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Cloudsteel Kirin

Artifact Creature — Equipment Kirin

Flying
Equipped creature has flying and "You can't lose the game and your opponents can't win the game."
Reconfigure {5} ({5}: Attach to target creature you control; or unattach from a creature. Reconfigure only as a sorcery. While attached, this isn't a creature.)

CMC
3
Mana cost
{2}{W}
Color identity
W
Rarity
rare
Set
Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Promos
Price
$0.83
EDHREC rank
#4916
Buy on TCGplayer
Cloudsteel Kirin card art
Cloudsteel Kirin shuts off all damage to you the moment it's equipped, and pairing it with Transcendence means you literally cannot lose the game — that's a two-card lock, not a cute interaction. The cost is real: three mana to cast, three more to equip, so you need either cost reduction or a commander like Balan, Wandering Knight who attaches it for free.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Balan, Wandering Knight

Balan, Wandering Knight

46.4% of decks · synergy 0.44

Balan, Wandering Knight's ability to attach all Equipment to itself for two mana turns Cloudsteel Kirin into an immediate zero-damage shield without paying the equip cost, and Balan's double strike means you're threatening lethal the same turn you go invulnerable.

02
Nahiri, Forged in Fury

Nahiri, Forged in Fury

31.7% of decks · synergy 0.29

Nahiri, Forged in Fury exiles Equipment from the top of your library and attaches them for free when a creature attacks, which means Cloudsteel Kirin can hit the battlefield already equipped — skipping the three-mana equip cost entirely.

03
Raiyuu, Storm's Edge

Raiyuu, Storm's Edge

23.8% of decks · synergy 0.21

Raiyuu, Storm's Edge rewards stacking Equipment on a single attacking Samurai or Warrior with extra combat steps, and Cloudsteel Kirin's no-damage clause lets that creature swing into any board state without risk.

04
Ratonhnhaké꞉ton

Ratonhnhaké꞉ton

17.3% of decks · synergy 0.17

Ratonhnhaké꞉ton gains power equal to the number of Equipment attached to it, so Cloudsteel Kirin is pulling double duty — padding the stat line while making that creature functionally unkillable in combat.

05
Ardenn, Intrepid ArchaeologistRograkh, Son of Rohgahh

Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist // Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh

16.5% of decks · synergy 0.14

Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist's enter-the-battlefield trigger freely redistributes all your Equipment at the start of combat, making Cloudsteel Kirin a zero-equip-cost protection piece that moves to whichever threat needs to be shielded that turn.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

In Commander, Cloudsteel Kirin is a niche but legitimate combo piece — the Transcendence lock is real, and Equipment-focused commanders have enough cost reduction to make the equip cost manageable. Outside Commander, it sees virtually no competitive play: Modern and Pioneer have faster, more reliable ways to stabilize life totals, and the three-plus-three mana investment is punishing in 1v1 at those speeds. Legacy and Vintage are theoretically legal homes, but no meaningful shell wants this effect badly enough to run it over faster options. Cloudsteel Kirin is a Commander card through and through.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.83 bulk tier

At $0.83, Cloudsteel Kirin sits firmly in bulk territory despite being the centerpiece of a genuine combo lock. That price is unlikely to move much — it's not a casual staple with broad appeal, and the decks that want it are a narrow slice of Equipment builds.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.