Rag DealerHow it works & interactions with other cards

What It Does

Rag Dealer is a one-mana creature with an activated ability that costs two mana and black mana to use. By tapping Rag Dealer, you can choose a single graveyard and remove up to three specific cards from it, moving them to the exile zone permanently. Because it uses the phrase "up to three," you can choose to exile one, two, or three cards, as long as they all reside in the same player's graveyard.

How It Resolves Step by Step

First, you pay the mana cost of two generic and one black mana and tap Rag Dealer as the activation cost. Next, you target between zero and three cards in one specific graveyard; you must declare these targets as you put the ability on the stack. If the ability successfully resolves, the targeted cards are moved to the exile zone. If some targets become illegal (for example, if they are moved by another effect in response), the remaining legal targets will still be exiled.

Common Mistakes

A common error is trying to target cards in different graveyards with a single activation. The ability strictly limits you to a "single graveyard," meaning you cannot take two cards from your opponent and one card from yourself at the same time. Additionally, remember that Rag Dealer has to tap to activate, so it cannot use its ability the same turn it enters the battlefield unless it gains Haste.

When to Play It

Rag Dealer is most effective in the mid-to-late game when graveyards are full of potential threats. It is a perfect response to decks that rely on cards with Flashback, Escape, or reanimation spells. By keeping Rag Dealer untapped, you represent a constant threat to any strategy that treats the graveyard as a second hand.

Interaction examples

Managing the Mana

Ornithopter of Paradise

To use Rag Dealer's ability early, you can tap Ornithopter of Paradise to add the necessary black mana. This helps you pay the total cost of two generic and one black mana to clear out an opponent's graveyard before they can utilize their resources.

Preventing Death Triggers

Blood Artist

If a creature dies and Blood Artist is on the battlefield, its triggered ability goes to the stack. While Rag Dealer cannot stop that life-drain trigger, you can use Rag Dealer's ability to exile that creature from the graveyard immediately afterward, ensuring it cannot be brought back to the battlefield to trigger Blood Artist again later.