Is Protean Raider good in Commander?

Protean Raider in Commander — Combos, Decks & Price

Protean Raider copies any creature an opponent controls — for just two mana at raid, that's one of the most efficient Clone effects in Commander. Admiral Beckett Brass builds lean on it specifically because copying an opponent's best threat doubles as a Pirate for the theft engine, and the ceiling is whatever the scariest thing on the table happens to be.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01

Admiral Beckett Brass

32.3% of decks · synergy 0.32

Admiral Beckett Brass decks run Protean Raider because it's both a Pirate that triggers the steal-on-damage engine and a copy of whatever the biggest threat across the table is — two roles for one cheap card.

02

Breeches, Brazen Plunderer // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator

27.1% of decks · synergy 0.26

The Breeches, Brazen Plunderer // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator partnership needs Pirates that pull their weight on their own, and Protean Raider delivers by copying an opponent's most dangerous creature while keeping the Pirate type for Malcolm's triggers.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

Format	Verdict
commander	legal
legacy	legal
modern	legal
pioneer	legal
standard	not legal
vintage	legal
pauper	not legal
oathbreaker	legal

Commander is where Protean Raider belongs — multiplayer tables always have at least one creature worth copying, and raid triggers trivially with any attack step. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer the card is legal but largely irrelevant; Clone effects at three mana are already marginal in those formats, and the raid restriction makes Protean Raider worse than baseline alternatives. Oathbreaker has the same Commander-style logic, so the card can slot into aggressive two-color builds there without much friction.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

0 decks

Adarkar Valkyrie Intruder AlarmProtean Raider

Infinite death triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce; Infinite untap of creatures; Infinite untap of creatures you control

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

0 decks

Swift WarkiteProtean RaiderAshnod's Altar

Infinite colorless mana; Infinite death triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite sacrifice triggers

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

0 decks

Kairi, the Swirling SkyProtean RaiderPhyrexian Altar Unearth Mirror Gallery

Infinite death triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite magecraft triggers; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite self-mill; Infinite storm count; Return all instant and sorcery cards from your graveyard to your hand

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

0 decks

Kairi, the Swirling SkyProtean RaiderPhyrexian Altar Unearth Sakashima of a Thousand Faces

Infinite death triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite magecraft triggers; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite self-mill; Infinite storm count; Return all instant and sorcery cards from your graveyard to your hand

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

0 decks

Kairi, the Swirling SkyProtean RaiderPhyrexian Altar Unearth Mirror Box

Infinite death triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite magecraft triggers; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite self-mill; Infinite storm count; Return all instant and sorcery cards from your graveyard to your hand

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

Price Context

Current price

unknown tier

Pricing data for Protean Raider isn't currently available, so check Scryfall or your preferred retailer for the latest figure. Given its niche outside Commander and its appearance in a widely opened set, it historically sits in bulk-rare territory and is almost always worth picking up for Pirates builds at whatever the current ask is.