EDH Optimizer
Shao Jun
Legendary Creature — Human Assassin · 1UR
Color identity: Red · Blue · Izzet
Shao Jun is Izzet (red and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Leap Strike — During your turn, Shao Jun has flying and first strike.
Rope Dart — Tap two untapped artifacts you control: Shao Jun deals 1 damage to each opponent.
Reference price of the card: €0.11
Average lands in decks for Shao Jun: 35
ArtifactsBurnTreasureTokensComboPingersEquipmentVoltron
Build your Shao Jun deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Shao Jun 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Shao Jun 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: D (47/100)
- Consistency78
- Speed51
- Interaction50
- Resilience83
- Closing10
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (25 nonbasic, 7 Island, 3 Mountain)
Arcane Signet · Sol Ring · Curiosity · Sai, Master Thopterist · Third Path Iconoclast · Enthusiastic Mechanaut · Unwinding Clock · Etherium Sculptor · Forensic Gadgeteer · Reckless Fireweaver · Saheeli, Sublime Artificer · Talisman of Creativity · Izzet Signet · Foundry Inspector · Swiftfoot Boots · Pinnacle Emissary · Tandem Lookout · Dramatic Reversal · Counterspell · Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain · Ophidian Eye · Thought Monitor · Loyal Apprentice · Academy Manufactor · Howling Mine · Ravenous Robots · Thought Vessel · Thoughtcast · Diamond Pick-Axe · Sigil of Sleep · Fellwar Stone · An Offer You Can't Refuse · Ingenious Artillerist · Loyal Inventor · Mind Stone · Unstoppable Plan · Weftstalker Ardent · Worldwalker Helm · Blasphemous Act · Lightning Greaves · Stridehangar Automaton · Weapons Manufacturing · Ornithopter of Paradise · Basilisk Collar · Chaos Warp · Negate · Beamtown Beatstick · Big Score · Thopter Spy Network · Goldvein Pick · The Mechanist, Aerial Artisan · Efficient Construction · Arcane Denial · Crystal Skull, Isu Spyglass · Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph · Mystic Forge · Bloodforged Battle-Axe · Emry, Lurker of the Loch · Uthros Research Craft · Desynchronization · Eagle Vision · Kappa Cannoneer · Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might // Temple of Power · The Reality Chip · Command Tower · Seat of the Synod · Great Furnace · Silverbluff Bridge · Sulfur Falls · Darksteel Citadel · Shivan Reef · Steam Vents · Stormcarved Coast · Cascade Bluffs · Training Center · Frostboil Snarl · Reliquary Tower · Archway of Innovation · Treasure Vault · Scalding Tarn · Academy Ruins · Buried Ruin · Exotic Orchard · Fiery Islet · Temple of Epiphany · Ferrous Lake · Izzet Boilerworks · Spire of Industry · Inventors' Fair
🃏 Recommended cards for Shao Jun
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Shao Jun, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Sai, Master Thopterist | 68% | +64% |
| Seat of the Synod | 72% | +61% |
| Unwinding Clock | 65% | +61% |
| Forensic Gadgeteer | 62% | +60% |
| Enthusiastic Mechanaut | 65% | +57% |
| Great Furnace | 67% | +56% |
| Etherium Sculptor | 63% | +55% |
| Reckless Fireweaver | 59% | +54% |
| Saheeli, Sublime Artificer | 58% | +51% |
| Silverbluff Bridge | 61% | +51% |
| Curiosity | 75% | +51% |
| Third Path Iconoclast | 66% | +51% |
| Darksteel Citadel | 57% | +50% |
| Pinnacle Emissary | 52% | +50% |
| Foundry Inspector | 53% | +47% |
| Jhoira, Weatherlight Captain | 48% | +43% |
| Thought Monitor | 47% | +42% |
| Loyal Apprentice | 44% | +41% |
| Ravenous Robots | 42% | +40% |
| Dramatic Reversal | 49% | +40% |
| Diamond Pick-Axe | 41% | +40% |
| Howling Mine | 42% | +39% |
| Academy Manufactor | 42% | +38% |
| Tandem Lookout | 50% | +38% |
💰 The best cards for your Shao Jun 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.
- Sai, Master Thopterist
- Seat of the Synod
- Forensic Gadgeteer
- Enthusiastic Mechanaut
- Great Furnace
- Etherium Sculptor
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Pinnacle Emissary
- Academy Manufactor
- Sigil of Sleep
- Worldwalker Helm
- Stridehangar Automaton
- Weapons Manufacturing
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Unwinding Clock
- Ghyrson Starn, Kelermorph
- The Reaver Cleaver
- Urza, Lord High Artificer
- Uthros, Titanic Godcore
- Inventors' Fair
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Shao Jun
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Underworld Breach + Lotus Petal + Brain Freeze → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite magecraft triggers, Near-infinite mill
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
- Underworld Breach + Lion's Eye Diamond + Brain Freeze → Infinite self-mill, Near-infinite colored mana, Near-infinite magecraft triggers, Near-infinite mill, Near-infinite storm count
- Curiosity + Niv-Mizzet, Parun → Infinite draw triggers, Infinite card draw, Near-infinite damage
- Hullbreaker Horror + Mox Amber → Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite colored mana, Infinite storm count
👥 Community decks with Shao Jun
Full decklists published by players on EDH Optimizer, with their analysis, bracket and health. Clone them to your account and optimize them for free.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Shao Jun's color identity?
Shao Jun is Izzet (red and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors 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 Shao Jun come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Shao Jun deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.0 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 17 % of the time and floods 12 %. Deck health: D (47/100).
How many lands should a Shao Jun deck run?
Real Shao Jun decks run 35 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 Shao Jun?
The three highest-synergy cards are Sai, Master Thopterist, Seat of the Synod, Unwinding Clock. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Shao Jun decks.
What combos does Shao Jun have?
Shao Jun has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Shao Jun deck cost?
You can start cheap: Sai, Master Thopterist, Seat of the Synod, Forensic Gadgeteer 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.