Alive Beneath Cherry Blossoms

Commander / EDH Aggro Casual Ninja Ninjutsu Primer UB (Dimir) Unblockable Value Engine

Azielle

Land - Multi (15)

• 1x Bloodstained Mire
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Darkwater Catacombs
• 1x Drowned Catacomb
• 1x Fabled Passage
• 1x Flooded Strand
• 1x Marsh Flats
• 1x Misty Rainforest
• 1x Polluted Delta
• 1x Prismatic Vista
• 1x Scalding Tarn
• 1x Sunken Ruins
• 1x Underground River
• 1x Verdant Catacombs
• 1x Watery Grave

Legion I (5)

• 1x Battlefly Swarm
• 1x Oona's Blackguard
• 1x Slither Blade
• 1x Triton Shorestalker
• 1x Will-o'-the-Wisp

Resource I (5)

• 1x Everflowing Chalice
• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Mind Stone
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Thought Vessel

Response II (5)

• 1x Deadly Rollick
• 1x Feed the Swarm
• 1x Infernal Grasp
• 1x Snuff Out
• 1x Toxic Deluge

Land - Utility (2)

• 1x Otawara, Soaring City
• 1x Shizo, Death's Storehouse

Clan (7)

• 1x Ingenious Infiltrator
• 1x Mistblade Shinobi
• 1x Ninja of the Deep Hours
• 1x Okiba-Gang Shinobi
• 1x Prosperous Thief
• 1x Sakashima's Student
• 1x Throat Slitter

Advantage I (5)

• 1x Brainstorm
• 1x Corrupted Conviction
• 1x Diabolic Intent
• 1x Ponder
• 1x Village Rites

Advantage III (5)

• 1x Demonic Tutor
• 1x Imperial Seal
• 1x Mystical Tutor
• 1x Personal Tutor
• 1x Vampiric Tutor

Legion III (5)

• 1x Bitterblossom
• 1x Changeling Outcast
• 1x Gudul Lurker
• 1x Mist-Cloaked Herald
• 1x Tormented Soul

Response I (5)

• 1x Cyclonic Rift
• 1x Fatal Push
• 1x Reality Shift
• 1x Resculpt
• 1x Tragic Slip

Land - Basic (20)

• 10x Island
• 10x Swamp

Commander (1)

Advantage II (5)

• 1x Dig Through Time
• 1x Scroll Rack
• 1x Sensei's Divining Top
• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Treasure Cruise

Legion II (5)

• 1x Arcane Adaptation
• 1x Dauthi Voidwalker
• 1x Invisible Stalker
• 1x Nether Traitor
• 1x Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive

Resource II (5)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Chrome Mox
• 1x Mox Amber
• 1x Talisman of Dominance
• 1x Wayfarer's Bauble

Response III (5)

• 1x Counterspell
• 1x Mana Drain
• 1x Narset's Reversal
• 1x Reanimate
• 1x Unearth

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To Know Ten Thousand Things, Know One Well

Once upon a time I watched my love die.

Resuscitating her was an epoch outside of time. I lived an eternity that morning in three desperate minutes. No More Room in Hell was my first EDH-OCD passion project — see Ovid reference, below. On a deeply personal level necromancy will always be my most important accomplishment.

I am occasionally, when I’m not laying on the deck with my dogs writing overtly personal EDH primers, a laboratory scientist. tatyova-pod-a-tale-of-two-love-stories-primer-1 has a Darwinism theme because of my ardour for evolutionary biology.

I developed a passion for EDH by developing EDH with passion. Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow is my truest self portrait with respect to this microcosm. I explored ten thousand card choices, and discovered my truest self in the process.

Today is Victory Over Yourself of Yesterday

This game has never been a competitive outlet for me. In my younger years I was a competitive martial artist; competition is kicking someone in the face or being kicked in the face. I like the edge competition gives me, though I don’t particularly like being on edge.

I like EDH when it makes me not want to kick people in their face. Also, I like not being kicked in my face. Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow’s always-in-for-two-during-combat ability allows me to unlock both of these achievements. The deck shrugs off most hate, stax, and other negativity, and allows for a relaxed experience at any gaming table.

There’s something truly zen and beautiful about being able to lean into a fair strategy completely without being blown out for it.

This list’s manifesto: refreshingly simple, competitively tuned. I’ve left out all the left-field combos, and extra turns degeneracy often found in more competitive Yuriko lists, in favour of an honest turns strategy Turn small evasive creatures like Invisible Stalker sideways, turn them into ninjas, turn those ninjas evasive with Tetsuko Umezawa, Fugitive, and then turn everything into evasive ninjas with Arcane Adaptation.

There are a plethora of tutors and Scroll Rack effects, along with a full compliment of fetch lands, to maximize Yuriko’s damage output by setting your library to produce a ninja with a heavy cost. Ninjas, as our only curve toppers, keep the deck blazingly fast and aggressive; the average CMC when factoring in alternate casting costs is under 1.5.

Tomorrow is Victory Over Lesser Men

If you prefer being an oppressive try-hard, and destroying your opponents on turn three or four, I invite you to read any of my other deck primers. While Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow may have been an exercise in finding inner peace at a gaming table, I’m still the kid that grew up beating people bloody for fun. Most of my decks were built by this violently competitive inner child. Be forewarned.

If it please you, a taste of my most unconscionable deck primers:

• No More Room in Hell
• tatyova-pod-a-tale-of-two-love-stories-primer-1

Also, If you prefer being an oppressive try-hard, I commend you for choosing to be evil somewhere else. Every Pod that I’ve flipped Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow into has been a positive and rewarding experience. Yuriko asks only that I enjoy the game; she does all the face kicking for me.

Materiam Superabat Opus

Beyond balancing and tuning stats to produce numerically delicious graphs (28 x <= 1 CMC, 21 x 2 CMC, 14 x >=3 CMC, etc.,) I have my decks built into functionally and aesthetically balanced five card blocks, such that each block forms multiple mirrored patterns, while adhering to strict functionality and thematic principles within both its mirrored grouping, and the deck as a whole.

It's difficult to describe accurately, or display using this site's interface, but each deck is a functional piece of art, as beautiful to behold as it is true to purpose.

Though I own my decks in paper, I rarely if ever actually play in group. I simply like the challenge of theory-crafting something perfect, numerically, functionally, and aesthetically.

I hope that my OCD outlet provides your playgroup some entertainment.

For you, and forever,

j.

Top Ranked	Achieved #11 position overall 3 years ago Achieved #4 position in Commander / EDH 3 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Primer 3 years ago
Date added	3 years
Last updated	6 months
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	7 - 0 Mythic Rares 34 - 0 Rares 15 - 0 Uncommons 24 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.02
Tokens	Elemental 4/4 UR, Faerie Rogue 1/1 B, Manifest 2/2 C, Morph 2/2 C, Ninja 1/1 U, Treasure
Folders	Unconscionable EDH Primers, Decks that impressed me, Interesting Stuff, EDH Brain Food, Commander, Other Decks, EDH Primer, dEXXX, Weird ideas, Must Build