Arcane Foundry › Commanders › Shao Jun
Shao Jun
Legendary Creature — Human Assassin · {1}{U}{R} · Red/Blue commander
Leap Strike — During your turn, Shao Jun has flying and first strike.
Rope Dart — Tap two untapped artifacts you control: Shao Jun deals 1 damage to each opponent.
Build a Shao Jun deck →
What Shao Jun actually does
Read off the card by the same engine the Forge and Analyzer use — this is the mechanical classification, not a summary.
- Activated abilityTap two untapped artifacts you control: Shao Jun deals 1 damage to each opponent.
- Keyword · leap strikeleap strike
- Keyword · rope dartrope dart
What a Shao Jun deck needs
Plays as artifacts. What the commander asks of the other 99 — read from the card and checked by hand.
- artifacts (tap two to ping each opponent)
The Shao Jun deck plan
The roles the Forge fills for this commander, and how many cards of each.
- 33× A permanent of the exact NON-creature type the commander counts — artifacts for an artifact commander, enchantments for an enchantress
- 6× Actually remove one problem permanent — preventing its damage is not removing it
- 10× Find the exact card the plan needs
- 3× Answer a spell or ability before it resolves
- 2× Answer a whole board at once
- 8× Refill your hand
- 3× Keep a permanent you control alive through removal
- 11× Get ahead on mana
Best cards for Shao Jun
Ranked by an engine that reads what each card does — its real cost, its delay and how reliably it works — rather than counting how often other people play it.
A permanent of the exact NON-creature type the commander counts — artifacts for an artifact commander, enchantments for an enchantress
- Chrome Mox0 mana
- Everflowing Chalice0 mana
- Lotus Petal0 mana
- Mox Amber0 mana
- Mox Diamond0 mana
- Mox Opal0 mana
- Lion's Eye Diamond0 mana
- Ornithopter0 mana
Actually remove one problem permanent — preventing its damage is not removing it
- Reality Shift2 mana
- Wild Magic Surge2 mana
- Pongify1 mana
- Rapid Hybridization1 mana
- Resculpt2 mana
- Crush1 mana
- Umezawa's Jitte2 mana
- Jilt2 mana
Find the exact card the plan needs
- Reshape2 mana
- Mask of the Mimic1 mana
- Long-Term Plans3 mana
- Whir of Invention3 mana
- Merchant Scroll2 mana
- Mystical Tutor1 mana
- Muddle the Mixture2 mana
- Personal Tutor1 mana
Answer a spell or ability before it resolves
- Mindbreak Trap4 mana
- Fierce Guardianship3 mana
- Force of Negation3 mana
- Force of Will5 mana
- Flare of Denial3 mana
- Pact of Negation0 mana
- An Offer You Can't Refuse1 mana
- Arcane Denial2 mana
Answer a whole board at once
- Blasphemous Act9 mana
- Chain Reaction4 mana
- Street Spasm1 mana
- Desynchronization4 mana
- Wave Goodbye4 mana
- Whelming Wave4 mana
- Consuming Tide4 mana
- Selective Obliteration5 mana
Refill your hand
- Mystic Remora1 mana
- Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer1 mana
- Skullclamp1 mana
- Curiosity1 mana
- Wizard Class1 mana
- Professional Face-Breaker3 mana
- Rhystic Study3 mana
- Faerie Mastermind2 mana
Keep a permanent you control alive through removal
- Hexing Squelcher2 mana
- Lost in the Maze2 mana
- Lightning Greaves2 mana
- Swiftfoot Boots2 mana
- Eldrazi Monument5 mana
- Commander's Plate1 mana
- Mithril Coat3 mana
- Akroma's Memorial7 mana
Get ahead on mana
- Sol Ring1 mana
- Izzet Signet2 mana
- Palladium Myr3 mana
- Worn Powerstone3 mana
- Chrome Mox0 mana
- Everflowing Chalice0 mana
- Mox Diamond0 mana
- Mana Vault1 mana
Combos with Shao Jun
Known combos from Commander Spellbook that Shao Jun is a piece of, and how many decks list them.
- Shao Jun + Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator + Maskwood Nexus1,627 decks
- Shao Jun + Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator + Leyline Of Transformation1,578 decks
- Shao Jun + Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator + Imagecrafter1,156 decks
- Shao Jun + Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator + Runed Stalactite1,051 decks
- Shao Jun + Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator + Amoeboid Changeling982 decks
- Shao Jun + Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator + Arcane Adaptation838 decks