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's first meaningful turns.
Ideal Early Script
- Turn 1: evasive creature or setup
- Turn 2: hold mana for interaction or advanceboard
- Turn 3+: ninjutsu online — prioritize mana efficiency each attack step
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
In Commander, the London mulligan gives you a free first reset and rewards disciplined keeps. For Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow, a strong opener usually does three things at once: develops mana, offers an early spell or piece of interaction, and points toward your actual game plan. Tempo ninjutsu deck leveraging evasive one-drops and top-deck manipulation. If your seven has lands but no way to advance that plan, treat it as shakier than it first looks.
Mana, colors, and early sequencing
Most Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow decks still want the normal Commander baseline of two to four lands or a hand that clearly replaces missing lands with reliable ramp. Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow is blue-black, so your opener should cast your setup on time and not strand key colors in hand. A solid early script often looks like Turn 1: evasive creature or setup, Turn 2: hold mana for interaction or advanceboard, and Turn 3+: ninjutsu online — prioritize mana efficiency each attack step.
When to keep a borderline seven
If your list is built around ninjas, ninjutsu, and evasion, a borderline hand should still contain at least one card that matters for that package. Keep more aggressively when the hand has cheap setup plus enough mana to function. Ship more aggressively when it is all payoff, all air, or a pile of unrelated medium cards. Common misses include high mana costs and non-ninja creatures lacking synergy.
Play vs draw
On the draw, the extra card gives Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow more room to keep a slower hand, especially one with two mana sources and a real early spell. On the play, be tougher on reactive hands that do nothing proactive until turn three. If your build is faster or more controlling than average, compare both modes in the simulator so your mulligan habits match the exact list you are piloting.
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.