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Leonin Shikari

Creature — Cat Soldier

You may activate equip abilities any time you could cast an instant.

CMC
2
Mana cost
{1}{W}
Color identity
W
Rarity
rare
Set
Salvat 2005
Price
$15.50
EDHREC rank
#6702
Buy on TCGplayer
Leonin Shikari card art
Leonin Shikari lets you move Equipment at instant speed for free, turning every combat and every removal spell into a decision point for your opponent. Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale and Captain Rex Nebula are the natural homes, but any Equipment deck that wants to play politics or protect its pieces should be running this cat.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale

Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale

28.0% of decks · synergy 0.27

Syr Gwyn, Hero of Ashvale already turns Equipment into card draw, and Leonin Shikari makes that engine resilient — when a Knight gets targeted, you move the gear to another attacker at instant speed and keep the value flowing without missing a beat.

02

Kellan, the Fae-Blooded

26.0% of decks · synergy 0.24

Kellan, the Fae-Blooded wants to stack multiple Equipment on a single creature for massive Aura-style bonuses, and Leonin Shikari lets you redistribute that pile mid-combat or in response to removal so you never lose the whole investment to a single kill spell.

03
Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist

Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist

18.4% of decks · synergy 0.17

Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist locks opponents out of attacks when she's equipped, and Leonin Shikari ensures the Equipment sticks to her through interaction — move it off before she'd die, then move it right back.

04
Cloud, Midgar Mercenary

Cloud, Midgar Mercenary

16.8% of decks · synergy 0.15

Cloud, Midgar Mercenary cares about which Equipment is attached when he attacks, and Leonin Shikari lets you optimize that choice at the last possible moment rather than committing during your main phase.

05
Balan, Wandering Knight

Balan, Wandering Knight

16.4% of decks · synergy 0.15

Balan, Wandering Knight can attach all Equipment to himself for a single mana, and Leonin Shikari adds a second layer — when opponents try to strip him down, you can reassign pieces before the spell resolves or shift the best ones to a backup attacker.

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

Leonin Shikari is a Commander card, full stop — the instant-speed Equipment movement ability is worth almost nothing in formats where games end on turn three or four before combat tricks matter. In Legacy and Vintage it's technically legal but sees no meaningful play; the card is too slow and too conditional for those environments. Commander is where the ability shines, because longer games and multiplayer combat math create constant opportunities to exploit the free movement: bluff blocks, dodge removal, and reassign power mid-swing. Oathbreaker offers a similar multi-turn, combat-focused environment, and any Equipment-themed signature spell deck is a reasonable home.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Stonehewer Giant does the same Equipment-manipulation work at a higher mana investment but tutors directly from the library, which is a different kind of power — it's not cheaper, but it's the closest functional relative. For a true budget replacement, Puresteel Paladin costs a fraction of the price and doesn't move Equipment at instant speed, but the free equip ability when you have metalcraft accomplishes a similar goal of eliminating equip costs and keeping your threats online despite interaction.

Price Context

Current price

$15.50 mid tier

At $15.50, Leonin Shikari sits in the mid tier — meaningful but not backbreaking for a Commander build. The price reflects a narrow but genuine combo role and consistent Equipment-deck demand, so it holds reasonably steady rather than spiking or crashing.

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Sources

Mentioned

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