Splinter, Radical Rat
CommanderSplinter, Radical Rat is an Esper Ninja commander that doubles your Ninja triggers and helps key attackers connect.
Public decks: 1Bracket: 1
Card text
Legendary Creature — Mutant Ninja Rat
If a triggered ability of a Ninja creature you control triggers, that ability triggers an additional time.
: Target Ninja can't be blocked this turn.
Building around this commander?
Use MTG Master to build or analyze a Commander deck around this card, check consistency, and find weak spots before your next game.
Overview
- Build around Ninja creatures with triggered abilities, especially those that reward connecting in combat.
- Splinter turns each qualifying Ninja trigger into two triggers, increasing the value of every successful attack.
- Its activated ability lets you push an important Ninja through blockers for a small mana investment.
- Games tend to reward careful combat sequencing: identify the safest opponent, connect, then leverage the doubled payoff.
- With only one public deck in this snapshot, the broader build pattern is still developing rather than established.
Common lines
- Deploy evasive creatures and Ninja threats early to establish combat pressure.
- Cast Splinter once you can protect it or immediately benefit from doubled Ninja triggers.
- Use Splinter's unblockable ability to force through the Ninja whose trigger matters most that turn.
- Convert repeated combat connections into a growing resource or board advantage, then finish through sustained attacks.
Strengths
- Doubles triggered abilities from your Ninja creatures without requiring an additional card.
- Provides reliable evasion from the command zone for a modest mana cost.
- Esper colors can support both proactive creature play and reactive interaction.
- Can pressure opponents while leaving mana available to influence combat or protect a key turn.
Weaknesses
- Splinter does little without Ninja creatures and relevant triggered abilities already in play.
- The deck is combat-dependent and can stumble against dense blockers or repeated creature removal.
- The unblockable ability is mana-intensive when several attackers need help in the same turn.
- A board wipe can reset the creature-based engine and slow down subsequent attacks.
Rule zero notes
- Explain that the commander can double triggered abilities from Ninja creatures, which can make combat connections snowball quickly.
- Mention how much countermagic or other reactive interaction the list contains.
- Mention whether the deck includes significant attack-tax effects or other defensive permanents.
- The available snapshot reflects a single public list at bracket 1, so its expected power and configuration should be discussed rather than assumed.
Matchups
Best into
- Creature-heavy midrange pods where individual evasive attackers can find profitable lanes.
- Slower value decks that give you time to establish multiple Ninja threats.
- Tables that rely on conventional blocking rather than frequent board resets.
Struggles against
- Removal-heavy control pods that repeatedly answer Splinter or key Ninja creatures.
- Fast combo tables that can ignore combat pressure and end the game before your engine develops.
- Token-heavy boards that can make ordinary attacks difficult when mana is constrained.
FAQ
What does Splinter double?
It doubles triggered abilities of Ninja creatures you control when those abilities trigger. It does not double every triggered ability you control.
Does Splinter make a Ninja unblockable permanently?
No. Its activated ability makes one target Ninja unable to be blocked for that turn.
Is Splinter only for combat damage triggers?
No. Any triggered ability of a Ninja creature you control qualifies, provided it triggers while Splinter is on the battlefield.
How does this commander usually win?
It typically wins by repeatedly connecting with Ninja creatures, extracting doubled value from their triggers, and converting that advantage into sustained combat pressure.
What kind of table fits Splinter best?
The single available public list is placed in bracket 1, but the commander can be tuned differently. Discuss interaction density and the intended pace of play before the game.