Wizards of the Coast spoiled several cards from Streets of New Capenna this week. So far, the set looks amazing with shard-colored “Triomes”, full-art futuristic lands, and powerful charm spells. This week, WOTC revealed the head of the Obscura crime family, Raffine, Scheming Seer.
The Esper-colored Demon debuts the brand new MTG mechanic “connive” which will certainly be a force to reckon with once New Capenna officially releases on April 29.
Raffine, Scheming Seer
Wow! Raffine looks like a promising card for multiple MTG formats, namely Commander and Standard. The Sphinx Demon is efficiently costed, flies, and protects itself with ward 1. But it also has an ability never seen before in MTG.
Connive let you draw cards, discard cards, and place +1/+1 counters on a creature equal to the number of nonland cards discarded.
This ability is an insane source of card-filtering which can even enable some graveyard shenanigans like reanimation strategies.
Raffine takes connive to an extreme. When you attack, the Scheming Seer gives another attacking creature you control connive X, where X is the number of attacking creatures. If you swing in with a board full of creatures, you can sculpt your hand however you want. Plus, the extra +1/+1 counters will apply some serious pressure to your opponent.
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Raffine’s Potential in Standard
As soon as I read Raffine, I immediately thought of making an Esper Vehicle deck featuring Greasefang, Obika Boss, and the new Obscura Charm.
Raffine, Scheming Seer, can continuously fuel your graveyard with Vehicles for Greasefang to bring back to the field. Obscura Charm also has the option to bring back multicolored permanents from your graveyard (like Greasefang in case he dies). Together, these cards could make a super-consistent midrange Vehicle deck. You could even throw in Imperial Recovery Unit, a Vehicle with its own reanimation ability
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