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For awhile now I've wanted to try ninjas out, here's my first attempt at it.

This is ment to be casual but I also want it to be able to win.

creatures


4 x signal pest
4 x Ornithopter
4 x invisible stalker
4 x Ninja of the Deep Hours
4 x Sakashima's Student
4 x Mistblade Shinobi
1 x Higure, the Still Wind

spells

4 x Familiar's Ruse
4 x Distortion Strike
4 x Into the Roil
3 x cancel

lands

20 x island



How does it look?

I'd run Snap over Into the Roil , because it allows you to bounce their blocker and pay for your ninjitsu costs in the same turn.

Since you don't have many instant speed spells I think Daze would certainly be better than a hard counter since it is "free". Mana Leak is another option if you don't want Daze, but Daze is going to be the best since you don't have to worry about leaving mana up so you can play your Ninjas comfortably.

I also don't see much of a point in running Familiar's Ruse over Counterspell . It would make sense if your deck has something like Spellstutter Sprite that was good to bounce, but on its own there aren't going to be many situations where it is better than Counterspell. I mean you can use it to bounce your Ninja and reninjitsu it if they have a blocker, but that is a lot of work for not much reward.

Some effect like Narcolepsy , Crippling Chill , or Ghostly Touch could be good in this deck.

I think with Ornothopter you should be playing Faerie Impostor .

The deck could use some value creatures with ETB effects to reuse with Ninja of the Deep and friends, but besides Spellstutter my mind is drawing a blank. I don't think blue has many good creatures like that that cost two mana or less.

Looter il-Kor might be good, don't know if it's better than Invisible Stalker in your deck though.

Some cheap equipment like Bonesplitter could be good for sticking on Ornothopter and Signal Pest once you run out of Ninja creatures. Now that I think of it you might want to run some Splitters and perhaps Trinket Mage as well.

I wouldn't bother with Cancel here as it's too costly and it doesn't really synergize with the rest of your gameplan. I also don't like the full playset of Sakashima's Student here - since most of your stuff is quite underwhelming.

- 1  Sakashima's Student
- 3 Island
+ 4 Soaring SeaCliff

You also need more Bounce (for both Board Control, and to enable repeated Ninjitsu).

- 4 Familiar's Ruse
+ 4 Curfew

I don't like the 12 Ninjitsu Enablers, (especially alongside both  Soaring SeaCliff and Distortion Strike ).

- 4 Signal Pest
+ 1 Higure, The Still Wind
+ 3 Walker Of Secret Ways
 

It looks ok to me. The power level seems ok for most casual groups that I've been a part of. I'm sure you know this already but cancel is an easy swap for counterspell . I might even go with something like sleep as a finisher of sorts for the deck in that spot. Maybe door of destinies or coat of arms to help with the damage.

Unfortunately this decklist could have a ton of really bad matchups. I think a card like umezawa's jitte would help (gives a little bit of board control or helps deal damage faster since the damage happens so slowly) but that isn't really a casual player's type of card.

It's a clean list (no real obvious flaws) but depending on the decklists you face it could be very bad.

@AzazelWandering
Soaring SeaCliff was a really good suggestion. I dismissed that card as crap a long time ago, but it's actually really good here.

Oct 5, 2012 -- 6:04PM, AzazelWandering wrote:

I wouldn't bother with Cancel here as it's too costly and it doesn't really synergize with the rest of your gameplan. I also don't like the full playset of Sakashima's Student here - since most of your stuff is quite underwhelming.

- 1  Sakashima's Student
- 3 Island
+ 4 Soaring SeaCliff

You also need more Bounce (for both Board Control, and to enable repeated Ninjitsu).

- 4 Familiar's Ruse
+ 4 Curfew

I don't like the 12 Ninjitsu Enablers, (especially alongside both  Soaring SeaCliff and Distortion Strike ).

- 4 Signal Pest
+ 1 Higure, The Still Wind
+ 3 Walker Of Secret Ways
 

I think that having some countermagic in the decklist is ok and I really don't think very highly of walker of secret ways . As far as enablers go I don't know if ornithopter and invisible stalker would be enough especially since invisible stalker doesn't come down until turn 2 (when you should be getting in with one of your ninjas already).

Oct 5, 2012 -- 6:28PM, morticianjohn wrote:

and I really don't think very highly of Walker Of Secret Ways

I don't really either (although the "return a Ninja" ability is pretty decent). But with so few Ninja's in , OP may need to run some of the bad ones.

Oct 5, 2012 -- 6:28PM, morticianjohn wrote:

As far as enablers go I don't know if ornithopter and invisible stalker would be enough

I also encouraged OP to run Soaring SeaCliff and (to keep) Distortion Strike - so Ornithopter and Invisible Stalker aren't the only enablers.


