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Rabrandt, Eorzean Ninja (Card)

Taking the art that LittleBadWolf drew of my FF XIV Ninja, I created this.

At the time, one of my favorite Commander decks was helmed by Yuriko, the Tiger’s Shadow. (I still have it, but I don’t bring it out frequently because of its reputation.) Ninjas were fun and since my FF XIV character was a Ninja (among other things), I wanted to see if I could think of an interesting way to approach Ninjustu that could either slot into that deck or be the basis of an entirely new one.

That’s why the card has “Commander Ninjustu” instead of regularly Ninjustu, so that it could be the Commander of its own deck. Additionally, it’s also a Rogue because in FF XIV, Ninja is the advanced form of the Rogue class, meaning both labels are accurate. (This also has the neat benefit, in light of Thunder Junction, of making this card an outlaw for relevant synergies.)

At the time, there weren’t any Ninjas that interacted with the instants and sorceries within another player’s graveyard. Such wanton acts of thievery were solidly within blue and black, so that felt like the most natural way to approach a new Ninjustu design.

I would probably, in retrospect, reduce the costs on this card and change the flavor text, but I am overall happy with the design. And who knows? I might end up building it one day.