Mardu Strike Leader
Creature — Human Warrior
Whenever this creature attacks, create a 2/1 black Warrior creature token.
Dash 
(You may cast this spell for its dash cost. If you do, it gains haste, and it's returned from the battlefield to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next end step.)
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Fate Reforged
- Price
- $0.21
- EDHREC rank
- #11902
Mardu Strike Leader hits the board, attacks, and immediately starts multiplying your Warrior count — the dash cost means it dodges sorcery-speed removal by never staying in play long enough to be targeted. In Nalia de'Arnise builds especially, that repeated ETB-and-attack loop translates directly into card advantage before your opponents can answer it.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Nalia de'Arnise
Nalia de'Arnise cares about having creatures with different power levels and rewards stacking your board with attacking bodies — Mardu Strike Leader dashes in, creates a 1/1 Warrior token on attack, and lets you replay that loop every turn, feeding Nalia's ability consistently while staying immune to sorcery-speed removal.
Burakos, Party Leader // Folk Hero
Burakos, Party Leader // Folk Hero counts Warriors toward party, and Mardu Strike Leader both fills the Warrior slot and generates additional Warrior tokens on attack, letting Burakos, Party Leader // Folk Hero squeeze extra value from every combat step.
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 |
Mardu Strike Leader is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but Commander is where it actually earns a slot. In 100-card singleton, the repeated token generation via dash is a real engine rather than a novelty — no competing four-drop Warriors are filling the same role in your list. In Modern and Pioneer the card is too slow and too fragile at three mana for a 3/2 with no immediate board impact beyond a 1/1 token, where aggressive strategies demand more front-loaded pressure. Legacy and Vintage won't look at it twice given the power density of those formats. Stick to Commander and Warrior-tribal Oathbreaker builds.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.21 bulk tier
At $0.21, Mardu Strike Leader is deep bulk — you're picking this out of a dollar bin or tossing it into a cart with no hesitation. Bulk Warriors with niche tribal upside don't appreciate, so treat it as a pure utility include and move on.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Nalia de'Arnise
- Burakos, Party Leader // Folk Hero
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.