Raffine, Scheming Seer MTG Card

Raffine offers consistent card advantage, crucial for maintaining momentum across longer matches. Enhances your creatures’ power, indirectly boosting resources without additional spells. Adept at playing at instant speed, Raffine maximizes flexibility and control over game pace.
Card setsReleased in 5 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Creature — Sphinx Demon
Abilities Connive,Flying,Ward
Power 1
Toughness 4

Text of card

Flying, ward Whenever you attack, target attacking creature connives X, where X is the number of attacking creatures. (Draw X cards, then discard X cards. Put a +1/+1 counter on that creature for each nonland card discarded this way.)

Cards like Raffine, Scheming Seer

Raffine, Scheming Seer stands out in the world of Magic: The Gathering as a unique figure that manipulates both hand and battlefield. It shares a conceptual kinship with cards like Sire of Insanity which forces each player to discard their hand each turn, stripping resources and shifting dynamics. Unlike Sire of Insanity, Raffine, Scheming Seer offers control over your own destiny, allowing you to draw and discard while developing your board presence with flying creatures.

Another card that echoes Raffine, Scheming Seer’s influence is Notion Thief. This notorious card has the ability to hijack opponents’ draws, a powerful effect that shares Raffine’s disruption theme. While Notion Thief acts directly during the opponent’s draw step, Raffine subtly builds your board and disrupts the opponent’s hand during your own turn. Additionally, Raffine can lead to strategic advantage by sculpting the perfect hand and battlefield position.

Evaluating these cards side by side, Raffine, Scheming Seer offers a blend of aggression and control by both affecting the opponent’s hand and strengthening your own forces. This balancing act of disruption and development makes Raffine a compelling choice for players eyeing dominance through nuanced strategy in Magic: The Gathering.

Sire of Insanity - MTG Card versions
Notion Thief - MTG Card versions
Sire of Insanity - MTG Card versions
Notion Thief - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Raffine, Scheming Seer. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Esper MidrangeEsper Midrange StandardEsper MidrangeStandard Challenge 32 2024-05-11 (1)
Esper LegendsEsper Legends StandardEsper LegendsStandard Challenge 64 2024-05-12

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Raffine, Scheming Seer provides consistent card advantage as you surveil during each player’s upkeep, helping you filter through your deck and maintain gas in long games.

Resource Acceleration: With Raffine’s ability to put +1/+1 counters on itself or other creatures you control, you indirectly accelerate resources by strengthening your board presence without having to cast additional spells.

Instant Speed: While Raffine itself isn’t played at instant speed, this commander is optimized when you’re piloting a deck that includes instant-speed interaction, allowing you to play effectively on your opponent’s turn and use Raffine’s triggered ability to fullest. This strategic flexibility gives you an edge in responding to threats and seizing control of the pace of the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Raffine, Scheming Seer demands that you discard a card to activate its anticipate effect. This stipulation could be a challenge, particularly if your hand is already running thin and every card counts for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Raffine’s mana cost is not only specific but also diverse, requiring one blue, one black, and two other mana. This necessity confines her to decks that can comfortably produce both colors, potentially limiting her versatility in broad deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total casting cost of four mana, Raffine’s entry to the field is relatively expensive. Given the mana investment, players might weigh options against other cards that can influence the board state immediately or provide more immediate value.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Raffine, Scheming Seer offers a dynamic option for deck builders, acting as a powerful flying creature that can fit seamlessly into multicolor decks. Its ability to exploit the strength of various creature types adds a layer of adaptability no matter the opponent.

Combo Potential: With the innate capability to surveil and draw cards, this card opens up numerous combo possibilities. It naturally synergizes with strategies focused on hand manipulation and graveyard setup, allowing for seamless integration with win conditions that rely on card interactions.

Meta-Relevance: Given its potential to manipulate players’ libraries and hands, Raffine, Scheming Seer maintains relevance in evolving metagames, posing a threat to popular control and tempo decks whilst supporting your strategic plans.

How to beat

Raffine, Scheming Seer is a unique card that can challenge any MTG player with its ability to draw cards and manipulate the battlefield through flying and connive skills. Confronting a creature like Raffine requires a strategy that disrupts its conniving ways, preventing the card advantage it provides. One efficient approach is the use of instant-speed removal spells that can handle creatures regardless of their size, such as Path to Exile or Rapid Hybridization. It’s crucial to wait until your opponent invests in Raffine’s abilities to maximize your removal’s impact.

Another method is to employ counterspells to prevent Raffine from entering the battlefield in the first place. Spells like Mana Leak or Dovin’s Veto can be particularly effective. Moreover, combatting Raffine’s influence on the board includes utilizing cards that restrict flying creatures or remove flying abilities temporarily to block and eliminate Raffine without relying on targeted removal. Cards such as Archetype of Imagination or Earthquake can alter the dynamics of aerial dominance and tilt the game in your favor.

When strategically addressing the challenge Raffine presents, it becomes apparent that timing and proper resource allocation are key to overcoming this scheming seer and securing your victory in the game.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Raffine, Scheming Seer MTG card by a specific set like Streets of New Capenna and Streets of New Capenna, 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 Raffine, Scheming Seer and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Raffine, Scheming Seer Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2022-04-29 and 2022-04-29. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 2132015NormalBlackJohannes Voss
22022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 3922015NormalBlackVéronique Meignaud
32022-04-29Streets of New CapennaSNC 3272015NormalBlackVéronique Meignaud
42022-04-29Streets of New Capenna PromosPSNC 213s2015NormalBlackJohannes Voss
52022-04-29Streets of New Capenna PromosPSNC 213p2015NormalBlackJohannes Voss

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Raffine, Scheming Seer has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Raffine, Scheming Seer card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2022-04-29 Connive X is a variant of connive. If a creature connives X, its controller will draw X cards, discard X cards, then then put a number of +1/+1 counters on the conniving permanent equal to the number of nonland cards discarded this way.
2022-04-29 If a resolving spell or ability instructs a specific creature to connive but that creature has left the battlefield, the creature still connives. If you discard a nonland card this way, you won't put a +1/+1 counter on anything. Abilities that trigger “when
-hat creature] connives” will trigger.
2022-04-29 If no card is discarded, most likely because that player's hand is empty and an effect says they can't draw cards, the conniving creature does not receive a +1/+1 counter.
2022-04-29 Once an ability that causes a creature to connive begins to resolve, no player may take any other actions until it's done. Notably, opponents can't try to remove the conniving creature after you discard a nonland card but before it receives a counter.