The Commander
First strike
Whenever a Samurai or Warrior you control attacks alone, untap it. If it's the first combat phase of the turn, there is an additional combat phase after this phase.
Guide
Gameplan
Build around a single powerful Samurai or Warrior attacker (often Raiyuu himself or a Voltron threat) that attacks alone to untap and trigger an extra combat phase. Stack equipment, auras, and combat-trigger payoffs so each swing deals huge damage twice per turn, while the untap keeps your attacker available to block. Close games by piling buffs and double-strike onto one creature for explosive lethal damage.
Strengths
- Free extra combat phase every turn enables 2x triggered damage and commander-damage kills
- Untapping the lone attacker lets it block, keeping you defended while still being aggressive
- Cheap 4-mana first-striker that's an immediate threat and rebuilds quickly
- Boros aggression with built-in card-advantage-via-tempo through repeated attack triggers
Weaknesses
- Attacking 'alone' restriction punishes wide token strategies and clogs combat with multiple creatures
- Highly reliant on the commander; removal/tax slows the whole plan
- Red-white's chronic weakness to card draw and ramp limits late-game resilience
- Vulnerable to fogs, mass blockers, and single-target removal on your lone threat
Key Cards
- Embercleave — Cheap to cast after combat triggers and grants double strike on your lone attacker for absurd burst.
- Sword of Feast and Famine — Untaps your lands each connect, and with extra combats it triggers twice for huge mana and hand disruption.
- Najeela, the Blade-Blossom — A Warrior whose own ability chains even more combat phases, snowballing with Raiyuu's extra phase.
- Fireshrieker — Cheap double strike doubles every attack trigger and combat-damage payoff.
- Reconnaissance — Lets your lone attacker hit then be pulled from combat to block, and games with Raiyuu's untap.
Upgrade Path
Lean fully into Voltron consistency with protective gear (Swiftfoot Boots, Mithril Coat) and evasion (Whispersilk Cloak) so your lone attacker reliably connects. Add more extra-combat engines (Aggravated Assault, Combat Celebrant, Najeela) and double-strike sources to chain swings, plus Boros ramp and card draw like Smothering Tithe, Sram, and Esper Sentinel to refuel. Tighten the curve and add tutors (Stoneforge Mystic, Open the Armory) to find your key equipment faster.
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
- ▸Commander/Voltron damage doubled across two combat phases
- ▸Double strike + equipment burst (Embercleave/Fireshrieker) for one-shot kills
- ▸Extra-combat loops with Najeela or Aggravated Assault going lethal
- ▸Connecting with Sword/protection equipment to grind opponents out
Archetypes
- Voltron — Concentrating buffs and equipment on a single attacker maximizes the attack-alone untap and extra combat.
- Warrior/Samurai Tribal — Any tribal creature can be the lone attacker, and bushido/exert payoffs love repeated untaps and combats.
- Aggro Combat — Extra combat steps plus untapping turn one threat into double damage output each turn.
- Combo (Extra Combats) — Stacking extra-combat enablers like Najeela or Aggravated Assault creates near-infinite swing loops.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (RW), by popularity.
