Now that MTG Avatar cards are out and about in paper and online play, we’re getting to see a lot of the cards that players hyped up during spoiler season continue to overperform. Flashy mythics like Badgermole Cub and Wan Shi Tong, Librarian, for example, are making waves from Standard down to Eternal formats.
On top of these elite designs that garnered a ton of attention early, though, a number of cards that fell under the radar are making an impression as well. One particular Assassin that very few people are talking about is making its presence felt in various midrange strategies in Standard and Commander alike.
Raven Eagle in Standard
At its core, Raven Eagle has a decent amount in common with Graveyard Trespasser. It has the same mana cost, rewards you for exiling creature cards from graveyards, and even lets you drain the opponent under specific circumstances. While not having Ward does make it a bit worse against removal-heavy decks, all of this upside adds up to make Raven Eagle a strong inclusion in Standard midrange shells.
Both Dimir Midrange and Mono-Black Midrange feature a high density of efficient removal spells, so there’s no fear of running out of Clue fuel when facing Simic Aggro and other creature decks. As a flier, there’s little risk of getting Raven Eagle blocked down in combat against Simic, either. Your Clue tokens perfectly enable Void, too, making Tragic Trajectory and Elegy Acolyte even more reliable. Eventually, you’ll threaten to bury your opponent in card advantage.
The one downside is that cracking Clues is a slow process, but the life gain Raven Eagle provides goes a long way in minimizing this issue. You won’t even need to spend time sacrificing Clues to trigger this ability once you stick Enduring Curiosity or Unholy Annex.
If all of this wasn’t enough, the fact that Raven Eagle serves as a form of graveyard hate in your main deck makes the Reanimator matchup much more winnable. Without Raven Eagle, beating Bringer of the Last Gift is extremely difficult in game one. Additionally, versus Gruul Delirium, keeping your opponent from reaching the four-card type threshold is extremely strong. Raven Eagle packs a big punch for such a small creature, so underestimate it at your own peril.
Raven Eagle in Commander
Beyond Raven Eagle’s Standard applications, the card’s diverse effects also help it see play in the 99 of numerous Commander decks. First and foremost, Assassin-themed decks, including those with Etrata, Deadly Fugitive, are happy to add Raven Eagle. After all, the number of strong, evasive Assassins in MTG for players to work with is pretty low.
From there, there are a number of Commanders that reward you for generating Clue tokens or exiling cards from graveyards, where Raven Eagle is a natural fit. Teysa, Opulent Oligarch gets stronger the more Clues you make and sacrifice, for example, and Ketramose, the New Dawn pays you off with extra card advantage every time you exile a card from a graveyard with Raven Eagle.
Notably, this card also happens to work well in conjunction with new Firebending legends such as Fire Lord Zuko. Being able to make use of your extra mana only during combat isn’t always easy, so having extra Clues lying around gives you a better chance to prevent that mana from going to waste. Raven Eagles’ versatility cannot be overstated, and we’re excited to see how players continue to maximize the Bird moving forward.
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