The 36 Best Samurai in Magic Ranked

Last updated on December 31, 2025

Risona, Asari Commander | Illustration by Ekaterina Burmak

Samurai are very present in pop culture, mainly media influenced by Japan like anime, movies, and video games. Although MTG has various warriors, soldiers, knights, and even ninjas, it wouldn’t make sense to make a type of creature so narrow, right?

Well, we've had a few since visiting the plane of Kamigawa, which is clearly based on a number of Japanese mythologies. MTG designers took the opportunity to improve and redesign samurai in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.

Today it’s time to revisit the creature type and rank the best samurai in Magic!

What are Samurai in MTG?

Akki Battle Squad | Illustration by Steve Prescott

Samurai are one of the various creature types present in Magic. They’re found mostly in white and red colors, but also occasionally in black, blue, or green. Some samurai are on the back side of sagas.

Samurai have been primarily printed in Kamigawa sets like Champions of Kamigawa, Betrayers of Kamigawa, and Neon Dynasty/Neon Dynasty Commander. Samurai had a related mechanic and play style in each Kamigawa set. While on Kamigawa we saw the mechanic bushido, the theme “whenever a samurai or warrior attacks alone,” and a gimmick where each rare would be legendary in Champions of Kamigawa.

But that’s enough background. Let’s get to the best samurai in the game!

#36. Sky-Blessed Samurai

You’d need a deck that has an enchantment plan for Sky-Blessed Samurai to be good. And that’s it, no special or enter-the-battlefield abilities.

#35. Sunblade Samurai

Sunblade Samurai is mostly here for the plainscycling and the channel ability. It’s nice when a card has a relevant body and can be discarded to find a land if needed.

#34. Alabaster Host Intercessor

Plainscycling adds so much utility for decks that want a dual land, to smooth out your early play or simply trigger cycling payoffs. It seems the effect on Alabaster Host Intercessor has become evergreen on at least one white spell in each major set where an opposing creature can be removed as long as your creature stays on the battlefield. I think the trade-off for rarity came at the casting cost; while this is a common, is a lot when it's usually an uncommon 3-drop that fills this role.

#33. Kosei, Penitent Warlord

Look, the number of hoops necessary to make Kosei, Penitent Warlord work are many, but the upside is there. You’ll need to equip it, enchant it, and put a counter of some sort on it.

But after all that you’ll draw a bunch of cards and hit all opponents at once. Cards like Forced Adaptation are nice because they fill two roles: the aura and the +1/+1 counter. Voltron it up to the extreme.

#32. Toshiro Umezawa

I don’t know what the best way to play Toshiro Umezawa is, but it at least has good synergies with cheap removal like Fatal Push and Lightning Bolt. Kill a guy, give flashback to a removal spell, repeat.

#31. Sensei Golden-Tail

A 2-drop that makes your other creatures samurai with bushido 1, although very slowly. Sensei Golden-Tail almost reminds me of the outlast mechanic.

#30. Konda's Hatamoto

If you’re playing an EDH deck with a legendary samurai as your commander, Konda's Hatamoto will be a 2/4 with vigilance and bushido 1 for 2 mana. Sounds like a great warrior to me.

#29. Grafted Butcher

Grafted Butcher does a lot for and being able to repeatedly pump team Phyrexia is quite strong for 4 and a spare artifact. Not all samurai want to be attacking at the same time, but multiples of these guys can be really strong.

#28. Ironsoul Enforcer

An artifact reanimator creature in white? Ironsoul Enforcer is nice with artifact creatures and artifact sacrifice synergies.

Or maybe you’ll play this card alongside colors with more self-mill and reanimate something more powerful like a Myr Battlesphere or Kaldra Compleat.

#27. Jade Avenger

A 2-drop with bushido 2 is nice because it’s almost unblockable in the early game. When Jade Avenger needs to block it will trade higher. All in all a nice package on a 2-drop.

#26. Konda, Lord of Eiganjo

A 3/3 with vigilance and indestructible is very good. The problem is that Konda, Lord of Eiganjo costs 7, so it’s practically a ramp target. But your opponent has to choose between losing a chump blocker to bushido 5 or taking 3 damage once it gets going.

#25. Isao, Enlightened Bushi

While Isao, Enlightened Bushi looks a lot like Jade Avenger, being able to regenerate any samurai for 2 is cool typal synergy for a creature type that doesn't have many explicit payoffs. Being immune to counterspells is… something.

#24. Bushi Tenderfoot / Kenzo the Hardhearted

Another exception here, Bushi Tenderfoot is a flip card, specifically a human soldier that flips into a mighty samurai as the result of its training. The samurai side (Kenzo the Hardhearted) is very powerful as a 3/4 with double strike and bushido 2.

