The most fun deck I have played in years - Yuriko tempo EDH Primer

[CleanBelwas]

Hello all, and welcome to the most fun deck I have played in several years.

https://deckstats.net/decks/132604/1934517-yuriko#show_description

[Akira Foxmind]

Since Yuriko is my pet-deck from the very beginning it's cool to see a primer for her on deckstats. Thanks for that.
If I may, I would like to add some clues to your primer.

An important part for me when playing Yuriko is to have solid ways of securing her attacks after the first one.Therefore I would absolutely include or at least mention Smoke Shroud, Cover of Darkness and Demonic Embrace (there are much more but those are the most important I would say). Shroud and Embrace especially since you can recast them over and over again, if Yuriko gets removed.
Also there are some more ways to cheat with high cmc spells. Misdirection, Snuff Out or Curtains Call/ Coastal Breach (for multiplayer matches, though) are pretty good examples for tempo/control cards that acually deal some damage with Yuriko but also can be cast for less mana.

[WizardSpartan]

Updooted because "In this economy" joke. I cannot handle those, it's just too much.


And now to pretend like I have something relevant to say...

What's the sweet spot for cheap, evasive creatures? Mist-Cloaked Herald & Gudul Lurker (& maybe even Ornithopter for the memes?) seem like good options, are you intentionally choosing to exclude them?

Ghostly Pilferer, Thalakos Seer, and Thieving Skydiver are all 2 mana, but they are each cool in their own way.

Misdirection is cool as a spell for big damage with Yuriko while also being able to be 0 mana in emergency situations. Snuff Out, also, maybe.

Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire seems super spicy to me. He's decently cheap considering he combines topdeck manipulation with being a (somewhat) evasive creature that likes to attack and doesn't mind being bounced. Scheming Symmetry could be fun, also, as could Halimar Depths.

Reliquary Tower? You've said you don't struggle with card draw, so could this warrant an inclusion?

Overall, good read, and I love the deck!

[CleanBelwas]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I will update the primer accordingly, but to answer your questions quickly here:

In terms of things like Auras and enchantments to make my creatures evasive, so far I haven't found it to be a problem. This deck is new to my meta so as it adjusts I may find more use from them, but so far it hasn't been necessary and it somewhat feels like "taking a turn off". I particularly like Cover of Darkness though. I was in a position where I had a bunch of Mist-Syndicate Nagas out. I was able to keep parity with the amount I had vs. the amount of blockers, but something like Cover of Darkness could allow for near exponential growth. Definitely worth considering.

Misdirection et al. I will add to the list of "Cards I don't currently own but will add to the deck when I do". I mean to include them first time around but forgot, so thanks for the reminder.

With regards to evasive creatures, they are kind of much of a muchness. An 1/1 for 1 that can't be blocked is very much the same as another 1/1 for 1 that can't be blocked, and my list is presently made up of "cards I could find". I definitely own a Mist-Cloaked Herald or 4, but I couldn't find one when building the deck.

Thalakos Seer is particularly intriguing to me. That leaves the battlefield ability could be fun. It does mean having to stack my deck so the huge cards are two deep, but I don't think that's a problem. I have very few "scry 1" effects, so it'll be worth testing out.

Varragoth is good shout. I haven't picked up many Kaldheim cards yet so kind of forgot he existed, but next time I pick up some singles I'll check the price.

I've been thinking about Halimar Depths, Mortuary Mire and Mystic Sanctuary but the potential loss of tempo puts me off somewhat. I'll add them to the card discussion section and will probably play test them, but I'm not sure they'll stay. Running so few lands and needing to get a fast start has me wary of tapped lands.

Reliquary Tower is also one I need to add to the "list of cards I'm considering", so again, thanks for the reminder.

[Akira Foxmind]

Your very welcome. I'm glad to be able to help on a primer for her.

What I experienced while playing Yuriko over the past few years is, that if you can't attack for 1 or 2 turns you are just to slow to keep up with the opponent's speed. That is why for me it's important to keep up the pace of your own gameplay. Unless you play tons of mass removal you won't be able to get back into the game, because you lack actual 'bombs'.
Of course that can diver depending on the meta you are playing in. In multiplayer matches I was likely to get targeted because you hit all opponents equally and no one knows how fast she is with her topdecks.

