Yoriko, the Tiger's Shadow - Dimir Ninjas and Tempo Control

$80.00

This Commander deck is built around Yoriko’s signature blend of evasive pressure, incremental card advantage, and life-draining top-deck manipulation. The list emphasizes disciplined tempo play, rewarding precise sequencing and combat decisions rather than explosive, all-in lines. The overall experience is measured and surgical, steadily converting small advantages into inevitability.

Designed as a Ninja-forward control shell, the deck balances evasive creatures with interaction, recursion, and selective top-deck influence to ensure Yoriko consistently generates value while disrupting opposing game plans.

Deck Overview

This build represents a Ninja Tempo and Control hybrid, combining unblockable or evasive creatures with a layered interaction suite. Core Ninjas such as Mist-Syndicate Naga, Okiba-Gang Shinobi, Walker of Secret Ways, and Skullsnatcher exemplify the deck’s ability to pressure life totals while attacking hands, graveyards, and board states simultaneously.

Higher mana-value spells like Stormtide Leviathan, Temporal Trespass, and Rune-Scarred Demon are deliberately included to amplify Yoriko’s triggered damage while remaining functionally relevant when drawn or reanimated.

Deck Overview

Key Strategic Elements

Evasive Creatures and Ninjutsu Enablement

Cheap, evasive bodies such as Mothdust Changeling, Sage Owl, Sigiled Starfish, Typhoid Rats, and Hypnotic Siren establish early pressure and reliably enable Ninjutsu triggers. These creatures ensure Yoriko enters combat consistently without overcommitting resources.

Card Advantage and Top-Deck Control

Incremental draw and manipulation tools including Dig Through Time, Curate, Contact Other Plane, Archmage Emeritus, and Haughty Djinn help sculpt draws while maximizing the effectiveness of Yoriko’s reveal triggers. Scry and selection effects ensure damage output remains relevant throughout the game.

Interaction and Board Management

The deck features a wide interaction suite—Hero’s Downfall, Feed the Swarm, Vraska’s Contempt, Curse of the Swine, Devastation Tide, Evacuation, and Stormtide Leviathan—allowing the pilot to reset unfavorable boards and maintain tempo without abandoning pressure.

Recursion and Value Retention

Cards like Raise Dead, Netherborn Altar, Vizier of Many Faces, and Fake Your Own Death provide resilience and inevitability, allowing key creatures and effects to be reused while mitigating removal-heavy pods.

Closing the Game

The deck converts incremental damage into a win through repeated Yoriko triggers, amplified by high mana-value reveals and compounded by tempo denial. Large evasive threats and mass bounce effects lock opponents out of meaningful recovery, allowing the game to end cleanly without reliance on a single combo line.

Build Philosophy

This deck is constructed with an emphasis on cohesion, sequencing discipline, and consistent performance. Every inclusion serves a clear role—either enabling combat triggers, controlling the pace of play, or reinforcing long-term value. The mana base supports smooth early deployment and stable mid-game interaction, while the spell suite avoids redundancy in favor of flexibility and adaptability across varied pods.

Technical Details

100-card singleton Commander deck, legal for EDH
All cards in Near Mint to Lightly Played condition
Professionally sleeved and ready to play
Built for consistent performance and strategic depth

Ideal For Players Who:

Enjoy tempo-driven Commander decks with layered interaction
Prefer incremental advantage and precision over explosive combo lines
Appreciate Ninja synergies paired with disciplined control elements