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Kumano, Master Yamabushi

Legendary Creature — Human Shaman

{1}{R}: Kumano deals 1 damage to any target.
If a creature dealt damage by Kumano this turn would die, exile it instead.

CMC
5
Mana cost
{3}{R}{R}
Color identity
R
Rarity
rare
Set
Champions of Kamigawa
Price
$0.35
EDHREC rank
#21628
Buy on TCGplayer
Kumano, Master Yamabushi card art
Kumano, Master Yamabushi turns any source of mana into a repeatable exile-on-death engine — the activated ability is cheap enough to fire every combat, and the damage-to-exile clause shuts down graveyard recursion without a dedicated hate piece. The cost is five mana for a 4/4 with no built-in protection, which makes him a removal magnet before he ever gets to swing; pair him with Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator or any consistent pinger shell and the payoff justifies the risk.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

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

In Commander, Kumano, Master Yamabushi plays two roles at once: a persistent damage source for combo lines and incidental graveyard hate that taxes recursion-heavy pods without requiring a sideboard slot. Legacy and Vintage have faster, cheaper answers to everything he does, so he doesn't see meaningful play there. Modern's creature-heavy, recursive meta is theoretically where the exile clause matters most, but five mana and no immediate impact price him out of competitive lists. He's essentially a Commander-only card, and even there he's a build-around rather than a staple.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.35 bulk tier

At $0.35, Kumano, Master Yamabushi sits firmly in bulk territory — cheap enough to pick up as a casual experiment with no financial downside. Demand is too niche to push the price up, so don't expect movement unless a breakout combo deck elevates his profile.

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Sources

Mentioned

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