Rafiq - Baby's First Voltron Deck

[Aggro_zombies]

So I'm trying to make a competitive Ruhan Voltron deck (something I don't normally do because it doesn't really appeal to me), but I quickly realized that the core of the deck was UW and R added very little outside of Sunforger. A couple Gatherer searches later and I decided to switch to Rafiq because he seems better in every way as a Voltron general.

I want this deck to be more competitive than usual for me, but I don't own Mishra's Workshop or Ravages of War.

1 Blighted Agent
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Spirit en-Dal

1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Stonehewer Giant
1 Steelshaper's Gift
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Fabricate
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Sword of Vengeance
1 Whispersilk Cloak
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Steel of the Godhead
1 Shield of the Oversoul

1 Force of Will
1 Mana Drain
1 Absorb
1 Voidslime
1 Counterspell
1 Cryptic Command
1 Hinder
1 Spell Crumple
1 Pact of Negation
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Memory Lapse

1 Brainstorm
1 Mystic Remora
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Blue Sun's Zenith
1 Compulsive Research
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Opportunity
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Eladamri's Call

1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Path to Exile
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Krosan Grip
1 Dismantling Blow
1 Capsize
1 Cataclysm
1 Armageddon
1 Catastrophe

1 Eternal Witness
1 Sun Titan
1 Noxious Revival
1 Regrowth

1 Finest Hour
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant

1 Azorius Signet
1 Selesnya Signet
1 Simic Signet
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Coalition Relic
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Gilded Lotus

1 Seaside Citadel
1 Azorius Chancery
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Temple Garden
1 Breeding Pool
1 Tropical Island
1 Tundra
1 Savannah
1 Windswept Heath
1 Flooded Strand
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Academy Ruins
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Sunpetal Grove
1 Mystic Gate
1 Wooded Bastion
1 Flooded Grove
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Adarkar Wastes
1 Brushland
1 City of Brass
5 Island
2 Plains
2 Forest

[AngryTroll]

I'm not sure if I'd cut something for it, but I'd certainly consider Armadillo Cloak. Unblockability > Trample, but Armadillo Cloak and Steel of the Godhead should probably both make the list of cards seriously being considered.

Bear Umbra was one of the best enchantments in my Uril deck.

It's too bad that Rancor is almost too efficient for what you want to do.

I only count ~7 shuffle effects for Brainstorm and Top (counting Transmute Muddle the Mixture) and a distinct lack of Sylvan Library (which also gets better with more shuffle effects). Even though they're off-color, shouldn't you be running a bunch more fetchlands? If you're aiming to be competitive you should find room for another handful of fetchlands to go with the 3 Dual lands and 3 shocklands.

[Dilettante]

Some options can include:
The combo of Eldrazi Conscription and Sovereigns of Lost Alara (Sovereigns can interact with your other auras too)
Riding the Dilu Horse (Mystical Tutor or Personal Tutor target option)
Rhystic Study
Recurring Insight
Phyrexian Metamorph (At worst, another Sword. Can also kill legends)

[Aggro_zombies]

I'm not sure if I'd cut something for it, but I'd certainly consider Armadillo Cloak. Unblockability > Trample, but Armadillo Cloak and Steel of the Godhead should probably both make the list of cards seriously being considered.

Bear Umbra was one of the best enchantments in my Uril deck.

It's too bad that Rancor is almost too efficient for what you want to do.

I only count ~7 shuffle effects for Brainstorm and Top (counting Transmute Muddle the Mixture) and a distinct lack of Sylvan Library (which also gets better with more shuffle effects). Even though they're off-color, shouldn't you be running a bunch more fetchlands? If you're aiming to be competitive you should find room for another handful of fetchlands to go with the 3 Dual lands and 3 shocklands.
Yeah, my first instinct was to build the mana here like I normally build a three-color manabase, but the CipT lands aren't very good, and neither are the bouncelands.

I was wondering about Library. It gets better as games go long, but my (albeit limited) online testing has me getting regular turn six kills, and sometimes kills as soon as turn four (usually involving Blighted Agent). On the one hand, I'm wondering if I'm too fast for Library, but on the other hand, it seems really good against permission if I can resolve it.

I'd run Behemoth Sledge over Armadillo Cloak just because I can move it around. Actually, Sledge was in an early version but got cut during my initial playtests because I almost never wanted to see it. It was the worst +2/+2 and [abilities] equipment by far.

Not sure about Bear Umbra. Without a way to get extra combat steps out of the deal (like Hellkite Charger) it seems like a worse SoFF. I guess Totem Armor is relevant versus sweepers, but the only removal that scares me is Terminus/Hallowed Burial and StP/Path/Condemn/other tuck effects, and Totem Armor doesn't protect against that.

EDIT: @Dilettante: I don't own Riding the Dilu Horse, so that's out. Metamorph and Insight can go in there, but I'm not sure what to cut for them. Actually, I was also considering Phantasmal Image along with Metamorph, but again, not sure what to cut to get them in there.

I had the Sovereigns/Conscription combo, but it was too much mana.

I've never liked Rhystic Study. In my experience, people either don't care if you have the extra cards (because they're circumventing your defenses, or you're tapped out, or they're going for the win, or whatever) and the card does nothing, or they pay and the card maybe stops a quarter of a spell per turn. If I had more mana denial I'd consider it because then you could force people to pay more often, but as it is even Mystic Remora isn't pulling a lot of weight right now.

EDIT 2: Here's a list of cards I'd like to add:

Mana:
Mox Diamond
Chrome Mox
Mox Opal
Mana Vault
Grim Monolith
The artifact lands

Tutors:
Trinket Mage
Drift of Phantasms
Something to cheaply tutor for Rafiq if he gets tucked - Worldly Tutor?

Other:
Recurring Insight
Phyrexian Metamorph
Phantasmal Image
Silence

I'll also add the new Ajani when he comes out.

[Bignasty197]

Behemoth Sledge is bad in this because you run the Swords of */* and Sledge falls off half the time because of the protections the swords give. If you really want a lifegain equipment, run Loxodon Warhammer.

[AngryTroll]

Is Jitte not good enough? Even starting with zero counters it gives +4/+4 and ends up with 2 counters on the first swing. The second swing is ridiculous.