How to Mulligan Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
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Opening hand priorities
Tempo ninjutsu deck leveraging evasive one-drops and top-deck manipulation. The goal is not a pretty seven-card hand. It is a hand that develops mana, lines up colors, and actually points toward the deck first meaningful turns.
Ideal Early Script
- Turn 1: develop mana or the cheapest enabler for Dimir ninjutsu tempo.
- Turn 2: add protection, card flow, or the support piece that makes Yuriko matter.
- Turn 3+: commit the commander or bridge toward the first engine turn only when the board can use it.
Your opener should support
Hands to be suspicious of
- - high mana costs
- - non-ninja creatures lacking synergy
Mulligan decisions with Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow start with role clarity: does your opener actually support a real Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow game plan around ninjas and ninjutsu? Tempo ninjutsu deck leveraging evasive one-drops and top-deck manipulation. Include bounce/flicker to reuse triggers and keep curve extremely low.
What a keepable hand looks like
Keep any hand with cheap evasion, stable mana, and either a payoff ninja or top-deck sculpting. , , , , , and are exactly the cards that make opening hands smooth.
When to ship a hand
Ship hands full of expensive flip cards with no enabler, hands with only tapped mana, and hands where Yuriko cannot realistically trigger on turn two. A good Yuriko seven starts dealing damage and drawing cards almost immediately.
Your first three turns
Your early turns should be evasive one-drop into ninjutsu or top-deck setup. If you can choose between adding another fair body and guaranteeing a big Yuriko trigger with or , the trigger usually matters more.
Ready to test real opener quality for Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow? Run your own list through the ManaTap mulligan simulator, compare play versus draw, and check how often your opener actually lines up with the plan above.
Related commander guides
FAQ
- What is the London mulligan?
- You put any number of cards from your hand on the bottom of your library, then draw back up to seven. In Commander, your first mulligan is free.
- How many lands should I keep?
- Most Commander decks want two to four lands in the opener. Low-curve decks can keep two; higher curves want three or four.
- Should I mulligan a hand with no ramp?
- It depends on your curve. If your deck needs early ramp to function, ship hands without it. If you have enough lands and cheap plays, you might keep.
- Does play vs draw affect mulligan strategy?
- Yes. On the draw you get an extra card, so you can sometimes keep slightly weaker hands.
- How can I test my mulligan strategy?
- Use the ManaTap mulligan simulator. Paste your decklist, set parameters, and run thousands of simulations to see keep rates.