It would rank better in the list if the flip was easier. You’ll need to attack, hoping that an opponent’s creature blocks and Bushi lives via a combat trick or damage prevention. It’s a bit easier with effects like Ambuscade and Clear Shot.

#23. Cyan, Vengeful Samurai

Graveyard strategies aren't the first thing you look for with white, but they certainly come up and Cyan, Vengeful Samurai easily becomes a huge double striker thanks to Final Fantasy Commander.

#22. Nagao, Bound by Honor

Nagao, Bound by Honor is a decent creature that only takes one attack to buff all your samurai (including itself). The nice part is that you’re already attacking with a bunch of samurai to capitalize on the bonus, and most of them have bushido if they’re blocked, so it’s not going to end well for your opponent.

#21. Nezumi Freewheeler / Hideous Fleshwheeler

If you want to mill yourself, Nezumi Freewheeler supports this, but what I'm excited about is when you transform it into Hideous Fleshwheeler and steal your opponent's small permanent like an artifact, enchantment, or utility land.

#20. Life of Toshiro Umezawa / Memory of Toshiro

I know Life of Toshiro Umezawa is a saga, but the enchantment creature is a samurai, so it’s valid by my book.

The saga mimics two triggers from Umezawa's Jitte, which most of you have already heard of. Memory of Toshiro is a passable card that can ramp an instant or sorcery, but the real value is in the saga itself.

#19. Akki Battle Squad

Akki Battle Squad is a 6/6 for 6, which is already good. They care about modified creatures, and it’s fairly easy to make a good army and attack again between +1/+1 counters and cheap equipment.

#18. Iizuka the Ruthless

Iizuka the Ruthless can give your other samurai double strike and has bushido 2 itself. The bad thing is having to sacrifice a samurai (including itself), but there are plenty of samurai token makers and even changelings.

#17. Asari Captain

A 4/3 with haste that can attack as a beefier creature is a good source of damage, and you can attack with a lesser samurai or warrior if you don’t want to lose Asari Captain. And don’t be afraid to attack with all creatures and lose the “attacking alone” bonus. This card is flexible.

#16. Summon: Yojimbo

Summon: Yojimbo is a big dude for its cost and the effects in each chapter are great considering the first one is hard removal that is worth the price of admission on it's own. This is also a counter mover away from being a Ghostly Prison with tons of upside.

#15. Auron, Venerated Guardian

These white creatures that eat up other permanents as long as they stay in play are consistently good. Where Auron, Venerated Guardian separates itself is the ability to grab multiple creatures and one or two attacks is often more than enough to put it out of range for combat damage and red removal to destroy it.

#14. Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms

Gilgamesh, Master-at-Arms goes digging for powerful equipment and can cheat them onto the battlefield with an auto-equip. So at worst you have a 6/6 samurai, but at best you hit a living weapon, job select card, For Mirrodin!, Meteor Sword, Embercleave, and the nasty Nazgûl Battle-Mace.

#13. Takeno, Samurai General

Takeno, Samurai General is a bushido lord. Konda, Lord of Eiganjo will get +5/+5 alongside Takeno. But even your other small bushido samurai will benefit from this.

#12. Golden-Tail Trainer

Golden-Tail Trainer was a total letdown in Modern Horizons 3 Limited, but it excels in Commander where you can more effectively build around it. It's still asking a lot: This creature has to attack, you need to have other modified creatures to attack with, and the Trainer has to be modified in some way to make this all matter. At the very least you always get some cost reduction on your key spells, which amplifies the stronger the Golden-Tail Trainer gets.

#11. Mothrider Cavalry

A design for Alchemy, but Mothrider Cavalry is a good one that you want to have laying around giving +1/+1 to all your buddies.

#10. Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei

Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei requires that you have some modified creatures laying around, and you’ll be able to pay 5 mana to make a 5/5 flier if you do. That’s pretty good by my book, and the fail case is paying to give another creature haste.

#9. Reinforced Ronin

Goblin Guide this is not, but… Reinforced Ronin is close. It’s being played in red aggressive decks in Constructed formats because paying 1 mana and getting a 2/2 with haste is fine. Just use the channel ability to cycle when the card isn’t good enough.

#8. Chishiro, the Shattered Blade

Chishiro, the Shattered Blade is meant to be the commander for a deck that revolves around modified, which is the theme for red and green in its set. Playing auras and equipment will make subsequently 2/2s, and Chishiro has lots of synergies with tokens and equipment.

