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Splinter, Hamato Yoshi

TMT · uncommon · Released 2026-03-06

Power

brawl
tier-2tier-1Strong staple
commander
tier-2Strong staple

Tier shown as baseline → best-case (in its ideal shell).

Derived from the 7 atoms below.

over

above rate

incremental

minor value alone

synergy

wants support

scales

scales up

flexible

multiple modes

narrow

situational

fragile

easily answered

Commander Bracket

1Precon2Core3Upgraded4Optimized5cEDH

Archetypes

positive:
ninja
negative:

No active conflicts.

Roles

lordanthemaggressive-creatureevasive-threat

Risks

requires-tribe-density

Mechanics

mech-sneak

Typal

synergy:
ninja
anti:

Structural

alternative-coststatic-ability

Rationale

Splinter is a 2cmc 1/3 menace legendary Rat that lords over other Ninjas (+1/+1), making him a signature commander or 99-slot lord in Ninja typal decks. The Sneak mechanic lets him enter for just {B} by returning an unblocked attacker, synergizing naturally with the ninjutsu-style combat game plan. Outside Ninja typal he offers minimal value.

Learnings (3)

  • Splinter's Sneak ability shares the ninjutsu return-to-hand combat loop but is cast as a spell rather than being an activated ability — it still triggers ETB effects and enters tapped and attacking, unlike traditional ninjutsu which bypasses casting.

    tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6

  • As a 2cmc legendary lord with Sneak, Splinter can come down as early as turn 1 in a combat where you have an unblocked attacker, making him one of the fastest Ninja lords available.

    tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6

  • The +1/+1 applies to OTHER Ninjas, not himself, so he does not buff himself — in low-Ninja-density builds he is effectively just a 1/3 menace for {1}{B}.

    tagging · claude-sonnet-4-6

Popularity

  • EDHREC rank: #11,518