Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants
Legendary Planeswalker — Ajani
+1: Put a +1/+1 counter on each of up to two target creatures.
−2: Return target creature card with mana value 2 or less from your graveyard to the battlefield.
−7: You get an emblem with "At the beginning of your end step, create three 1/1 white Cat creature tokens with lifelink."
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Core Set 2019 Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #8110
Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants lands on turn four and immediately starts pumping creatures or returning small threats from the graveyard — that's a three-loyalty planeswalker doing real work the moment it resolves. The cost is a four-mana investment in a format full of instant-speed removal, but Ajani, Nacatl Pariah can flip into it for free, which changes the math entirely.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
Ajani, Nacatl Pariah flips directly into Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants when its triggered ability resolves, meaning you can reach the Adversary's powerful minus ability without ever paying four mana. That free transformation is the whole reason this card sees 41% inclusion in Nacatl Pariah lists — it's not a companion piece, it's the payoff.
Arahbo, the First Fang
Arahbo, the First Fang runs a Cat-tribal shell full of small, recursive threats, and Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants plugs directly into that plan by returning fallen Cats from the graveyard and keeping the board stocked for Arahbo to pump. The plus ability's +1/+1 counters also stack efficiently with any other counter synergies the deck runs.
Arahbo, Roar of the World
Arahbo, Roar of the World wants a steady stream of Cats to imbue each combat, and Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants keeps that stream flowing by reanimating two-power creatures that get picked off by removal. At 16.6% inclusion across more than ten thousand decks, it's a proven role-player in the archetype.
Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion // Master Chef
Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion // Master Chef is built around stacking +1/+1 counters on creatures, and Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants contributes on both axes — the plus ability adds counters directly, and the minus restocks the board with bodies for Lae'zel to continue buffing. It's straightforward counter synergy that earns its slot at roughly 13% inclusion.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants is a role-player rather than a staple — it earns its seat specifically in Cat tribal and counter-stacking decks, not as a general-purpose planeswalker. Pioneer is where it has historically seen the most competitive attention, fitting into aggressive white strategies that want recursive pressure on a reasonable mana cost. Modern is legal but the competition is fierce; four-mana planeswalkers need to close games faster than Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants typically can in that environment. Legacy and Vintage are both legal on paper, but the power level of those formats makes a four-mana creature-focused walker essentially irrelevant.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Current pricing data for Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants isn't available in this context, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for a live number. As a rare planeswalker from a large set with multiple printings, it typically sits in the budget-to-mid range — worth picking up if you're building a Cat tribal or counter deck, not a priority otherwise.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
- Arahbo, the First Fang
- Arahbo, Roar of the World
- Lae'zel, Vlaakith's Champion // Master Chef
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.