Sensei Golden-Tail
Legendary Creature — Fox Samurai
Bushido 1 (Whenever this creature blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
, 
: Put a training counter on target creature. That creature gains bushido 1 and becomes a Samurai in addition to its other creature types. Activate only as a sorcery.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Champions of Kamigawa
- Price
- $1.75
- EDHREC rank
- #15324
Sensei Golden-Tail turns any creature into a Samurai over two activations, which is the cheapest path to unlocking Raiyuu, Storm's Edge's extra combat trigger on off-tribe creatures. The cost is real — two mana and tapping Golden-Tail per training counter is slow — but in a dedicated Samurai shell it earns its slot.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Raiyuu, Storm's Edge
Raiyuu, Storm's Edge cares that only one creature attacks, and that creature must be a Samurai or Warrior to fire the extra combat — Sensei Golden-Tail is the retrofit kit that lets you slot in powerful non-Samurai attackers and still trigger the engine.
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 |
Sensei Golden-Tail sees essentially no play in Legacy, Modern, or Vintage — the training-counter payoff is too slow for those formats and creature type matters far less there. Commander is its entire home, specifically Samurai tribal lists where getting the Samurai subtype onto non-native creatures has real mechanical weight. Outside of Raiyuu, Storm's Edge builds, it's a fringe inclusion even in Commander, so narrow your expectations accordingly.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.75 cheap tier
At $1.75, Sensei Golden-Tail sits in the cheap tier — low enough that the slot cost is almost purely about card quality rather than budget. Demand is narrow enough that the price is unlikely to spike without a major reprint or a new Samurai commander that creates fresh demand for type-grafting.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.