Isshin, Two Heavens as OneIsshin, Two Heavens as One | Art By Ryan Pancoast

Hello, everyone! I'm Levi Perry from The Thought Vessel, and we're back with Hidden Gems, the series here on EDHREC that celebrates cards that may not be getting the love they deserve for a particular commander. Today we're looking at a very established commander in Isshin, Two Heavens as OneIsshin, Two Heavens as One. We'll be looking at ten cards that appear in less than fifteen percent of Isshin decks, according to EDHREC, along with some cards that might be a little overplayed appearing in the average decklist.

Before getting into the gems, a little background is in order on our commander of interest today.

This Looks Familiar... 

Isshin, Two Heavens as OneIsshin, Two Heavens as One was a bit of a surprise for the Magic community when it was spoiled for Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty back in February of 2022. It was not necessarily what the commander did, but rather the timing. Six months earlier in July 2021, we had the release of Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, which gave us Wulfgar of Icewind DaleWulfgar of Icewind Dale. Both of these commanders have the ability to double up attack triggers, something that hadn't been seen up to this point, so it almost became a comparison game between the two by default. These decks naturally became all about getting the most value out of attack triggers as possible, but they went about it in slightly different ways.

Isshin came with the Mardu color package and cost two less mana, while also working with defensive cards like Revenge of RavensRevenge of Ravens. Wulfgar on the other hand had a Gruul color pair that lent itself to more ramp and a stompy build that could power out big triggers like annihilator from everyone’s favorite creature type, Eldrazi.

Ultimately, the quicker and more streamlined version proved to be the winner, as Isshin is currently the seventeenth most popular commander of the past two years, while Wulfgar sits at number nine-hundred and fifty-seven. Clearly, in the minds of Commander players, when it comes to attack triggers, it's better to get while the getting is good.

Naturally, with this type of strategy, there are plenty of cards that can fit into these decks, so some slip through the cracks (there are far more than the ones even on this list), but we're here for the celebration of cards and good vibes, so let’s jump right in with number ten.

10. Decadent DragonDecadent Dragon (11.9%)

Starting off our list we have an Adventure creature: Decadent DragonDecadent Dragon. As a creature, it's a flying 4/4 with trample that makes a Treasure token every time it attacks. Having flying is huge because this creature can protect itself, as most games usually have at least one opponent who doesn't have any flyers. With a deck that can buff creatures pretty effectively, this Dragon can deal a lot of damage. We also have the added bonus of being able to steal the top two cards of an opponent’s library with the optional spell, Expensive Taste. Though the deck isn't designed around theft, this spell at instant speed can catch someone off guard after they resolve a Vampiric TutorVampiric Tutor.

9. Elspeth, Storm SlayerElspeth, Storm Slayer (11%)

Isshin can make a lot of tokens. Outside of attacking, making tokens might be Isshin’s favorite thing to do. Elspeth lets us double those tokens and can also make tokens on her own. If an opponent plays something big that gets in our way, Elspeth can remove it. The +0 ability can even put our entire attacking force in the air with flying and also give everyone a +1/+1 counter. With a wide enough board, all the extra power can realistically take an attack from problematic to lethal. Having all of these different options on one permanent is simply too good to pass up and should definitely see more play than just 11% of Isshin decks.

8. Star AthleteStar Athlete (10.8%)

Next up on our list is Star AthleteStar Athlete. Upon an attack trigger, up to one nonland permanent can either be sacrificed or the controller will take five damage. Since this ability is doubled, it gives us the ability to target two different permanents or double down on a single target to either have that permanent sacrificed or force someone to lose ten life in one go. With an aggro deck, no matter what our opponent chooses, we're going to be happy. Either we remove something problematic or we hand out a free ten damage each combat, pulling our opponents’ life totals that much closer to zero. This card is in less than 11% of Isshin lists and can be picked up at your local game store for less than a buck (hello, Tyler), making it a very easy card to pick up and add to our deck. 

7. Great Train HeistGreat Train Heist (8.9%)

With a deck focused so heavily on the combat step, getting an extra combat might as well be an extra turn. We also have the optional bonus for additional mana to give our creatures +1/+0 and first strike while also generating Treasure tokens when they deal combat damage. Since this card is at instant speed, we can wait until blockers are declared or until damage to give our creatures that boost and first strike to help them survive. It can also build up a nice Treasure pile after damaging creatures. Being useful in different situations with different abilities, this card is a little Swiss Army Knife that will always come in handy, as we never quite know where a game of Commander will go.

6. Pip-Boy 3000Pip-Boy 3000 (8.9%)

Speaking of utility, next we have everyone’s favorite gadget from Fallout, Pip-Boy 3000Pip-Boy 3000. This Equipment comes with its own attack trigger that can be doubled and a menu of options. We can draw and discard, put a +1/+1 counter on a creature, or untap two target lands. With Isshin in play we can double up on one of the modes or mix and match based on what we need in the moment. It's nice in this deck to have some attack triggers that are not on creatures, since in the event of a creature-based board wipe, we're not completely back to square one: Equipment and other permanents can stick around to help us rebuild faster.

5. Jacked RabbitJacked Rabbit (7.8%)

This is a nice card since it can be played early as a simple attacker that makes a couple of 1/1 Rabbit tokens. In the later parts of a game it can be played with the additional mana to become an absolute beater of a creature that is capable of making an army of 1/1 bunnies every single time it attacks. When we factor in token-doublers or effects like Impact TremorsImpact Tremors, this one card can absolutely take over a game. This card also gets some brownie points for incorporating a pin into its name. Does it make it a more powerful or effective card to play? Absolutely not, but it does feel a lot more fun to cast in a game of Commander, and that counts for something.

