Ajani's Sunstriker
Creature — Cat Cleric
Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Magic 2013
- Price
- $0.13
- EDHREC rank
- #13897
Ajani's Sunstriker is a 2/2 lifelinker for two mana — functional, but that's the ceiling. In Commander, where Arahbo, the First Fang can pump a single cat to lethal in one swing, a 2/2 baseline is mostly just a lifelink delivery mechanism that scales poorly compared to the rest of the cat package.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Arahbo, the First Fang
Arahbo, the First Fang appears in about 40% of Ajani's Sunstriker lists because any cat with lifelink becomes a serious life-swing threat once Arahbo's eminence pump lands — Ajani's Sunstriker turns a free +3/+3 into a 5/5 lifelink hit on turn two.
Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
Ajani, Nacatl Pariah lists include Ajani's Sunstriker at around 16% — it's primarily a tribal headcount that pulls double duty as a named Ajani card, feeding any flavor or synergy hooks the deck wants while providing a cheap lifelink body early.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Ajani's Sunstriker is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker. In Pauper it's a passable common in dedicated lifegain shells, though two mana for a 2/2 lifelinker faces stiff competition even at common. In Modern and Legacy it doesn't register — more efficient lifelink threats exist at every point on the curve. Commander is where Ajani's Sunstriker sees the most play, and only then in cat tribal builds where tribal density and lifelink synergies justify the slot.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.13 bulk tier
At $0.13, Ajani's Sunstriker is deep bulk — you're paying almost nothing for a card that earns its slot only in specific tribal builds. Bulk commons and uncommons at this price tier don't appreciate; buy it if you need it, ignore it otherwise.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Arahbo, the First Fang
- Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.