Ripjaw Raptor – Ixalan – MTG Card of the Day – Raptor Week

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

We’re not all used to thinking of 4/5 creatures for four mana as “efficient” nowadays. I am, because I’m old enough to have played with Erhnam Djinn in Chronicles, but to others, that’s part of the problem. ”Erhnam Djinn is still a thing?” Erhnam Djinn never stopped being a thing – especially when you get to draw a card for each less-efficient creature it devours, and when it makes every card involving the fight action ridiculous card advantage, and when red decks have more or less no reasonable way to deal with it.

Constructed: 4/5
Casual: 5/5
Limited: 4/5
Multiplayer: 4/5
EDH/Commander: 4/5

King Of
Hearts

Ripjaw Raptor is pretty amazing. Sitting at a respectable 4/5 Ripjaw is a major mid-game threat that will have your opponent question what’s more valuable, life or card advantage? This guy is hard to deal with , especially against red where multiple card draws can becoming crippling. The biggest “counter” to Ripjaw is a Ripjaw of your own. If I had to nitpick, Ripjaw suffers a bit since it can’t apply as much pressure and most board wipes don’t deal damage. It’s almost a shame that this card is by far the best 4 drop dinosaur. I see no reason not to run 3 or 4 of these in any green dinosaur deck.

Constructed: 4
Casual: 5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4
Commander (EDH): 4

This might be one of the most menacing Dinosaurs in Ixalan. A 4/5 for 4 is already a bit better than its spot on the curve implies, but its Enrage trigger is nasty. Worst-case scenario in most instances, you get a card off of it. Best-case scenario, you get a lot of cards. It’s not a creature you’ll ever want to chump block unless you die on the spot to it, since handing your opponent free cards rarely is the recipe for success, and its combat stats let it take on many things and live to tell the tale. Ripjaw Raptor is a contender for the set’s best creature, thanks to its raw efficiency, excellent effect, and overall value.

Constructed: 4.5
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4.75
Multiplayer: 3.5
EDH/Commander: 4