a mana investment of three, including three different colors, Raka Disciple comes at a higher cost compared to other options available in its slot. For decks aiming to be quick and efficient, its mana demands could prove to be a stumbling block, potentially slowing down the player’s overall game tempo.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Raka Disciple offers a flexible role in various deck archetypes. Its ability to interact with both spells and creatures means it can seamlessly fit into multiple strategies, serving as a multipurpose tool in any player’s toolkit.

Combo Potential: Due to its unique interactions with spellcasting, the card can become a pivotal piece in setting off chain reactions within a deck. By facilitating spell-based combos, it enhances synergy and can lead to unexpected and powerful plays.

Meta-Relevance: For players keen on staying ahead in the constantly evolving game environment, Raka Disciple proves its worth by adjusting well to decks that cater to the current meta. It’s well positioned to counter common strategies, thereby maintaining its relevance across various competitive scenes.


How to beat

Raka Disciple can be a thorn in an opponent’s side with its prowess ability, which boosts its power every time a noncreature spell is cast. Yet, a strategic approach can subdue this seemingly formidable foe. Targeted removal spells like Doom Blade or Path to Exile can swiftly eliminate Raka Disciple before its power becomes overwhelming. Control decks that limit spellcasting can also stifle the disciple’s effectiveness, ensuring it remains a non-threat on the battlefield.

Alternatively, consider using enchantments that prevent the Disciple from dealing damage or that tap it without allowing it to untap during the next untap step. These methods help contain Raka Disciple’s potential without expending multiple resources. In multiplayer games, diplomacy can also play a role. Convincing fellow players to focus their efforts on controlling the owner of Raka Disciple can be a clever tactic to mitigate the threat collectively.

The key to overpowering Raka Disciple lies in anticipation and preparedness. By maintaining board control and applying pressure with strategic plays, this card can be relegated from a looming threat to a mere speed bump on your path to victory.


Cards like Raka Disciple

Raka Disciple is an intriguing Magic: The Gathering card that finds its place among mana flexibility options. When considering cards comparable to Raka Disciple, it’s essential to examine the likes of Prophetic Prism. This artifact also allows players to filter mana, but it doesn’t provide the same creature presence that Raka Disciple does. Nevertheless, Prophetic Prism brings an immediate card draw, which Raka Disciple lacks.

Analogously, we have the Guildmage cycle from the Ravnica sets. Each Guildmage, like Raka Disciple, bridges colors and offers utility in spell-like effects. However, Raka Disciple is uniquely positioned with its ability to protect itself with first strike, a trait not universal among its Guildmage analogs. While both offer versatility, Raka Disciple’s combat potential gives it a different strategic edge.

In evaluating these comparisons, Raka Disciple offers a distinctive blend of mana conversion and combat readiness, marking its utility in versatile MTG decks that prize adaptability and defense. This card may not draw cards or generate tokens, but it stands its ground, punches through in early combat, and keeps mana open for multicolored strategies.

Prophetic Prism - MTG Card versions
Prophetic Prism - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Raka Disciple MTG card by a specific set like Apocalypse, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Raka Disciple and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Raka Disciple has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

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