Satoru Umezawa Brainstorming
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on Dec. 30, 2021, 12:53 p.m. by Lanzo493
In case you haven't seen it yet, Satoru Umezawa is a legendary creature costing with a once-per-turn trigger of when you activate a ninjutsu ability, look at the top three cards of your library and put it in your hand, the rest on the bottom. Now here's the part that got me excited for it. "Each creature card in your hand has ninjutsu .
Wow! Swap your Ornithopter for a Blightsteel Colossus to kill anyone at the table. I intend to play this deck with eldrazi, praetors, and awesome ETB creatures like Agent of Treachery.
Satoru Umezawa does more than meets the eye, though. Which is why I want to ask what other people think he is capable of. First of all, you can bounce your creatures with ninjutsu for additional usage out of them. Say, for example, you have Burning-Rune Demon that is unblocked. You can ninjutsu bounce it, and then re-ninjutsu it in to get another ETB effect! It's a bit over-the-top and requires a ton of mana, but it's nice to have a mana sink with nothing better to do. Or, you could bounce Emrakul, the Promised End and hard cast her to abuse the cast effect repeatedly. If you wanted to be really mean and had Palinchron in hand and Peregrine Drake in play and unblocked, you have infinite mana to abuse ninjutsu abilities during combat, which could lead to something like infinite Agent of Treachery stealing.
So what do you think of this commander?
TypicalTimmy says... #3
You can also now have repeatable ETB effects, such as on Mulldrifter. Perhaps Mull is a bad example as it's 9 mana and 4 pips of 2 colors to just draw 2 cards. Plus it needs to attack so it must wait a turn as well.
However, it does serve as an example as to what's possible.
December 30, 2021 1:41 p.m. Edited.
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #4
Each single blue or black evoke creature is pretty cool with Satoru: enter link description here
Pretty cool with Supreme Exemplar, btw.
More ideas:
Archon of Cruelty, Abhorrent Overlord, Archfiend of Despair, Archfiend of Sorrows, Baleful Beholder, Baleful Force, Chancellor of the Spires, Chromescale Drake, Goremand, Gyruda, Doom of Depths, Inspired Sphinx, Lord of the Void, Massacre Wurm, Polar Kraken, Quicksilver Gargantuan, Sanguine Praetor, Vampire Charmseeker,
Chained Throatseeker seems great.
Alhammarret, High Arbiter and Amugaba seem weirdly playable with Satoru.
Deepchannel Mentor maybe?
Denizen of the Deep could be some kind of boardwipe protection.
You could also do some pretty sick things with Armory Automaton, Grafted Exoskeleton and just a few more equipments.
December 30, 2021 1:55 p.m.
I think even K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth could work, seeing as how it's the only card that can (somewhat) reduce the cost of ninjutsu.
December 30, 2021 6:08 p.m.
Satoru is a personal (and I stress personal) disappointment because I wanted a Ninjas commander that incentivizes having a lot of ninjas. Where with Satoru you don't necessarily want other Ninjas, just to flip Ornithopers into expensive things. And with Yuriko you didn't want other Ninjas because you need 10 mana spells and ways to make sure said spell is on top of your library. Somehow Vela the Night-Clad is still the Ninja tribal commander that feels like it cares the most about Ninja-y things.
Anyway like a literal decade ago Neurok Invisimancer was good for my casual Ninja deck. Guaranteed that I will be able to bounce it, and then the next turn whatever I Ninja'd in gets another free hit in.
December 30, 2021 6:12 p.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #7
Good etbs, good static abilities and good triggered abilities that happen by dealing damage to opponents. Combine that with top deck manipulation like Brainstorm and Sensei's Divining Top and you'll have yourself a decent high power deck. It's just going to be finding the right mix of unblockable/evasive utility creatures and big bomb game ending creatures.
December 30, 2021 7:53 p.m.
Just another version of kalia illhorg sneak attack nothing new it is just in dimir and it is very expensive to use
December 31, 2021 4:44 a.m.
One interesting thing is that you are not casting ninja creatures into play so you could throw down combo pieces to avoid counters. Off color, but ninja in Grand Abolisher to never deal with counters. Or Ninja in both Leveler and Thassa's Oracle. Heh, maybe a little clunky, but there's some potential at least. It might be a decent way to get an uncounterable wincon into play, I just can't think of what that is in UB.
January 2, 2022 8:11 a.m.
average_overload_enjoyer says... #10
I give him 4-5 weeks before he gets banned in any format.
January 3, 2022 5:34 p.m.
RNR_Gaming says... #11
So, I've been scouring scryfall researching this commander.
Auto includes budget permitting
Fatties
Blightsteel Colossus - kill target player seems good
Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur - I can hear the groans now
Razaketh, the Foulblooded - allows you to sac your smoll evasive creature to find the perfect threat/answer to a situation
Toxrill, the Corrosive - all hail the slug king
Now before I forget shameless plug of my brew in progress
https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/crouching-satoru-hidden-blightsteel/?cb=1641259409
January 3, 2022 8:23 p.m.
TheoryCrafter says... #12
Phage the Untouchable and Etrata, the Silencer are cards I can imagine going into a deck with Satoru.
Others I could imagine include cards with ingest such as Benthic Infiltrator or card draw such as Eternal of Harsh Truths.
I concur with average_overlord_enjoyer...this card is getting banned.
January 5, 2022 6:37 p.m.
plakjekaas says... #13
Since Ninjitsu is not casting the creature you're cheating in, Phage the Untouchable seems like the worst creature to give Ninjitsu to.
TypicalTimmy says... #2
There are a lot of Rogues (46), who can't be blocked.
Rogue Tribal + bombs
December 30, 2021 1:22 p.m.