Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer rewards connecting with an opponent early. Whenever it deals combat damage to a player, it creates a Treasure and exiles the top card of that player’s library, giving you permission to cast that card during the turn. The combination can provide both mana and an extra spell from a single successful attack.
Red tempo and aggressive decks can use cheap removal to keep an attack lane open. Lightning Bolt can remove a small blocker, while equipment or other evasion effects help Ragavan remain useful after creatures begin filling the battlefield. The Treasure is flexible: save it for a later turn, spend it on your own development, or use its colored mana to help cast the exiled card.
Dash provides another approach. Paying its dash cost gives Ragavan haste and returns it to your hand at the beginning of the next end step. That lets you attack into an opening without committing it to the battlefield for an entire rotation. It still needs to connect, and casting it for dash does not itself let you ignore normal creature-spell timing.
The exiled card is available only for that turn, and you must pay its costs and follow its casting restrictions. An exiled land cannot be played through Ragavan’s permission, which allows casting rather than playing cards. In multiplayer games, the extra opponents offer more possible attack targets, but larger boards can shut down a small ground attacker. Ragavan works best when the deck can exploit its early mana advantage and keep finding safe combat opportunities.
