Fire and Ice: Winota, Joiner of Forces

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://indusconcept.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yongjae Choi</a></em></p>
<p>Do you feel like your cEDH days are missing the good-ol’-fun of a classic typal deck? Has <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/tmt" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</em></a> got you daydreaming of karate chops? Well then, do I have a deck for you.</p>
<p>Let’s take a look at <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, cEDH’s favorite Ninja.</p>
<h2>What Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Do?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow"></div></div>
<p>For <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-1" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>, Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow is a 1/3 legendary Human Ninja with two game-breaking chunks of text.</p>
<p>First up, Yuriko’s unique take on the classic ninjutsu alternate cost, commander ninjutsu. At the cost of <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span> and returning an unblocked attacking creature you control to its owner’s hand, you may put Yuriko onto the battlefield tapped and attacking. You may do this if Yuriko is in your hand (like classic ninjutsu) or if Yuriko is in the command zone.</p>
<p>Regardless of which zone you do this from, the only mana investment is the <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-b" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>; commander ninjutsu gets around commander tax.</p>
<p>So, what makes Yuriko worthwhile once it's in play? The combat damage trigger: whenever Yuriko or another Ninja you control deals combat damage to an opponent, reveal the top card of your library and put it into your hand. Each opponent loses life equal to that card's mana value.</p>
<p>Yuriko's all-in typal textbox makes this a commander that demands to be built around. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tymna the Weaver" href="#" target="_blank">Tymna the Weaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is cEDH’s premier combat-based draw engine, and that realistically only draws two or so cards per turn (peaking at three). Yuriko, meanwhile, makes that look like child's play. Resolve enough Ninjas, and you could be flipping three, four, five cards a turn – all while completely decimating your opponents' life totals.</p>
<h2>Key Cards for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in cEDH</h2>
<h3>Ninjas</h3>
<p>First off, Ninjas.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sakashima&#039;s Student"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Changeling Outcast"></div></div>
<p>This deck is absolutely chock full of them. Small Ninjas, big Ninjas, all the Ninjas! All that matters is that they a) fit our color identity b) have some sneaky way of bending the rules of combat in our favor (ninjutsu, unblockable, etc).</p>
<p>A good balance of individually powerful cards (like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sakashima&#039;s Student" href="#" target="_blank">Sakashima&#039;s Student</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> – a solid clone) and cheap sources of guaranteed Yuriko triggers (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Changeling Outcast" href="#" target="_blank">Changeling Outcast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, an unblockable one-mana Ninja thanks to changeling) is what makes this creature type rise to the cEDH standards here.</p>
<h3>Big Flips</h3>
<p>Behind every great Yuriko trigger is a card with a terrifyingly high mana value just waiting to drain the life table of the rest of the table.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shadow of Mortality"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Enter the Infinite"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Enter the Infinite" href="#" target="_blank">Enter the Infinite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> isn’t a card you’d ever realistically cast in Yuriko, and neither is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shadow of Mortality" href="#" target="_blank">Shadow of Mortality</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but would you tutor for them? Absolutely! Put Enter the Infinite on top of your deck with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vampiric Tutor" href="#" target="_blank">Vampiric Tutor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and watch as each opponent loses twelve life to a single Yuriko trigger.</p>
<h3>Enablers</h3>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brainstorm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ornithopter"></div></div>
<p>Lastly, we come to the glue that holds this deck together: the enablers. In one hand, you have the cantrips and sources of top-deck manipulation that guarantee you flip what you want, when you want. Start the game with Shadow of Mortality in your hand? No worries, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brainstorm" href="#" target="_blank">Brainstorm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can tuck it right back into your library when you want to flip it.</p>
<p>In the other hand, this deck is also full of cheap, evasive creatures that – despite not being Ninjas – serve as a guarantee that you’ll always have an unblocked attacker at the ready for when you do want to pay a ninjutsu cost. Ornithopter is a real all-star here; cast it turn one for free, then bounce it back to hand on turn two as you swing in with a definitely-surprising Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow.</p>
<h2>How Does <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> Win?</h2>
