EDH Optimizer
Kentaro, the Smiling Cat
Legendary Creature — Human Samurai · 1W
Color identity: White
Kentaro, the Smiling Cat is white: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Bushido 1 (Whenever this creature blocks or becomes blocked, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
You may pay {X} rather than pay the mana cost for Samurai spells you cast, where X is that spell's mana value.
Reference price of the card: €0.96
Average lands in decks for Kentaro, the Smiling Cat: 33
SamuraiComboAggroStormArtifactsStaxTokensX Spells
Build your Kentaro, the Smiling Cat deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Kentaro, the Smiling Cat 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Kentaro, the Smiling Cat deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: C+ (60/100)
- Consistency44
- Speed58
- Interaction63
- Resilience83
- Closing54
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 33 lands (20 nonbasic, 13 Plains)
Devoted Retainer · Sensei Golden-Tail · Pearl Medallion · Sol Ring · Konda's Hatamoto · Cloud Key · Oketra's Monument · Selfless Samurai · Hand of Honor · Semblance Anvil · Araba Mothrider · Herald's Horn · Inner-Chamber Guard · Swords to Plowshares · Urza's Incubator · Opal-Eye, Konda's Yojimbo · Nagao, Bound by Honor · Kitsune Blademaster · Eiganjo Exemplar · Indebted Samurai · Takeno, Samurai General · Path to Exile · Cloudstone Curio · Samurai of the Pale Curtain · Ironsoul Enforcer · Konda, Lord of Eiganjo · Norika Yamazaki, the Poet · Generous Gift · Mentor of the Meek · Imperial Subduer · Vanquisher's Banner · Auron, Venerated Guardian · Mirror Entity · Arcane Signet · Helm of Awakening · Aetherflux Reservoir · Mind Stone · Mothrider Samurai · Summon: Yojimbo · Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho · Enlightened Tutor · The Wandering Rescuer · Sunblade Samurai · Bloodline Pretender · Gathering Stone · The Immortal Sun · Altar of the Brood · Call to Glory · Alabaster Host Intercessor · Folk Hero · Esper Sentinel · Cathars' Crusade · Kitsune Dawnblade · Colleen Wing, Street Samurai · Irregular Cohort · Mana Tithe · Reprieve · Stroke of Midnight · Bushi Tenderfoot // Kenzo the Hardhearted · Land Tax · Thran Dynamo · Austere Command · Maskwood Nexus · Trouble in Pairs · Crib Swap · Impostor of the Sixth Pride · War Room · Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire · Buried Ruin · Inventors' Fair · Emeria, the Sky Ruin · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Myriad Landscape · Minas Tirith · Path of Ancestry · Rogue's Passage · Temple of the False God · Three Tree City · Reliquary Tower · Urza's Mine · Urza's Power Plant · Urza's Saga · Urza's Tower · Ancient Den · Eiganjo Castle · The Mycosynth Gardens
🃏 Recommended cards for Kentaro, the Smiling Cat
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Kentaro, the Smiling Cat, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Devoted Retainer | 88% | +87% |
| Sensei Golden-Tail | 87% | +87% |
| Konda's Hatamoto | 83% | +83% |
| Selfless Samurai | 82% | +81% |
| Hand of Honor | 81% | +80% |
| Araba Mothrider | 79% | +79% |
| Cloud Key | 82% | +79% |
| Semblance Anvil | 80% | +78% |
| Inner-Chamber Guard | 75% | +75% |
| Opal-Eye, Konda's Yojimbo | 72% | +71% |
| Nagao, Bound by Honor | 70% | +70% |
| Kitsune Blademaster | 69% | +68% |
| Eiganjo Exemplar | 66% | +66% |
| Indebted Samurai | 64% | +64% |
| Takeno, Samurai General | 63% | +63% |
| Urza's Incubator | 73% | +62% |
| Herald's Horn | 77% | +62% |
| Cloudstone Curio | 61% | +60% |
| Samurai of the Pale Curtain | 61% | +60% |
| Ironsoul Enforcer | 59% | +58% |
| Konda, Lord of Eiganjo | 58% | +58% |
| Norika Yamazaki, the Poet | 58% | +57% |
| Oketra's Monument | 82% | +55% |
| Imperial Subduer | 54% | +54% |
💰 The best cards for your Kentaro, the Smiling Cat deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Devoted Retainer
- Sensei Golden-Tail
- Konda's Hatamoto
- Selfless Samurai
- Hand of Honor
- Araba Mothrider
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Cloud Key
- Semblance Anvil
- Herald's Horn
- Cloudstone Curio
- Oketra's Monument
- Oathkeeper, Takeno's Daisho
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Urza's Incubator
- Aetherflux Reservoir
- The Immortal Sun
- Inventors' Fair
- Enlightened Tutor
- Ashnod's Altar
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Kentaro, the Smiling Cat's color identity?
Kentaro, the Smiling Cat is white: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Kentaro, the Smiling Cat come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Kentaro, the Smiling Cat deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 33 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 2.2 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 100 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 38 % of the time and floods 21 %. Deck health: C+ (60/100).
How many lands should a Kentaro, the Smiling Cat deck run?
Real Kentaro, the Smiling Cat decks run 33 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Kentaro, the Smiling Cat?
The three highest-synergy cards are Devoted Retainer, Sensei Golden-Tail, Konda's Hatamoto. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Kentaro, the Smiling Cat decks.
What combos does Kentaro, the Smiling Cat have?
We have no known combos catalogued for Kentaro, the Smiling Cat. That does not mean there are none — just that they do not show up in the public combo databases.
How much does a Kentaro, the Smiling Cat deck cost?
You can start cheap: Devoted Retainer, Sensei Golden-Tail, Konda's Hatamoto are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.