Umezawa's Jitte
Legendary Artifact — Equipment
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage, put two charge counters on Umezawa's Jitte.
Remove a charge counter from Umezawa's Jitte: Choose one —
• Equipped creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
• Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
• You gain 2 life.
Equip 
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Arena Anthology 3
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #2939
Umezawa's Jitte takes over a game the turn it connects — charge counters let you pump your attacker, drain an opponent's creature, or gain life, all at instant speed and repeatedly. The two-mana equip cost is the only real friction, and in Commander that friction disappears the moment you have a dedicated attacker like Slicer, Hired Muscle swinging every turn.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | banned |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Umezawa's Jitte is banned in Modern, and the reason is straightforward: in a format built around cheap creatures trading efficiently, an equipment that generates two free effects per combat simply ends the damage race before it starts. Legacy and Vintage tolerate it because the card pool is wide enough that fast combo and countermagic can answer it before it snowballs. Commander gives it a pass for a structural reason — four opponents dilute its dominance, and the multiplayer threat assessment means the Jitte-wielder draws removal before they drain the table.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Slicer, Hired Muscle
Slicer, Hired Muscle attacks every turn by design, and Umezawa's Jitte stacks two charge counters on each of those swings — opponents controlling Slicer are draining their own creatures or life total while you spend the counters at will.
Cloud, Midgar Mercenary
Cloud, Midgar Mercenary wants to connect repeatedly to trigger its ability, and Umezawa's Jitte turns each of those combat steps into a net-positive exchange — pumping Cloud through blocks or clearing the path by shrinking defenders.
Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima
Jin Sakai, Ghost of Tsushima rewards evasive, consistent attacks, and Umezawa's Jitte converts each hit into a flexible resource sink that can clear blockers, grow Jin's power, or drain opponents' life.
Lara Croft, Tomb Raider
Lara Croft, Tomb Raider triggers off dealing combat damage, so Umezawa's Jitte's ability to shrink or remove blockers directly enables more triggers — the two cards work toward the same goal of uncontested attacks.
Tetsuo, Imperial Champion
Tetsuo, Imperial Champion already wants a equipped creature in the red zone, and Umezawa's Jitte provides the charge counters that can clear anything blocking Tetsuo's path while building toward his one-shot activation.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Umezawa's Jitte isn't available at the moment — check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the current market price across its printings. Historically it has commanded a premium given its ban history and iconic status, so budget copies from older printings are worth hunting if you're not in a rush.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.