__________

Regarding the speed and the lands in yuriko decks:
I wouldn't use to many etb tapped lands for utility since you need to be fast (as mentioned thousand times  ) and are playing a very low number of lands with no rocks for fixing at all. What is nice though, are man lands that fits the theme - Faerie Conclave, Blinkmoth Nexus and Creeping Tar Pit

[CleanBelwas]

Your very welcome. I'm glad to be able to help on a primer for her.

What I experienced while playing Yuriko over the past few years is, that if you can't attack for 1 or 2 turns you are just to slow to keep up with the opponent's speed. That is why for me it's important to keep up the pace of your own gameplay. Unless you play tons of mass removal you won't be able to get back into the game, because you lack actual 'bombs'.
Of course that can diver depending on the meta you are playing in. In multiplayer matches I was likely to get targeted because you hit all opponents equally and no one knows how fast she is with her topdecks.

Thanks a lot for your insights. Like I say, I'm new to Yuriko so having advice from someone who has much more experience with it is really appreciated. Will definitely consider adding a couple of enchantments to give all of my creatures evasion. With such things, I could probably afford to cut a couple of 1/1 unblockables in favour of a couple of 1/1s with evasion and a good ETB too.

[Akira Foxmind]

I just remembered one more upside Yuriko can use for value: having control aspects on creatures that get bounced from ninjustu and etb doing something again. My favorite here would be Massacre Girl for mass removal, which also is somehow evasive for playing yuriko again. Also your own small critters help to get Massacre Girl going effectively.

But let's do it the other way around (instead of me posting input over and over again): if you want an opinion on a question regarding decklist, gameplay or card choices feel free to ask anytime. 

[Slyvester12]

Nooo. My procrastination finally caught up to me. I've been meaning to make a Yuriko primer for months lol.

I'll post some more when I have time, but for now, have you considered Decree of Pain? It's a solid wipe that's often useful for cycling too, hits big with Yuriko, and draws lots of cards on occasion.

[CleanBelwas]

Nooo. My procrastination finally caught up to me. I've been meaning to make a Yuriko primer for months lol.

I'll post some more when I have time, but for now, have you considered Decree of Pain? It's a solid wipe that's often useful for cycling too, hits big with Yuriko, and draws lots of cards on occasion.

I haven't actually got any wipes yet. As it stands, I haven't missed them. I've found that I regularly have more to lose than my opponents and have found that mass bounce spells have been more useful as I'm able to rebuild much more efficiently and aggressively.

That said, and also in relation to your other point, my Yuriko deck is looking to fulfil a hyper aggressive niche. If you've been wanting to write your own, I'd be happy to collaborate and have both in this section to show the variety of ways that Yuriko can be built. If that's something you fancy, just let me know.


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Edit:

I've now updated my Card Discussion based on everyones feedback. Again, thanks for all your insights guys.

Cards I'm particularly hot for:

Varragoth - Vamp tutor attached to a low CMC creature that attacks well seems good. Particularly in my meta. My playgroup tend to be quite afeared of deathtouch.

Creeping Tar Pit - I'd replace creature rather than a land for this and go up to 34, but I like the idea of a creature that is immune to most wipes so that if a wipe does get through, I have something on board to start attacking with straight away. See also Blinkmoth Nexus.

Coastal Breach - I think mass bounce spells will be more beneficial than board wipes with this decks build.

Reliquary Tower - It's just good in two colour decks. There will no doubt be a couple of times where I have it and a Swamp in my opener and all my creatures are blue, but such is the gamble. I think the upside may end up being worth it.

[WizardSpartan]

I haven't actually got any wipes yet. As it stands, I haven't missed them. I've found that I regularly have more to lose than my opponents and have found that mass bounce spells have been more useful as I'm able to rebuild much more efficiently and aggressively.

Have you considered Flood of Tears? It lets you bounce the board while setting you up to swing with an evasive creature and ninjutsu Yuriko on your next turn.

Also, if you like Creeping Tar Pit, Faerie Conclave might be up your alley.

