DimirLegendary Creature — Human Elf RogueKrydle of Baldur's Gate
Mana value2Rank#7,583
The Commander
Whenever Krydle deals combat damage to a player, that player loses 1 life and mills a card, then you gain 1 life and scry 1.
Whenever you attack, you may pay 
. If you do, target creature can't be blocked this turn.
Guide
Gameplan
Krydle is a cheap, evasive Dimir commander that wants to connect for combat damage every turn, trading early aggression and self-protection for card advantage and incremental life swings. You build a low-curve rogue/unblockable shell that gets damage through, then leverage that connection into card draw, mill, or sacrifice value. Games close via repeated combat triggers, ninjutsu/saboteur abuses, or a stax-light grind into a finisher.
Strengths
- Two-mana commander means fast deployment and easy recasting after removal.
- Built-in unblockable ability makes Krydle and one other attacker reliably connect for saboteur and damage triggers.
- Lifegain plus scry every combat keeps you stable and smooths draws.
- Dimir colors give the best removal, card draw, and tutors in the format.
Weaknesses
- Small body that dies to nearly any removal or chump-trades poorly without protection.
- Combat-damage-dependent triggers stall against fogs, deathtouch blockers, and heavy go-wide defense.
- No native card draw or ramp beyond the scry, so it's value-grindy rather than explosive.
- Mill on a single player rarely closes games on its own and can accidentally enable graveyard decks.
Key Cards
- Coastal Piracy — Turns every connecting creature, not just Krydle, into a card-draw engine.
- Bident of Thassa — Refills your hand off combat damage and can force opponents to attack into your defenses.
- Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow — Pairs perfectly as a ninjutsu target and burst payoff alongside Krydle's unblockable enabler.
- Whispersilk Cloak — Makes Krydle unblockable and shroud, guaranteeing triggers while protecting your commander.
- Sword of Feast and Famine — Untaps your lands and strips a card on damage, doubling Krydle's tempo and value output.
- Anowon, the Ruin Thief — Rewards your rogue subtheme with card draw and ramp every time creatures connect.
Upgrade Path
Tighten the curve and add proactive protection (Whispersilk Cloak, Lightning Greaves, swords) so Krydle reliably connects without committing your whole turn. Lean into a rogue/ninja package with Yuriko and stronger evasive payoffs, and add fast mana plus efficient Dimir tutors to find your combat-damage engines faster. For higher power, pivot toward extra-combat effects (Aggravated Assault), reliable unblockable threats, and a compact wincon rather than relying solely on incremental value.
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
- ▸Repeated combat damage and saboteur triggers grinding opponents out over several turns.
- ▸Voltron kills with Krydle made unblockable and loaded with equipment.
- ▸Burst commander damage via Yuriko-style ninjutsu reveals alongside Krydle.
- ▸Card-advantage engine into a closing finisher like a large unblockable threat or extra-combat spells.
Archetypes
- Rogues/Ninjas — Krydle's unblockable enabler and evasion synergize with ninjutsu and rogue tribal payoffs that trigger on combat damage.
- Saboteur Value — His connect-for-value pattern wants a critical mass of combat-damage triggers like Bident and Coastal Piracy.
- Voltron/Equipment — Suiting up a guaranteed-connecting body lets you snowball with Swords and other damage riders.
- Mill/Aristocrats Lite — The mill clause and life-loss support a grindy attrition gameplan with sacrifice and recursion.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (BU), by popularity.
