Commander Kryptonite: Outmaneuvering the Ninjutsu Dojo

    Greetings, Commander enthusiasts! Welcome back to another edition of Commander Kryptonite. This week, our focus is on Yuriko, The Tiger’s Shadow. We'll delve into its origins, strengths, weaknesses, and most importantly, strategize on how to outmaneuver it.

Commander:

    In 2018, Wizards of the Coast introduced a fresh batch of planeswalkers with commander eligibility. Among them was Aminatou, the catalyst for a deck centered around blink effects and the Miracle mechanic. Miracle allows the first card drawn for the turn to be cast at a discounted cost or with a more potent effect. Enter Yuriko, initially printed as an ineligible commander in the deck but providing an additional value outlet for top deck manipulation.

    Yuriko's unique ability triggers whenever a ninja connects, revealing the top card of your library. Opponents lose life equal to its mana value, and the card goes to your hand, combining life loss and card advantage. Notably, Yuriko is the only commander to date featuring commander ninjutsu, an activated ability putting her unblocked and attacking directly into play.

Deck:

    The Yuriko deck typically operates in three phases. First, deploy small, unblockable creatures with a mana cost of one or two. In the second phase, leverage commander ninjutsu to sneak Yuriko into play. Finally, in the third phase, reveal high mana value spells like Temporal Trespass, often reduced by the delve effect but dealing substantial damage to each opponent.

Strengths:

    What makes this deck intriguing is its equilibrium between speed and durability. With swift unblockable creatures early on, followed by mid-game card advantage, and concluding with impactful late-game spells, the deck proves versatile. Unblockable creatures allow circumvention of blockers, and a well-timed library flip can clinch the game. Being in blue and black, the deck boasts excellent card advantage and removal options.

Weaknesses:

    Despite its strengths, the deck's vulnerability lies in its reliance on 1/1 creatures for combat protection. Larger creatures can easily outmatch it, and opponents tend to retaliate strongly after enduring significant life loss from Yuriko activations.

Gameplan:

    Rule #1: Keep Yuriko off the board. The entire deck revolves around her, and disrupting her presence disrupts the deck's rhythm. Whether it's turning her into an elk, repeatedly destroying her, or outright stealing her, crippling Yuriko significantly hampers the deck's effectiveness. 

    Rule #2: When in doubt, swing out. Granted, you may have to keep blockers up for the other players, but we want to pressure Yuriko's life total early and often to mitigate our own life loss. 

Kryptonite:

    To counter Yuriko effectively, consider incorporating cards like No Mercy into your strategy. No Mercy automatically destroys any creature dealing damage to you. This disrupts the deck's consistency, forcing the Yuriko player to cast new creatures, buying you time to access removal and control the game.

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