Nagao, Bound by Honor
Legendary Creature — Human Samurai
Bushido 1 (Whenever this creature blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Whenever Nagao attacks, Samurai creatures you control get +1/+1 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $0.27
- EDHREC rank
- #16782
Nagao, Bound by Honor puts a permanent +1/+1 anthem on every Samurai and Warrior you control the moment it enters — no tap, no upkeep, no conditions. At four mana for a 3/2, the body is filler, but in a tribal shell that already wants to flood the board with Samurai, the pump is immediate and stacks with everything else.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Raiyuu, Storm's Edge
Raiyuu, Storm's Edge builds around a single Samurai or Warrior swinging alone each combat, then untaps all attackers to do it again — Nagao, Bound by Honor's passive +1/+1 to the whole tribe means every creature taking those extra swings hits harder with zero additional setup.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Nagao, Bound by Honor is a Commander card in practice — tribal anthems need a critical mass of matching creatures to justify four mana, and 100-card singleton decks running Samurai synergies are exactly where that mass exists. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but irrelevant; no competitive shell there wants a 3/2 with a narrow tribal bonus at four mana when faster threats dominate. Modern is similarly uninterested — Samurai tribal hasn't broken through as a competitive archetype, and the rate doesn't clear the bar independently. Stick to Commander, specifically Samurai or Warrior tribal builds, where Nagao, Bound by Honor earns its slot.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.27 bulk tier
At $0.27, Nagao, Bound by Honor is deep bulk — easy to pick up as a throw-in or cheap add to a Samurai order. Bulk tribal lords rarely spike unless the archetype gets a pushed new commander, so don't expect the price to move.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.