Edit: Messed up formatting

[CleanBelwas]

OK, having done some more play testing, reliquary tower is going in.

Maybe even thought vessel if I can get over the shame of including a mana rock in the deck.

Man this deck is fun.

[Slyvester12]

Okay, now having had some time to look at the primer and go over my paper list (which has deviated somewhat from the version here), I have a few questions and comments.

First, and perhaps most importantly:

Also, cut Draco. That card is not good.

You lie, sir. If I had a card with nothing but "Suspend 1--0: Put this card in your graveyard. If this card is revealed by the effect of Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow, count its CMC as 16," I would play it. It's just too much damage to not be worth running a single dead card, especially with things like Scroll Rack loops to double up on the triggers. Dealing 80% of your opponents' life in one combat step is fantastic.

Second, and perhaps least importantly, it's ninjUtsu. With a U. 忍術(ninjutsu) means "secret art" or "spy technique" or something along those lines, while 忍実(ninjitsu) would be something like "true secrecy." This point is pedantic, but I lived in Japan and that made my eyes itch.

Next, it looks like our builds differ a bit in strategy. I run a small number of evasive creatures, a massive amount of topdeck manipulation, and several ways of making my ninjas unblockable so that I don't have to rely on evasive 1/1s in the mid game. My deck is also wildly more expensive, due to me apparently having no self control. I will take your different strategy and greater financial discipline into consideration when making recommendations.

As far as little evasive creatures, you seem to have most of the good ones, including a few I've overlooked or neglected to add with new expansions. (Looking at you, Gingerbrute.) I would say that, if you can justify the cost, Nether Traitor is an all star in my deck. Haste, Shadow, and built in recursion on a cheap attacker make it perfect in every way for Yuriko. Also, how do you feel about Amoeboid Changeling, Mist-Syndicate Naga, Siren Stormtamer, and Universal Automaton? The first feels too slow, but I can see the utility and I might give it a shot. I didn't like Mist-Syndicate Naga because it felt like I always ninjustu'd it in, made a copy, and then both copies did very little. Siren Stormtamer is often great, but do you find your opponents just wait for you to bounce it out before playing removal, especially given that they probably want to hit your ninjas anyway? Finally, is Universal Automaton worth it as a 1 CMC ninja? (Are we supposed to say 1 MV, now?)

For unblockable-ness (unblockability?), Thassa, God of the Sea is obviously very good. She's also $20. You already have Aqueous Form, but I also like Aether Tunnel and Smoke Shroud for pushing ninjas through when I don't have a ready bounce effect for them. I also like Whispersilk Cloak, but I understand your reasoning for leaving it out.

Since you mentioned not missing board wipes and liking mass bounce better, two of my favorite mass bounce spells are Devastation Tide and Evacuation. If you decide you want to start running wipes, these are great for resetting your opponents' boards while you get some extra combat steps in, not to mention that Evacuation is instant speed. I also like Rags // Riches, but mostly because it hits mana dorks and is a good flip for Yuriko.

For topdeck filtering, I was going to recommend Insidious Dreams, Lim-Dul's Vault, and Doomsday for the utility/memes, but I just found out they're all over $10 now. So instead, Bolas's Citadel is pretty damn good at getting low cost spells off the top. The downside is that you have to obey normal timing and can't exceed land per turn limits. Still, more topdeck manipulation is always good for Yuriko, in my experience.

For protection, the only card I can really recommend is Walker of Secret Ways. She's a ninja. She bounces ninjas. She's cheap. What's not to love? The fact that it only works on your turn. That part is occasionally annoying. Still, she saves ninjas that people target before damage step.

Last, I would say that Wound Reflection and Quietus Spike are great ways to do more damage. The former is a bit expensive mana-wise, but often pays you back by turning one or two triggers into a game winning turn. Quietus Spike is just nice to stick on an unblockable creature early or on something small later to force your opponents to block a 1/1 instead of a ninja.

Overall, I really enjoyed seeing your list and I thought it was well-built. I had never considered running Viscera Seer as a way to instantly move Yuriko around, and Trickery Charm and Soothsaying are both so good I'm amazed I've never seen them before. Nice job on the primer. If you want any help making variant budget lists or anything like that, let me know.