Also, I feel like it's worth mentioning the First Strike + Ninjitsu trick: First strike and double strike creatures assign combat damage during the first strike combat damage step. In the "normal" combat damage step, creatures with double strike, plus any creatures that didn't assign combat damage in the first strike combat damage step, assign their damage, even if they weren't around at the time. This means that if you ninjutsu out your unblocked first/double striker during the first strike combat damage step, before the game moves on to the "normal" combat damage step, your Ninja will deal damage during the normal combat damage step.

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll try to rework it with your guys suggestions.

Did want to ask, if invisible stalker isn't that great an idea, what is another good quick play then?

Also, would u/b be better overall? I know it opens up the legendary rat and the demon but I wasn't to impressed with the other black ninjas.

Black gives you access to real removal and hand disruption. Throat Slitter is very good with Ninjas because it clears blockers and turns your Distortion Strike effects into removal. Okiba-Gang Shinobi is the best late game Ninja, and brutal against control decks.

Oct 5, 2012 -- 8:40PM, Weedygit2345 wrote:

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll try to rework it with your guys suggestions.

Did want to ask, if invisible stalker isn't that great an idea, what is another good quick play then?

Also, would u/b be better overall? I know it opens up the legendary rat and the demon but I wasn't to impressed with the other black ninjas.

invisible stalker is good because it's straight unblockable so it will get around guys like deadly recluse or other potential blockers which have the potential to ruin your gameplan.

I'm not really sure how good the hexproof will be because they can still use instants to kill your ninjas after you ninjitsu them in but the unblockability is pretty key.

heres a random card i thought might work ive bein stumbleing threw peoples threads i thoght maybe cast through time might work out for you or maybe quicken idk just some random cards thoght might help

Thalakos Seer is pretty darn good with ninjas.

Oct 8, 2012 -- 5:31AM, VRdragoon wrote:

Thalakos Seer is pretty darn good with ninjas.

Would he be better then the stalker?

Probably. It draws you cards every time you ninjutsu, and if they kill it you still draw a card. It's worse if you're up against stuff like Gideon's Lawkeeper and Pacifism though.

Lawkeeper I will see, possibly also the new detain guys.

Updated the list with your suggestions guys. Did I mprove it at all?

 4 x Ornithopter
4 x Thalakos Seer
4 x Ninja of the Deep Hours
4 x Sakashima's Student
4 x Mistblade Shinobi
2 x Higure, the Still Wind
4 x walker of secret ways

spells

3 x bonesplitter
4 x Distortion Strike
4 x Counterspell
3 x curfew


lands

4 x soaring seacliff
16 x island

Oct 8, 2012 -- 1:13AM, TheMasterFuduh wrote:

heres a random card i thought might work ive bein stumbleing threw peoples threads i thoght maybe cast through time might work out for you or maybe quicken idk just some random cards thoght might help

I can't believe I missed those - thanks.


OP: Your autocarding isn't working - too many x's methinks.


I'd still like to see 24 Lands here.

Rather than BoneSplitter I'd look at Sai Of The Shinobi .


For me, one of the big reasons to go in Ninja decks is to include BaleFul Strix - although it's a very expensive option.


I built a Ninja deck as part of my $15 thing, which I'll post here for inspiration:
Spoiler: Show

Sai is an easy switch.

Fixed the autocarding. So what should I take out to put in 4 more island, I'm kinda stuck with trying to figure that out.

Oct 8, 2012 -- 7:34PM, AzazelWandering wrote:

For me, one of the big reasons to go in Ninja decks is to include BaleFul Strix - although it's a very expensive option.

Good lord why is this card 12 dollars @_@

My pet ninja card to suggest is Withdraw , as it can function like a Peel from Reality , and occasionally be an Undo . It's slower then snap, but you get a bit more value with the self-bounce, although you might not need that a ton. I like it more than Curfew anyway, because your opponent does not get to pick what card they bounce of theirs.

Using the forecast on Writ of Passage is a nice way to get 'em through too.

I admire Curfew for its efficiency and ability to get around hexproof.

Oct 9, 2012 -- 3:15PM, Maraxas-of-Keld wrote:

Oct 8, 2012 -- 7:34PM, AzazelWandering wrote:

For me, one of the big reasons to go in Ninja decks is to include BaleFul Strix - although it's a very expensive option.

Good lord why is this card 12 dollars @_@.

Because it was only printed in Planechase 2012, and its being used in legacy.

Same reason that scavenging ooze and Flusterstorm are ~$20 a pop (only printed in commander).