Cyan, Vengeful SamuraiCyan, Vengeful Samurai | Art by Christian Angel

Early in Final Fantasy VI, the villainous clown Kefka poisons the water supply at the kingdom of Doma, resulting in the death of its military, citizens, and royalty. Cyan, the legendary samurai protector of Doma, emerges as the lone survivor despite losing his wife and young son in the massacre.

This tragic event spurs Cyan to enter the fight against the dreaded imperials, channeling his outrage into considerable thwacks with his “Bushido” sword arts.

Wizards of the Coast nails the design for Cyan, Vengeful SamuraiCyan, Vengeful Samurai, found in the recent Final Fantasy Commander release. The greater the number of fallen soldiers, the quicker Cyan can emerge to avenge their deaths. It felt fitting, though somewhat cruel, to build a deck in which Cyan, relegated to the command zone, must relive the horrors of losing his brethren every time you shuffle up.

What Does Cyan, Vengeful Samurai Do?

Cyan appears as a seven-mana 3/3 double striker whose cost is reduced by the number of creatures in your graveyard. He also gains a +1/+1 counter when a creature card leaves your graveyard, whether that’s back onto the battlefield, into your hand, or into exile never to be seen again.

Cyan thrives on reunions and farewells alike.

As a graveyard commander, Cyan plays like he has delve without requiring any pesky exiling to reduce his mana cost. This places him in an odd space among mono-white graveyard compatriots like Teshar, Ancestor's ApostleTeshar, Ancestor's Apostle, Celestine, the Living SaintCelestine, the Living Saint, and Mavinda, Students' AdvocateMavinda, Students' Advocate, who can recur cards rather than benefit from letting them lie.

If anything, it’s as if Karador, Ghost ChieftainKarador, Ghost Chieftain shed its green and black color identities and leaned into a Voltron strategy. Plus, even in a color rife with cheap commanders, Cyan can reliably come down for a single mana and actually benefits from graveyard hate when he’s on the battlefield.

Key Cards for Cyan, Vengeful Samurai

First up are the cheap, self-sacrificial creatures that hit the board early and fuel Cyan’s arrivals later.

Many of these serve a dual purpose as sources of disruption, such as:

• Bounty AgentBounty Agent
• Cathar CommandoCathar Commando
• Nettle GuardNettle Guard
• Remorseful ClericRemorseful Cleric
• Westfold RiderWestfold Rider

Others bravely give up their lives to protect another’s; these include:

• Benevolent BodyguardBenevolent Bodyguard
• Kami of False HopeKami of False Hope
• Zack FairZack Fair
• Selfless SaviorSelfless Savior
• Selfless SpiritSelfless Spirit
• Selfless SamuraiSelfless Samurai

If you thought mono-white was light on CounterspellCounterspell effects, think again. Presenting: Vigilant MartyrVigilant Martyr, here to both regenerate a creature or — surprisingly crucially — counter an effort to remove one of your win-cons. Notably, this effect applies to any enchantment on the board, not just your own, for when an opponent goes after another’s Banishing LightBanishing Light or Imprisoned in the MoonImprisoned in the Moon variant keeping a troublesome Commander at bay.

Naturally, we’d want to bring these value creatures back to the battlefield anyway, but it doesn’t hurt that Cyan beefs up each time we do it.

These all offer one-time bursts of reanimation:

• ReveillarkReveillark
• Rally the AncestorsRally the Ancestors
• Return to the RanksReturn to the Ranks
• Sevinne's ReclamationSevinne's Reclamation
• Helping HandHelping Hand
• Raise the PastRaise the Past
• Hourglass of the LostHourglass of the Lost
• Patch UpPatch Up

And Court of ArdenvaleCourt of Ardenvale and Sun TitanSun Titan can exhume something every turn. I’m also a huge fan of Battle of Hoover DamBattle of Hoover Dam in this deck; pick NCR if the graveyard’s full and Legion if it’s not.

Even in the absence of Cyan, the deck benefits greatly from these small nuisance creatures entering and (swiftly) exiting the battlefield.

Card draw staples like Tocasia's WelcomeTocasia's Welcome, Welcoming VampireWelcoming Vampire and Enduring InnocenceEnduring Innocence accumulate value quickly, even with the once-per-turn restriction in place.

Death-wise, it feels like Merchant of TruthMerchant of Truth, Priest of the CrossingPriest of the Crossing and Anafenza, Unyielding LineageAnafenza, Unyielding Lineage were printed with this exact sort of deck in mind.

My ramp selection includes the usual suspects in addition to Sand ScoutSand Scout, which is effectively a Loyal WarhoundLoyal Warhound with a bit of upside if the deck contains a handful of Desert cards.

I chose to run Conduit PylonsConduit Pylons as a fetchable Surveil land, Lazotep QuarryLazotep Quarry for a sac outlet and recursion source, Shefet DunesShefet Dunes for a (very) mini-anthem effect, and Cactus PreserveCactus Preserve which can become a 7/7 creature in a pinch.

How Does This Cyan, Vengeful Samurai Deck Win?

Your first order of business is to draw the game out and grow your graveyard. Ideally, your starting hand will include at least one source of card draw to keep the weenies flowing. Don't be shy about cracking your self-sacrificing creatures or throwing others in as blockers. The less mana you pay for your initial casting of Cyan, the better. Then, with Cyan out, you can start recurring creatures to grow and protect the general until it’s time to die, then live again.

This deck offers the flexibility to either go tall or wide, depending on the situation. Cyan himself boasts double strike and an ability that grows his power and toughness along with our game plan — although, without some form of evasion, a mere 1/1 token can keep him at bay.

Sword of Forge and FrontierSword of Forge and Frontier, Sword of Light and ShadowSword of Light and Shadow and Zephyr BootsZephyr Boots can help while holding the added benefit of triggering off both of Cyan’s strikes.

Failing that, it’s not difficult to overwhelm opponents with a board full of weenies. Cathars' CrusadeCathars' Crusade pumps your team to gargantuan heights that may require a bit of mathematics to keep straight.

Starlight SpectacularStarlight Spectacular is quite fun and becomes more powerful when you can dump another weenie or two onto the battlefield pre-combat. Mirror EntityMirror Entity serves the same purpose and can be activated for zero mana to wipe your board in one fell swoop for an emergency Cyan casting.

Cyan, Vengeful Samurai Commander Deck List

Only the Dead Have Seen the End of War

This deck is quite resilient and sails under-the-radar until you've extracted maximum value from every fragile weenie. To temper its power level further, I've opted not to include Karmic GuideKarmic Guide since it forms an infinite combo with ReveillarkReveillark, Mirror EntityMirror Entity, and Ashnod's AltarAshnod's Altar; Cyan deserves his vengeance, and I want to afford him an honest one. I'd put this solidly at Bracket 3 even though it's only a $120 deck.

For those who decide to sleeve this one up, I'd be curious which lines of play you've favored. Also, are you a graveyard aficionado like me? Where does this commander slot into the pantheon of great graveyarders?