4. Cunning RhetoricCunning Rhetoric (6.2%)

If there is one thing Commander players hate more than Azorius as a concept, for some reason, it's when people steal their stuff. Some players may even go as far as a full-on feud with an opponent who steals one of their creatures. I can empathize with this. Who wants to get beaten by their own cards? Cunning RhetoricCunning Rhetoric works off this idea to help put up defenses. Every time an opponent attacks us or a planeswalker we control, we exile their top two cards and can cast them as long as they remain exiled. This threat of losing their favorite card on an attack is a much bigger deterrent than it might seem and will actually direct our opponents' attacks elsewhere more often than we might initially expect. 

3. The Master, MultipliedThe Master, Multiplied (5.6%)

There are cards in games that are not called game changers by design but can still have that level of influence. Step aside, Lightning, The Master, MultipliedThe Master, Multiplied in this deck is the real army of one. The myriad ability is doubled, meaning this single creature is going to spread twenty combat damage around the table. Each token that survives combat will remain and spread another twenty combat damage on the next turn. In a light board state without the blockers to kill The Master, this will end games in just a couple of turns. We don't even have to commit anything else to the board if we don't want to. We can actually keep our hand full so in the event of a board wipe, we're in good shape to rebuild. 

2. Avenger of the FallenAvenger of the Fallen (4.2%)

Aggro decks typically keep a lower curve; because of this, their average spell tends to be less impactful. They make this trade for speed, putting large chunks of damage on players while those players are still ramping and trying to get set up. As the game progresses, those two- or three-mana spells won't do much against the Dragon player dropping a seven-mana winged lizard every turn. Avenger of the FallenAvenger of the Fallen is a nice way to keep up with the table as this card gets stronger as the game goes. Mobilize X, where X is the number of creature cards in your graveyard, can easily become a huge number. The cherry on top of this combat sundae is that the ability is an attack trigger, so Isshin will double it. Depending on the size of the graveyard, one attack step can create sixteen or more creature tokens without much difficulty.

1. Connecting the DotsConnecting the Dots (2.3%)

Finally at number one, we have a value engine that's only seeing play in 2.3% of Isshin decks, Connecting the DotsConnecting the Dots. Though this problem has admittedly improved in the past few years, Mardu is still not known for its ability to draw cards efficiently outside of niche engines. Connecting the DotsConnecting the Dots in this deck can be a fantastic engine that we can cash in on the turn we play it. Every time we attack with a creature, we exile the top card of our library face down. With Isshin in play, this ability doubles, meaning it only takes three attackers to exile six cards. At any time, we can pay one generic and one red mana to discard our hand and pick up all of those exiled cards. If we can keep this card in play for a couple of turns, it can net us twenty or more cards in one go. We can pick this card up at a local game store for less than a dollar, and since it only costs two mana to play, we can even add a Sun TitanSun Titan loop to bring Connecting the DotsConnecting the Dots back to use again and again.

Overplayed

Isshin is a deck known for explosive plays off repeated attack triggers, but some cards that show up in the average decklist on EDHREC, while solid, probably deserve to be in consideration when looking for cuts.

1. Delina, Wild MageDelina, Wild Mage

First and foremost, I want to formally apologize to Delina for criticizing this powerhouse of a card. Delina is strong, can combo easily, and can generate a lot of value depending on the targets. However, in this particular deck, this is a four-mana play that creates tokens tapped and attacking rather than declared as attackers. This means attack triggers will not go off. I would almost prefer Hero of BladeholdHero of Bladehold as a four-mana play that makes tokens which stick around after combat and can pump up our entire team by two power with battlecry. Delina is probably stronger in a Wulfgar of Icewind DaleWulfgar of Icewind Dale build where you can copy larger Dragons or Eldrazi as attacking bodies instead.

2. Blasphemous ActBlasphemous Act

The average deck already has FarewellFarewell, DamnDamn, Ruinous UltimatumRuinous Ultimatum, and VandalblastVandalblast. As far as sweepers go, in a Gruul, Izzet, or mono-red deck, this is a great option, but since we're in Mardu, we can be a little pickier with our mass removal spells. Isshin is trying to build up a board of attackers to drown the table in attack triggers. While we're planning on flooding the board with creatures, we should look for board wipes that let us keep that advantage. Austere CommandAustere Command lets us keep most of our creatures and can also remove pesky enchantments, like PropagandaPropaganda.

3. Rogue's PassageRogue's Passage

Normally, I'm a fan of this card. Being able to protect a creature in combat and get it through for damage is great utility from a land. For an Isshin deck, though, we're already playing multiple cards that keep our attackers safe, such as ReconnaissanceReconnaissance, Iroas, God of VictoryIroas, God of Victory, and Dolmen GateDolmen Gate. Committing five mana total to make one creature unblockable usually isn't worth it. A land that taps for multiple colors will help us much more often.

Wrapping Up

Of course, if you like any of these cards, you should absolutely play them, but don't feel obligated to include them if they're not your thing. This is just the tip of the iceberg for hidden gems in Isshin. If you have an Isshin deck, share your favorite hidden gem in the comments below, and let’s build together. Until next time, happy brewing!