Wrathful Raptors (Extended Art) (Commander: The Lost Caverns of Ixalan) Medium Play

Raptors That Redirect the Pain

Wrathful Raptors reads like a compact engine for red midrange builds that want creatures to punish removal and combat tricks. The card is a sturdy five five with trample that turns incidental damage on your dinosaurs into direct damage elsewhere. Play it on turn five or recast it from the graveyard and it forces opponents to consider the cost of ping spells and mass removal when your dinos are already in play.

In a Commander game the effect scales naturally with token producers and anthem effects because extra bodies mean extra sources of redirected damage. The line of play is straightforward. Protect a key dinosaur, bait a small removal, then capitalize by sending that damage to a planeswalker or a soft blocker. The flavor fits Ixalan's caves and teeth; Raptors that inflict a bite on anyone who hurts their pack.

Card Details:

• Mana Cost – {4}{R}
• Card Type – Creature
• Subtypes – Dinosaur
• Card Text / Rules Text (Printed) – Trample Whenever a Dinosaur you control is dealt damage, it deals that much damage to any target that isn't a Dinosaur.
• Power / Toughness – 5/5