[CleanBelwas]

Okay, now having had some time to look at the primer and go over my paper list (which has deviated somewhat from the version here), I have a few questions and comments.

Thanks for your response dude, your insight is much appreciated, so thanks for taking the time to give it. I'll reply here first then update the primer accordingly.

First, and perhaps most importantly:

Also, cut Draco. That card is not good.

You lie, sir. If I had a card with nothing but "Suspend 1--0: Put this card in your graveyard. If this card is revealed by the effect of Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow, count its CMC as 16," I would play it. It's just too much damage to not be worth running a single dead card, especially with things like Scroll Rack loops to double up on the triggers. Dealing 80% of your opponents' life in one combat step is fantastic.

Yea I get what you're saying. I will personally never cut this card, but I do think there is a strong argument that it doesn't fit in a heavily optimised build. With enough top deck manipulation, you can get a similar amount of damage from cards you can actually use elsewhere too. I love it, but I don't think cutting it in favour of something you can actually cast for value is a bad decision.

Second, and perhaps least importantly, it's ninjUtsu. With a U. 忍術(ninjutsu) means "secret art" or "spy technique" or something along those lines, while 忍実(ninjitsu) would be something like "true secrecy." This point is pedantic, but I lived in Japan and that made my eyes itch.

Damn, I didn't even notice that. Thanks for the heads up. Will go through and change.

Next, it looks like our builds differ a bit in strategy. I run a small number of evasive creatures, a massive amount of topdeck manipulation, and several ways of making my ninjas unblockable so that I don't have to rely on evasive 1/1s in the mid game. My deck is also wildly more expensive, due to me apparently having no self control. I will take your different strategy and greater financial discipline into consideration when making recommendations.

As far as little evasive creatures, you seem to have most of the good ones, including a few I've overlooked or neglected to add with new expansions. (Looking at you, Gingerbrute.) I would say that, if you can justify the cost, Nether Traitor is an all star in my deck. Haste, Shadow, and built in recursion on a cheap attacker make it perfect in every way for Yuriko. Also, how do you feel about Amoeboid Changeling, Mist-Syndicate Naga, Siren Stormtamer, and Universal Automaton? The first feels too slow, but I can see the utility and I might give it a shot. I didn't like Mist-Syndicate Naga because it felt like I always ninjustu'd it in, made a copy, and then both copies did very little. Siren Stormtamer is often great, but do you find your opponents just wait for you to bounce it out before playing removal, especially given that they probably want to hit your ninjas anyway? Finally, is Universal Automaton worth it as a 1 CMC ninja? (Are we supposed to say 1 MV, now?)

Nether Traitor would be included but I'm yet to find one at a price I'm happy to pay. Maybe when the pandemic is on its way out and I can look more effectively into trading again I'll be able to pick one up. It's definitely a good inclusion and I'll add it to the card discussion section.

I'm with you on Mist-Syndicate Naga. It's on my watch list for potential cuts. So far it has been a little underwhelming. It's popped off once but has been poor a few times.

Amoeboid changeling is a card that hasn't come up enough times for me to effectively evaluate yet. I like that it can turn my non-ninjas into ninjas, but I definitely see what you are seeing about it being slow.

Siren Stormtamer is good in my meta is it has a lot of spot removal. I find it does a good job of dissuading my opponents from even bothering casting removal spells because they anticipate the counter. I tend to bounce it last and I'm yet to find myself in the position where it was my only option at a time when it matters.

Universal automaton isn't actually in the deck any more. I thought I caught all my changes but apparently missed some. Completely agree, it just doesn't do enough.

For unblockable-ness (unblockability?), Thassa, God of the Sea is obviously very good. She's also $20. You already have Aqueous Form, but I also like Aether Tunnel and Smoke Shroud for pushing ninjas through when I don't have a ready bounce effect for them. I also like Whispersilk Cloak, but I understand your reasoning for leaving it out.

So far, for me personally, more ways to get creatures though hasn't been a problem. My meta tends to be a little more "big stompy idiots" so my pace out of the gates is usually enough to deploy enough creatures to always get through, and my tempo / bounce spells have so far done enough to remove blockers or protect my key pieces. Smoke Shroud is definitely on my radar for an inclusion though.

