The Unagi of Kyoshi Island
Legendary Creature — Serpent
Flash
Ward—Waterbend 
. (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter it unless that player pays . They can tap their artifacts and creatures to help. Each one pays for 
.)
Whenever an opponent draws their second card each turn, you draw two cards.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Price
- $1.81
- EDHREC rank
- #3974
The Unagi of Kyoshi Island is a massive sea creature that hits the board with immediate presence — the kind of threat that demands an answer before it ends the game. The cost is real, but Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep turns that cost into a feature, cheating it into play and making the investment irrelevant.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep
Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep is the premier home for The Unagi of Kyoshi Island — her ability to put sea creatures directly onto the battlefield bypasses the mana cost entirely, making Unagi one of the highest-value targets she can hit.
Kenessos, Priest of Thassa
Kenessos, Priest of Thassa rewards running the biggest Serpents and Krakens available, and The Unagi of Kyoshi Island sits at the top of that curve as a free deployment off his trigger.
The Watcher in the Water
The Watcher in the Water wants tentacles and sea horrors, and The Unagi of Kyoshi Island slots in as one of the most threatening bodies the deck can put into play.
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy's activated ability digs for non-Human creatures from any deck, and The Unagi of Kyoshi Island is exactly the top-end payoff worth cheating onto the battlefield for five mana.
Katara, Waterbending Master
Katara, Waterbending Master synergizes with Water-type effects and large threats, and The Unagi of Kyoshi Island gives her shell a finisher that closes games the turn it resolves.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, The Unagi of Kyoshi Island occupies the top of the curve in sea-creature decks, where cheat-into-play commanders make the mana cost a non-issue. In competitive 60-card formats like Modern and Legacy, it's too slow without dedicated support — you're not hardcasting this in a fair game and winning the race. Pioneer and Standard give it slightly more room if a sea-creature package ever coheres, but right now the payoff doesn't justify the build-around cost in those formats. Oathbreaker mirrors the Commander logic: pair it with a planeswalker that cheats creatures, and it's a legitimate threat.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.81 cheap tier
At $1.81, The Unagi of Kyoshi Island sits in the cheap tier — straightforward pickup for any deck that wants it. Given its role as a premier sea-creature finisher, that price is unlikely to strain any budget, and the value-to-cost ratio for its intended homes is strong.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep
- Kenessos, Priest of Thassa
- The Watcher in the Water
- Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy
- Katara, Waterbending Master
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.