Turning a Random Card into an EDH Deck (Mistblade Shinobi)

“Ninja Time”

Welcome to another edition of a random card being turned into an EDH Deck! Every Friday I create a budget (<$100) EDH Deck based entirely around a random card that I pull from [scryfall.com](http://scryfall.com/) (or that is suggested by someone else, either way it’s still random to me). I would love it if anyone has any suggestions for future random cards/decks or just wants to share their own experiences with any cards or decks discussed, I think this is a ton of fun.

[Random Card of the Week](https://cards.scryfall.io/png/front/1/9/19dd36b7-e4fe-4ba9-bfe1-00695dfe1d07.png?1723441496) (Download Link)

[Random Card of the Week](https://scryfall.com/card/plst/PCA-20/mistblade-shinobi) (Scryfall Link)

[Deck List](https://scryfall.com/@13poynz/decks/c02e4ba2-4f35-40bc-aa9e-8be9b817cd70)

[Deck Tech/Gameplay Video](https://youtu.be/z740S8XDbL0): (Adeline, Resplendent Cathar vs Zur, the Enchanter vs Yedora, Grave Gardener vs Satoru, the Infiltrator)

This week’s deck uses [[Mistblade Shinobi]] as our random card and [[Satoru, the Infiltrator]] as our commander. Ninjas is an archetype that I've contemplated building for quite a while and it's one that I frequently have people ask me about. However, if I'm being honest, it always felt like [[Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow]] (which is still in the deck, let's be real) was always the correct commander option. Recently, though, Satoru was printed and while Yuriko is probably still better, Satoru at least isn't a kill-on-sight commander and he lets us play actual Ninjas as opposed to Yuriko that wants to load up on split cards and top-deck manipulation. So obviously, that means we're running Ninjas that care about the creature type like [[Silver-Fur Master]], [[Prosperous Thief]], and [[Ingenious Infiltrator]] but we're also running generically powerful Ninjas like [[Fallen Shinobi]], [[Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni]], and [[Mist-Syndicate Naga]]. Additionally, since we're playing so many Ninjas we may as well also run THE Ninja planeswalker Kaito in all his various forms: [[Kaito Shizuki]], [[Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator]], and [[Kaito, Dancing Shadow]] all of which synergize well with Ninjas and their abilities.

The next goal of the deck is, of course, to ensure we can always get attacks through so that we can activate Ninjutsu abilities. That's where cards like [[Changeling Outcast]], [[Mist-Cloaked Herald]], and [[Slither Blade]] come in handy, being fully unblockable, but we can also run them alongside cheap evasive creatures like [[Gingerbrute]], [[Mockingbird]], and [[Faerie Seer]]. Finally, we need to make sure we always have a full hand to keep dropping threats into play. This means we can take full advantage of card-draw engines like [[Coastal Piracy]], [[Enduring Curiosity]], and [[Bident of Thassa]]. This should allow us to constantly pressure the table while easily outvaluing them, eventually letting the Ninjas close out the game.

In the end, this deck came in at $74.40 with [[Kaito, Bane of Nightmares]] being the most expensive card at $18.71. This version of Kaito is incredibly powerful in a Ninja deck, constantly making new lord emblems and possibly drawing 3 cards a turn. Unfortuantely, those same abilities make it powerful in formats like Standard and Pioneer, pushing up the price. I do think it's still worth the price tag in the deck if possible but a quick budget trim could replace it with a cheaper Ninja to make the deck much more affordable.

On the other hand, if you want an out-of-budget upgrade for the deck, plus a card to take out for it, then I’ve got you covered. That’s why I’d recommend putting in [[Taeko, the Patient Avalanche]] ($9.84) and taking out [[Dokuchi Shadow-Walker]]. Taeko helps make our creatures unblockable, gets bigger, and scries whenever we just play our Ninjas so why wouldn't we want it in the deck? The Shadow-Walker, though, is a vanilla 5/5 that's on creature type so it does in a pinch but we'd much rather have something with upside.

Thanks for checking out the deck and reading about it/watching the video! I hope you all like it and if you think there are improvements to be made, if you have suggestions, or just want to chat about it, then let me know. Also, a quick plug: if you want to guarantee that your suggestions get turned into decks or a variety of other benefits (including access to a discord channel to play in the games, help build the decks, getting the decklists a week early, and one of the random cards shipped to you every month) then check me out on [www.patreon.com/dungeonlearnersguide\](http://www.patreon.com/dungeonlearnersguide) or consider becoming a channel member over on YouTube: [www.YouTube.com/dungeonlearnersguide\](http://www.youtube.com/dungeonlearnersguide).