<h3>Combat Triggers</h3>
<p>This deck is the closest that cEDH comes to a consistent combat-kill deck. Sure, the damage from Yuriko’s triggered ability doesn’t count as combat damage, but it’ll be resolving during combat and as a result of dealing combat damage with something, so I’ll count it as a combat win.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sea Gate Restoration"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Temporal Trespass"></div></div>
<p>In all seriousness, you’d be surprised how easy it is to accidentally kill players thanks to Yuriko’s triggered ability. Flip a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sea Gate Restoration" href="#" target="_blank">Sea Gate Restoration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Temporal Trespass" href="#" target="_blank">Temporal Trespass</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or any other card with a massive mana value and suddenly the greedy <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ad Nauseam" href="#" target="_blank">Ad Nauseam</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> player is looking a whole lot worse off.</p>
<h3>Doomsday</h3>
<p>Yuriko is a commander that also has a pretty trivial time busting through a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doomsday" href="#" target="_blank">Doomsday</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> pile in one fell swoop.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Doomsday"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thassa&#039;s Oracle"></div></div>
<p>With five Ninjas out, all you need to do is resolve Doomsday in your pre-combat main phase and voila! Those Yuriko combat triggers will do the job of putting the five cards you chose off of Doomsday straight into your hand.</p>
<p>Now, it’s important to note that there are two primary ways to win off of Doomsday in this deck. The first is a classic combo pile; grab some interaction and a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thassa&#039;s Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Thassa&#039;s Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, then cast Thassa's Oracle in your post-combat main phase. Your deck will be empty (or near empty) thanks to the Yuriko triggers, and your hand will have all the counterspells you need in order to resolve your Thassa's Oracle.</p>
<p>The second option is basically just to grab the five biggest cards in your deck and watch as each subsequent Yuriko trigger drains the table for a ludicrous amount of damage. Either way, the game’s yours.</p>
<h2><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> cEDH Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Yuriko cEDH" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow
[/Commander]
[Sorceries]
*1 Agadeem&#039;s Awakening // Agadeem, the Undercrypt
*1 Demonic Tutor
*1 Doomsday
*1 Enter the Infinite
*1 Imperial Seal
*1 Nanogene Conversion
*1 Sea Gate Restoration // Sea Gate, Reborn
*1 Temporal Trespass
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Bloodchief Ascension
*1 Mystic Remora
*1 Rhystic Study
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Brainstorm
*1 Commandeer
*1 Contagion
*1 Dark Ritual
*1 Deadly Rollick
*1 Demonic Consultation
*1 Disrupting Shoal
*1 Fierce Guardianship
*1 Flare of Denial
*1 Flare of Malice
*1 Flusterstorm
*1 Force of Despair
*1 Force of Negation
*1 Force of Will
*1 Gush
*1 Lim-Dûl&#039;s Vault
*1 Mental Misstep
*1 Mindbreak Trap
*1 Misdirection
*1 Mystical Tutor
*1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
*1 Snapback
*1 Snuff Out
*1 Submerge
*1 Tainted Pact
*1 Vampiric Tutor
[/Instants]
[Creatures]
*1 Changeling Outcast
*1 Covert Technician
*1 Dauthi Voidwalker
*1 Faerie Mastermind
*1 Fourth Bridge Prowler
*1 Gran-Gran
*1 Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory
*1 Ingenious Infiltrator
*1 Irma, Part-Time Mutant
*1 Mausoleum Wanderer
*1 Memnite
*1 Mistblade Shinobi
*1 Mockingbird
*1 Moon-Circuit Hacker
*1 Mothdust Changeling
*1 Orcish Bowmasters
*1 Ornithopter
*1 Phyrexian Walker
*1 Prosperous Thief
*1 Sakashima&#039;s Student
*1 Shadow of Mortality
*1 Signal Pest
*1 Silver-Fur Master
*1 Skullsnatcher
*1 Splinter, Hamato Yoshi
*1 Subtlety
*1 Thassa&#039;s Oracle
*1 Thousand-Faced Shadow
*1 Universal Automaton
*1 Wan Shi Tong, Librarian
*1 Wingcrafter
*1 Wonder
[/Creatures]
[Artifacts]
*1 Chrome Mox
*1 Lotus Petal
*1 Mox Amber
*1 Mox Diamond
*1 Null Rod
*1 Sol Ring
[/Artifacts]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 City of Brass
*1 Command Tower
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Gemstone Caverns
*1 Island
*1 Mana Confluence
*1 Marsh Flats
*1 Misty Rainforest
*1 Morphic Pool
*1 Multiversal Passage
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Prismatic Vista
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Shizo, Death&#039;s Storehouse
*1 Snow-Covered Island
*1 Snow-Covered Swamp
*1 Swamp
*1 Underground River
*1 Underground Sea
*1 Verdant Catacombs
*1 Watery Grave
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Wrap Up</h2>
<p>You don't need to be a Mutant Turtle swinging around the streets of New York to appreciate just how powerful the Ninja creature type can be, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow" href="#" target="_blank">Yuriko, the Tiger&#039;s Shadow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has been showing us the way for almost a decade now. Consistent card advantage, the ability to drain enough life to actually threaten a combat victory in a cEDH pod, and some of the best colors in the format - Yuriko has it all.</p>
<p>If you want to see what a typal deck can do when pushed to its limits, then try out Ninjas.</p>


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