A Turn Four Blightsteel Colossus Ninja!?

A Turn Four Blightsteel Colossus Ninja!?

Doing the unexpected at the Commander table, like taking out someone turn four, isn’t for every play group. But after two games of arguing power levels, it’s amusing to make Spike twiddle their thumbs for a few hours. That’s why I always have something spicy in the warchest for game three revenge.

 

For me, the latest commander to meet this requirement was Satoru Umezawa. Why? Because he gives every creature in hand ninjutsu and turning a Blightsteel Colossus into an unblocked attacking ninja made me laugh. Besides, Satoru’s Metal Gear Solid cosplay really sealed the deal.

So here is the game plan. We are going to have a lot of powerful cards we trick into play during combat, and to do that consistently we need low-to-the-ground evasive creatures to get ninjutsu going.


And don’t worry, this deck isn’t all about making Spike cry. It has enough Johnny and Timmy flavors for a leisurely game with buds and suds.


Magic the Gathering’s Art of Ninjutsu

Now the first thing to understand to get this deck optimal is that the ninjutsu mechanic has a lot more ways to abuse it than your average magic player may think. This is because it’s traditionally been linked to specific Ninja cards. However, since our commander gives the ability to any creature in hand, we can do all kinds of crazy.


The ability's text reads, "Return an unblocked attacker you control to hand: Put this card onto the battlefield from your hand tapped and attacking.” That means that as long as there is an unlocked creature, after blockers are declared, the mechanic operates at instant speed. 

 

 

As a result, you can trick your cards into play during any attack step. Additionally, it will be difficult for your opponents to interfere. Remember, you're not casting, so the only interaction is to counter the ability or to deal with the unblocked attacker.


Have a first strike creature unblocked? Ninjutsu in your card after the first damage step to smack a player a second time. 


Want to get a powerful ETB in but the creature is a wimp? Ninjutsu it into play after the damage steps so the bigger creature does the smacking.



Another little known fact is that ninjutsu can be reactivated before it resolves on the stack. Because of this reason, I'd add in a few Ninjas with a low activation cost to easily ninjutsu multiple times. Examples include:


Why would this be useful? If you think someone is about to cast a board sweeper, ninjutsu multiple targets before anything resolves to bring your army back into your hand. That single ninja is going to have a bad day, but your heavy hitters are now safe to recast or trick in.

Ensure Your Attacks with Evasive Creatures and Pseudo Vigilance

Now that the basic mechanics and tricks of the deck are known, let's discuss how to ensure ninjutsu can be triggered. 


The most obvious option is to pack your deck with low to the ground evasive creatures. But why stop there? Ensure success by tossing in a few one mana unblockable creatures, like:


There is an added benefit to choosing creatures that are low to the ground. After the ninjutsu activations these creatures will be back in hand. Cast them again to give them pseudo vigilance and to make sure they will be ready to attack your next turn.


This is why Ornithopter is another good option. Just because it has zero power doesn't mean it can't attack. And you don't really care as the thopter won't be doing the damage anyway. Ninjutsu in the heavy hitter and cast the thopter for free in the second main phase.


You’re going to want to have a few more evasive creatures, so be sure to choose ones that offer other utility to fill in other slots in the deck. Examples include:


For some added utilities, there are also a few instants, sorceries, artifacts, and lands that offer evasion. Good options include:


Finally, it’s hard not to talk about Creeping Tar Pit in a deck like this. This creature land not only protects you after a board wipe, it’s also another unblockable creature.

Your Secret Ninja Army

Since it costs a heavy four mana to trigger the ninjutsu your commander bestows upon your creatures, you are going to want expensive options to make that price worthwhile. Paired with all of those low to the ground evasive creatures, your mana curve should look U-shaped.


To make optimal decisions, you're going to want to choose creatures that immediately impact the board. This way they start to feel more like combat tricks that add creatures to the battlefield. Due to the way ninjutsu works, good options are creatures with big ETBs, static abilities and damage triggers. Some options include:


Why not choose creatures with attack triggers? Well you could but it isn't the most optimal option. By the time the creatures ninjutsu into play, you've already declared your attackers. As a result, these creatures will need a whole rotation around the table before that attack trigger can go off. So skip the Eldrazi with Annihilate. Instead go for Phyrexian Praetors like Jin-Gitaxias or Sheoldred to win the game in no time.


To hit these heavy hitters consistently, you’re going to want to add in a few tutors to your deck. Fortunately, you’re in Dimir so you have access to some of the best in the game. To buy some of these yourself, click here.