The Raven Man
Legendary Creature — Human Wizard
At the beginning of each end step, if a player discarded a card this turn, create a 1/1 black Bird creature token with flying and "This token can't block."
, 
: Each opponent discards a card. Activate only as a sorcery.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Dominaria United
- Price
- $0.35
- EDHREC rank
- #4630
The Raven Man converts every discard your opponents are forced to make into a 1/1 flying token on your end step — that's a free board presence engine stapled to the discard strategies that are already trying to win. Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal is the clearest home: opponents emptying their hands to survive means The Raven Man is churning out Ravens every single turn.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal
Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal punishes opponents for holding cards and rewards them for having none — The Raven Man turns the constant discard pressure into a growing air force, giving the deck a threat axis that doesn't require Aclazotz to stay on board.
Tinybones, Bauble Burglar
Tinybones, Bauble Burglar cares about opponents discarding and casting spells from exile, so every forced discard that triggers The Raven Man also feeds Tinybones's own value engine — the two cards compound each other naturally.
Tinybones, Trinket Thief
Tinybones, Trinket Thief draws a card and drains life whenever an opponent discards on their turn, and The Raven Man rewards the same trigger with a Raven token — running both means each discard effect does double duty.
Tergrid, God of Fright
Tergrid, God of Fright steals every permanent opponents sacrifice or discard, so The Raven Man is filling the token role while Tergrid is stealing the cards, turning a single Syphon or Smallpox effect into a three-for-one.
Tinybones, the Pickpocket
Tinybones, the Pickpocket wants opponents' hands stripped down before it connects, and The Raven Man provides chump-blocking cover and incremental air pressure while the deck works toward that goal.
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 the clear home for The Raven Man — three opponents means three potential discard triggers every turn cycle, and the token accumulation scales with table size in a way 60-card formats simply can't match. In Legacy and Vintage, the discard suite is powerful enough to enable it, but a two-mana do-nothing-until-opponents-discard creature is too slow against combo and Delver strategies that end the game before the token count matters. Modern and Pioneer have the discard density to theoretically support it, but neither format has a dedicated discard-matters archetype with enough redundancy to make The Raven Man a reliable payoff over faster threats. Stick to Commander, specifically black discard builds where The Raven Man functions as a free token generator rather than the plan itself.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.35 bulk tier
At $0.35, The Raven Man is firmly bulk — the price reflects its niche role rather than any weakness in the card itself. It's a safe pickup for any discard build and unlikely to lose value, though it's also unlikely to spike without a high-profile reprint in a Commander precon centered on discard.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal
- Tinybones, Bauble Burglar
- Tinybones, Trinket Thief
- Tergrid, God of Fright
- Tinybones, the Pickpocket
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.