Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeLegendary Creature — Human Wizard
Abilities Flying, Flash
Power 3
Toughness 3

Key Takeaways

  1. Raff provides card advantage by allowing historic spells to be cast on opponents’ turns.
  2. Can unexpectedly accelerate resources and maintain mana for counterspells or interactions.
  3. This card challenges opponents with instant-speed versatility, intensifying in-game tactics.
Flash card art

Guide to Flash card ability

Explore the dynamic Flash ability in Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a feature that allows you to cast spells at lightning speed, often leaving your opponents reeling and your strategy several steps ahead. This versatile ability can turn the tide of a game, providing the element of surprise and tactical advantage. It places a premium on timing and foresight, transforming an ordinary deck into a formidable arsenal of instant threats and responses.

Text of card

Flash Flying You may cast historic spells as though they had flash. (Artifacts, legendaries, and Sagas are historic.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Raff Capashen, Ship’s Mage, ensures that you’re not falling behind in the drawn-out battles by allowing you to cast historic spells during your opponents’ turns. This unique ability can net you significant card advantage by deploying threats or answers without having to wait for your own turn.

Resource Acceleration: While he doesn’t directly produce mana or treasure, Raff’s ability to flash in artifacts and other historic spells can be a form of resource acceleration. This is because you can hold up mana for counterspells or interaction, and if none is needed, still develop your board with permanents at instant speed.

Instant Speed: Raff Capashen’s standout feature is his ability to grant instant speed to an entire category of spells. This not only keeps opponents guessing but also dramatically increases the versatility of your historic spells, allowing you to react to threats in real-time while gaining the upper hand in the pace of the game.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Raff Capashen, Ship’s Mage offers flexibility with flash, players must be aware of hand management. Without careful planning, the need to keep mana open for instant-speed plays may lead to missed opportunities for card development on your own turn.

Specific Mana Cost: Raff demands both white and blue mana, which can be a deckbuilding constraint. This requirement means the card fits best in Azorius or multicolored decks, potentially limiting its use in a broader range of strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of four mana including two specific colors, Raff competes with other impactful four-mana spells. In a fast-paced game, allocating resources to summon Raff could slow down your momentum against more aggressive decks.


Reasons to Include Raff Capashen, Ship’s Mage in Your Collection

Versatility: With the ability to cast historic spells as though they had flash, Raff Capashen, Ship’s Mage, offers flexibility in a variety of decks. Historic spells encompass artifacts, sagas, and legendary cards, meaning this card is a great fit for decks that capitalize on these types.

Combo Potential: Raff’s inherent ability to flash out powerful artifacts or legendary creatures at an opponent’s end step maximizes your tactical advantage. This ability synergizes with mechanics that thrive off surprise elements or “on-cast” triggers, elevating your combo plays.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that’s filled with control decks or where instant-speed interaction is key, the strategic advantage provided by Raff can be highly impactful. Being a 3/3 flyer, Raff can also pose a threat on the battlefield while enabling your historical spells regardless of the turn or phase.


How to beat

Raff Capashen, Ship’s Mage is a notable figure in MTG, renowned for his ability to grant instant speed to historic spells. This can rapidly turn the tides of a match, enabling a player to cast artifacts, legendaries, and sagas as though they had flash, making it difficult to anticipate and respond to during an opponent’s turns. To effectively counter this card, one approach is to limit the card advantage it provides. Employing instant removal spells when Raff is cast or at the end of your opponent’s turn could minimize its impact on the game.

Maintaining control over the stack is essential, especially during your turn to thwart the surprise element Raff introduces. It’s also beneficial to employ counterspells strategically, focusing on key historic spells that your opponent may attempt to cast at an inconvenient time. Another tactic is to apply pressure with aggressive creatures, forcing the Raff wielder to make difficult decisions on resource allocation between defending and optimizing their own strategy.

Ultimately, adapting to the tempo and staying ahead in resource management can ensure that Raff Capashen, Ship’s Mage doesn’t dominate the game. Prioritizing board presence and keeping the necessary answers in hand will help maintain control of the match.


BurnMana Recommendations

MTG players seeking an edge on their competition understand the potency of Raff Capashen, Ship’s Mage within their decks. This formidable card alters the dynamic of a match, letting you surprise your opponent with instant-speed plays, adding a layer of unpredictability to your tactics. If the prospect of flash-casting sagas, artifacts, and legendary spells intrigues you, consider how Raff might enhance your deck’s responsiveness and turn the tide of battle in your favor. For those ready to dive deeper into the strategic uses of Raff Capashen and elevate their game, we’re here to guide you through enriching your collection and refining your gameplay strategy. Unlock the full potential of your MTG deck—explore more with us today.


Cards like Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage

Raff Capashen, Ship’s Mage, holds a unique position among Magic: The Gathering commanders, offering flash speed to historic spells. This advantage places him among powerful cards like Teferi, Time Raveler, which also provides additional control over timing with its static ability. While Teferi affects the entire game’s pace, Raff specializes in historical spells, giving a narrower but a strategically significant edge for artifact, legendary, and saga cards.

Another card worthy of comparison is Shimmer Myr, which, like Raff, grants instant speed to a type of card—in this case, artifacts. Shimmer Myr bears the merit of a lower mana cost, but it lacks the versatility and leadership that Raff Capashen provides. In terms of legendary synergy, Captain Sisay stands out, granting the ability to search your library for legendary cards, but unlike Raff, Sisay cannot alter the timing of when those cards are played.

Considering the landscape of commanders and utility creatures, Raff Capashen, Ship’s Mage solidly supports a focused historic strategy, making it a prized option for players who value flexibility, surprise plays, and enjoying the lore-rich tapestry that artifacts, legendaries, and sagas bring to the game.

Teferi, Time Raveler - MTG Card versions
Shimmer Myr - MTG Card versions
Captain Sisay - MTG Card versions
Teferi, Time Raveler - War of the Spark (WAR)
Shimmer Myr - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Captain Sisay - Invasion (INV)

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage MTG card by a specific set like Dominaria and Dominaria Promos, 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 Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 2018-04-27 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by John Stanko.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12018-04-27DominariaDOM 2022015normalblackJohn Stanko
22018-04-27Dominaria PromosPDOM 202s2015normalblackJohn Stanko
32019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 14702015normalblackJohn Stanko
42020-09-26The ListPLST DOM-2022015normalblackJohn Stanko
52022-02-18Neon Dynasty CommanderNEC 1412015normalblackJohn Stanko
62023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 3512015normalblackJohn Stanko

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Raff Capashen, Ship's Mage card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2018-04-27 A card, spell, or permanent is historic if it has the legendary supertype, the artifact card type, or the Saga subtype. Having two of those qualities doesn't make an object more historic than another or provide an additional bonus—an object either is historic or it isn't.

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