Since you mentioned not missing board wipes and liking mass bounce better, two of my favorite mass bounce spells are Devastation Tide and Evacuation. If you decide you want to start running wipes, these are great for resetting your opponents' boards while you get some extra combat steps in, not to mention that Evacuation is instant speed. I also like Rags // Riches, but mostly because it hits mana dorks and is a good flip for Yuriko.

Devastation tide is actually in the deck. Like I say, I need to update it. Evacuation is another card I intend to pick up, I just don't own a copy yet.

Rags // Riches was in my first draft but I ended up cutting it. With my specific build running so few lands a no rocks, I felt that the Rags half just hurts me more than any of my opponents (as I mentioned, I play in a big stompy green kind of a meta) and I rarely get enough mana to cast Riches. Fortunately, it's mostly because my opponents are dead before I get there, but both of those things led me to cut it.

For topdeck filtering, I was going to recommend Insidious Dreams, Lim-Dul's Vault, and Doomsday for the utility/memes, but I just found out they're all over $10 now. So instead, Bolas's Citadel is pretty damn good at getting low cost spells off the top. The downside is that you have to obey normal timing and can't exceed land per turn limits. Still, more topdeck manipulation is always good for Yuriko, in my experience.

Insidious Dreams and Lim Dul's Vault are cards I've looked at but haven't managed to find copies of yet. More to add to the card discussion point for sure as they are great here.

I was seriously considering Bolas's Citadel, but having a 6cmc spell that I can't reduce the cost of is a concern for my version of the deck at least. 6 mana almost certainly means taking my entire turn off at a point in the game where I tend to be in control/tempo mode. Might still be worth it given how powerful the card is, and I'm running top too, but 6 mana is a concern.

For protection, the only card I can really recommend is Walker of Secret Ways. She's a ninja. She bounces ninjas. She's cheap. What's not to love? The fact that it only works on your turn. That part is occasionally annoying. Still, she saves ninjas that people target before damage step.

Walker of Secret Ways is another card that I've looked at but have yet to find in stock so far. Certainly a great card and worth a play test when I can get my hands on one.

Last, I would say that Wound Reflection and Quietus Spike are great ways to do more damage. The former is a bit expensive mana-wise, but often pays you back by turning one or two triggers into a game winning turn. Quietus Spike is just nice to stick on an unblockable creature early or on something small later to force your opponents to block a 1/1 instead of a ninja.

I'm in a similar boat here as I am with Bolas's Citadel. I can definitely see the advantage, but the inherent upfront mana cost concerns me.

Overall, I really enjoyed seeing your list and I thought it was well-built. I had never considered running Viscera Seer as a way to instantly move Yuriko around, and Trickery Charm and Soothsaying are both so good I'm amazed I've never seen them before. Nice job on the primer. If you want any help making variant budget lists or anything like that, let me know.

Thanks for the positive feedback. Glad there were a few things in here that you were able to take away too.

Would definitely be interested in getting some more build types in here for Yuriko. Whether that's a primer for your build or fleshing out the variants section with information based on your style build I'm not sure, but it would definitely be cool to get something in here.


Edit:
Just clearing up some typos and stuff.

[SanchezelMagna]

https://deckstats.net/decks/131116/1537263-yuriko-v05?lng=en

I use the phrases "evasive critters" in my yuriko deck build as well.

This deck has won as early as turn 4.  Draco should not be cut.

[Morganator 2.0]

I have a few things to ask. Regardless of your answers this is a well-written primer and a good resource for many readers.

Slyvester12 already brought up Doomsday, but I couldn't find any mention of it in your reply or the primer. Is this a card you would use? If yes, would you want to make an actual Doomsday pile, or just stack your five highest costing cards on top?

WizardSpartan mentioned Scheming Symmetry, but again, no follow-up. I know you can't afford the more expensive tutors, but this one should be manageable. Unless you think that the downside is too much.

Now I can understand why you wouldn't use the more mana-expensive unblockable options (like Whispersilk Cloak and Rogue's Passage) but is Wingcrafter a good compromise?