Yuriko, the Tiger's ShadowYuriko, the Tiger's Shadow | Art by Walleystation

Stepping Out of the Shadows

"Psst. Hey, you. Do you like Squirrels?"

Oh, wait, wrong question. Anyway, welcome back to another edition of Commander Makeover, where we give a makeover to commanders looking a little long in the tooth. This week, we take on a notorious commander who's got a reputation perhaps rivaled by Derevi, Empyrial TacticianDerevi, Empyrial Tactician. Who might that be?

Our commander for this week gets her infamy from her commander ninjistu ability, allowing her to sneak past the commander tax and onto the battlefield for a measly two mana. She's even got a salt score for a reason. But, surely, we could give a great big makeover for her deck, right?

Unfortunately not. Looking over the past two years' worth of cards, there are only sixteen cards to her name (and only one of those was from last year!), possibly making this the shortest article in the series. That said, I can think of a card or two from The Hobbit that might help us add some substance. Anyway, without further ado.

My PreciousMy Precious

What would a tricksy human need of Gollum's Precious? The Adventure half is good, but that's not why it's here. In fact, it's the Equipment half itself. With Yuriko, she and our other creatures really want to be unblockable. Not only does Precious provide that, it also grants hexproof. It's not necessarily useful on our commander herself, but we could use it to protect a key creature.

Bilbo, LuckwearerBilbo, Luckwearer

Speaking of unblockable creatures, Bilbo has us loot (draw and discard one) when he connects. On that note, we're more likely to run one-drops that can't be blocked anyway, so he will face some stiff competition. Also, we can ignore the Adventure half, as it doesn't really contribute anything (unless you're a monster that loves to sow chaos and watch the world burn).

Boss Uramon, Shadow's ReachBoss Uramon, Shadow's Reach

While we won't be seeing her for a bit of time yet, she effectively can't be blocked thanks to shadow, making her a great Yuriko target. She also gives our attacking Ninjas deathtouch, giving them pseudo-evasion, and makes tokens each time said Ninjas (or Rogues — that can and will be relevant) hit an opponent. She does cost four mana, but we're likely going to have a flat curve outside of the big spells we're keeping on top for our commander's trigger.

Elektra, Daughter of the HandElektra, Daughter of the Hand

Spoilers: There's only one other creature with the Ninja type on this list after Elektra. She is targeted removal, provided we hit something small. The catch with her is that she uses the weaker ninjitsu variant, sneak. I say weaker because it uses the stack. She can get countered if an opponent's willing. That said, she'll quite likely get returned to our hand, so we can cast her again.

Stature, Size ShifterStature, Size Shifter

There's nothing to write home about here. She's a 1/1 who's also unblockable, two great traits for ninjitsu antics. We can also avoid the power-up ability, as that actually weakens her playability. Besides, she's going to end up returning to our hand for our Ninja antics, so those counters will get reset each time.

Pym ParticlesPym Particles

With this, we can make a creature have vigilance and unblockable, so we can have a blocker when it isn't our turn should we need one. It's especially useful in Ninja-focused builds because, ironically, not all ninjas have unblockable. In that case, we can get one to slip by for our antics.

Turtle LairTurtle Lair

This is better off being a dual land, since this will tap only for two colors (unless our commander is Splinter, Radical RatSplinter, Radical Rat, which it's not). That said, for three mana (and tapping this land), we can make a Ninja unblockable, which feeds into our game plan. In addition, this won't enter tapped, so we can use it right away.

Splinter, Hamato YoshiSplinter, Hamato Yoshi

The only other Ninja on our list, Splinter makes for a nice anthem for our Ninjas, especially if we lean harder on kindred synergies. +1/+1 isn't much by any means, but Ninjas only have so many of those effects before we begin relying on artifacts. Sneaking him out for one mana less is a bonus, but negligible.

Splinter's TechniqueSplinter's Technique

At least here, sneaking this out is more beneficial, whether it be for a key creature or a piece to make our commander really bring the pain. In fact, it's better to cast this card for its sneak cost anyway, since it's the only time it can be cast outside of sorcery speed. Also, remember that this isn't ninjitsu. Our opponents can counter cards with the sneak ability, whereas ninjitsu bypasses this.

Ninja TeenNinja Teen

This enchantment does quite a bit for our Ninjas. Level one will ensure that bouncing our Ninjas and unblockable creatures does something, whittling down our opponents with a thousand cuts (my most disliked game-ending method). Level two is where we get cooking. A small boost to our creatures, and any easily blocked ones now have menace, making them more likely to get through. Finally, the final level ensures that our opponents won't just be tracking our hands for ninjitsu/sneaking shenanigans. That said, four mana is a lot to pay to bring one creature back, especially if we intend on paying the cost multiple times.

Also, did I mention that the cost to level this card to full is a measly three mana?

Secret TunnelSecret Tunnel

That first line may as well say "Secret Tunnel! Secret Tunnel!" because that's exactly what it is here: flavor text.

Anyway, the sole addition from 2025 is not the best customer if we're already running a large number of unblockable creatures. That said, it helps if we can consistently get Yuriko through. But four mana can be quite steep, and that tends to be why I avoid Rogue's PassageRogue's Passage in the first place.

Enter the EnigmaEnter the Enigma

A very simple card. Typically, we're casting this on Yuriko to ensure we can get her trigger. We're likely also casting this on some easily blocked Ninja to get its trigger. Beyond those uses, nothing to write home about here.

Ninja's BladesNinja's Blades

This does a fairly good impression of our commander, but we discard the card rather than check the top of our library. If we can consistently get the same card back on top, this can be a good engine to end the game quickly. On that note, while the Hero token would become a Ninja, we can also equip this to one of our unblockable creatures and turn that into a Ninja.

Leyline of TransformationLeyline of Transformation

Speaking of type changing, this changes all of our unblockable 1/1s into Ninjas, so we can repeatedly get our commander's trigger and unleash a devastating turn. That said, these kinds of effects are not common, only found in a couple of other cards (ConspiracyConspiracy and Arcane AdaptationArcane Adaptation come to mind), so we'd be tutoring for these every game, and protecting them. If you ask me, I don't like relying on a couple of cards to prop up a deck, especially in the 99.

This is Getting Out of Hand. Now There are Two of Them!

Our emblematic Ninja planeswalker swoops in to give Ninjas some much-needed yet burgeoning support. Firstly, Kaito, Cunning InfiltratorKaito, Cunning Infiltrator will quickly rack up loyalty counters with all the unblockable creatures we'll be swinging with. The plus one makes our commander unblockable while also letting us loot. The only other mode worth noting is the emblem. It's great for Ninja decks, if we can get that high.

On the other hand, Kaito, Bane of NightmaresKaito, Bane of Nightmares is a nasty piece of work. He can be ninjitsu'd in, and can be a creature himself if it's our turn. The big reason to run him is the plus one ability, giving an anthem effect to our Ninjas. Even better if this Kaito sticks around to do it again and again. If unchecked, all of those Ninjas suddenly can take down Eldrazi. That's a Multiverse-level threat right there, unlike a certain hooded planeswalker who's been doing everything in his power to avoid a much-needed therapy session.

Back Into the Shadows

All right. I know I said this may be the shortest article in the series, but I don't think that's the case now. At least it isn't the longest. Anyway, come back next week, when we return to my other series, Precon Remastered to finish off the last of the Commander 2014 decks.