GreenLegendary Creature — Human SamuraiIsao, Enlightened Bushi
Mana value3Rank#21,955
The Commander
This spell can't be countered.
Bushido 2 (Whenever this creature blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +2/+2 until end of turn.)
: Regenerate target Samurai.
Guide
Gameplan
Suit up Isao as a resilient, evasion-light beater in a mono-green Voltron or Samurai tribal shell, using Bushido and regeneration to win combat and protect your board. You ramp early, deploy Isao around turn 3-4, and pile on equipment, auras, and pump to swing for lethal commander damage while regenerating your Samurai through removal and blocks.
Strengths
- Can't be countered, making Isao a reliable early threat against control decks.
- Bushido 2 plus regeneration makes Isao a near-unkillable combat machine that wins races and trades.
- Repeatable : Regenerate keeps your whole Samurai squad alive through wraths and combat.
- Cheap three-mana commander recasts easily and benefits from mono-green ramp.
Weaknesses
- Mono-green struggles with flying and interaction, leaving Isao vulnerable to evasive threats.
- Regeneration does nothing against exile, -X/-X, sacrifice, or bounce removal.
- Samurai tribal lacks deep, powerful support cards, so the deck leans heavily on generic green tools.
- No innate evasion means Isao can be chump-blocked indefinitely without trample or unblockable effects.
Key Cards
- Shizo, Death's Storehouse — Grants Isao fear for reliable evasion to push through commander damage.
- Rancor — Recurring trample and pump that keeps coming back after Isao dies, ideal for Voltron.
- Swiftfoot Boots — Hexproof and haste protect Isao from targeted removal that regeneration can't stop.
- Konda's Banner — A Samurai-themed equipment that pumps your legendary commander and the team.
- Garruk's Uprising — Card draw on big creatures plus team trample, fueling both the swarm and Voltron plans.
- Heroic Intervention — Mono-green's best protection against board wipes and targeted removal for your squad.
Upgrade Path
Add efficient green ramp (Sol Ring, Three Visits, Nature's Lore) and evasion enablers like Rogue's Passage and trample sources to ensure Isao connects. Upgrade protection with Heroic Intervention, Lightning Greaves, and Veil of Summer, and lean into a clear finisher package—Craterhoof Behemoth, Pathbreaker Ibex, or Triumph of the Hordes—to convert your board into a one-shot kill.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Lethal commander damage from a suited-up, regenerating Isao with trample or evasion.
- ▸Overrun-style alpha strike with a wide Samurai board and a pump effect like Craterhoof Behemoth.
- ▸Grinding out attrition with regeneratable Samurai that survive blocks and wraths.
Archetypes
- Voltron — Isao's resilience and regeneration make him a perfect target for equipment and auras to deal lethal commander damage.
- Samurai Tribal — His regeneration ability and Bushido reward a go-wide board of Samurai attackers.
- Stompy/Aggro — Mono-green ramp into big creatures with trample exploits Isao as an evasive finisher.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (G), by popularity.