#7. Imperial Blademaster

Imperial Blademaster was designed for Alchemy: Neon Dynasty, and it’s a 2/2 double strike for 3, a good rate for a rare. When a samurai or warrior attacks alone, you get a card for your effort. And its spellbook is composed of a bunch of samurai ranging from good to bad, including the rare sorcery Eiganjo Uprising.

#6. Risona, Asari Commander

I like Risona, Asari Commander’s design because it gets an indestructible keyword counter when it deals combat damage. But it loses a counter when you’re dealt combat damage.

Risona is keeping score of the battle. A 3/3 haste for 3 is a good rate otherwise, and it’s got a good effect on top.

#5. The Wandering Rescuer

Oh that emperor, always wandering and such. The Wandering Rescuer sports a very clever design: Convoke helps you cast this creature, but also taps your creatures down to pick up hexproof from The Wanderer. A 3/4 double striker is also a formidable surprise blocker/attacker, making this rendition of The Wanderer powerful on offense and defense.

#4. Tetsuo, Imperial Champion

Tetsuo, Imperial Champion might have ranked higher if it didn't need to attack while equipped. It's incredible when it does though, dealing chunks of damage to any target, or casting spells out of your hand for free. You'd think that being blue and black would help it not rely on attacking, but that gripe aside, this champion is exciting, even if it'll be complicated to build around protecting your attacker, supporting equipment, and holding onto combat tricks… how is this a not a white card?

#3. Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima

Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima has a natural Curiosity and a slightly different wording to the single combat theme. Both Standoff and Ghost are great combat control and have lots of applications based on the different attackers you might use. Saboteurs and ninjas come to mind, and there's lots of room for creativity with this Esper commander.

#2. Raiyuu, Storm's Edge

Raiyuu, Storm's Edge has a good attack trigger to be copied with Isshin, Two Heavens as One. A 3/3 with first strike should attack without any trouble, especially when you consider the “when a samurai or warrior attacks alone” effect.

#1. Isshin, Two Heavens as One

One of the best and most popular Mardu commanders, and specifically an excellent extra-combat commander, Isshin, Two Heavens as One doubles your creature's attack triggers. And everybody (save perhaps the player you're attacking) loves doubling effects!

Best Samurai Payoffs

Cards that care about a samurai or warrior attacking alone are found in Boros () colors in Neon Dynasty. Ancestral Katana is an equipment card that can attach to a samurai that’s attacking alone. Asari Captain offers an effect that’s similar to the exalted mechanic.

Call to Glory is a cheap “pump all creatures you control” effect as long as they’re samurai Nagao, Bound by Honor is kind of a samurai lord, at least when attacking. The Eternal Wanderer operates in the 1v1 creature combat space and says my best samurai can beat your best creature, of course, creating samurai for free each turn is great too.

Godo, Bandit Warlord is a card that can make multiple attack steps for it and your samurai. A red Commander deck with Godo can have lots of red samurai by its side. It’s also worth noting that its attack trigger can be doubled with some cards like Isshin, Two Heavens as One.

Generic typal cards like Metallic Mimic, Radiant Destiny, and Adaptive Automaton are good for samurai.

The Wandering Emperor is an excellent card that makes samurai tokens, but you’ll play it in almost any white deck anyway.

Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho is an equipment that has synergies with samurai creatures. Samurai's Katana is a job select card that has a costly equip cost, and is a good way to turn ordinary creatures into samurai.

Isshin, Two Heavens as One is excellent since a lot of samurai have attack triggers and are in Boros colors.

Do Samurai Count as Warriors?

No, samurai are not warriors. These are both individual creature types.

Is Isshin, Two Heavens as One a Good Commander?

Isshin is definitely one of the most popular Mardu commanders and one that got the most hype in NEO. One interesting thing about Isshin is that lots of Mardu cards have an attack trigger that says “untap your other creatures and there’s an additional attack phase.”

This is an excellent trigger to double, granting you multiple combat steps and potentially killing an opponent or two. Another card to keep in mind that’s perfect in an Isshin deck is Fervent Charge, which is a bulk card that works incredibly well with Isshin.

Wrap Up

Kosei, Penitent Warlord | Illustration by Matt Stewart

Samurai are unfortunately on the weaker side since the original Kamigawa block is known for having a lower power level. There are some Commander decks inspired by some legendary samurai designed in 2004, maybe driven by nostalgia, but they’re actually very weak.

There’s something to be said about the design of rares in the original Kamigawa in the sense that there were more unique build-around legendary creatures. Today this is a given thanks to the popularity of EDH.

Did I miss any notable samurai? Maybe some should have been ranked higher, or lower? Let me know your thoughts in the comments or over on Draftsim's Twitter.

This is the way.