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Tetsuo, Imperial Champion

Legendary Creature — Human Samurai

Whenever Tetsuo attacks, if it's equipped, choose one —
• Tetsuo deals damage equal to the greatest mana value among Equipment attached to it to any target.
• You may cast an instant or sorcery spell from your hand with mana value less than or equal to the greatest mana value among Equipment attached to Tetsuo without paying its mana cost.

CMC
3
Mana cost
{U}{B}{R}
Color identity
BRU
Rarity
mythic
Set
Dominaria United Commander
Price
$0.46
EDHREC rank
#16669
Buy on TCGplayer
Tetsuo, Imperial Champion card art
Tetsuo, Imperial Champion turns any instant you cast into a removal spell — creatures and planeswalkers both die just from you playing your normal game. The cost is real: you need Grixis colors, instants worth copying, and opponents with meaningful targets, but when those conditions are met, Savage Beating becomes a two-for-one board wipe on top of a combat trick.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

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

Commander is where Tetsuo, Imperial Champion does his best work — as the head of a Grixis instants-matter deck, every counterspell and removal spell pulls double duty, and the free damage adds up fast in multiplayer. Legacy and Vintage are legal homes on paper, but a five-mana 4/4 with a conditional trigger has no path to those tables. Oathbreaker is worth a look if you can pair him with an instant-speed signature spell that generates consistent value.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.46 bulk tier

At $0.46, Tetsuo, Imperial Champion sits firmly in bulk territory — pick him up without a second thought. Bulk mythics with narrow build-around requirements rarely climb unless a new support card breaks the archetype wide open, so don't expect appreciation, but the entry cost is so low it doesn't matter.

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Sources

Mentioned

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