Long-time blue mages were, understandably, concerned when Wizards announced that Kaito would be replacing Jace in MTG Foundations back in August. This was a big step in Kaito becoming a focus character for the game, after all. Turns out it’s been a pretty great move all round. Duskmourn’s take on Kaito has proven very effective in multiple formats, and it’s looking like Foundations’ will too. Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator is already seeing play in multiple lists in MTG Standard. It’s also taking baby steps into other formats, which is encouraging for such a new card.
Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator MTG
- Mana Value: 1UU
- Rarity: Mythic Rare
- Starting Loyalty: 3
- Card Text: Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, put a loyalty counter on Kaito. +1: Up to one target creature you control can’t be blocked this turn. Draw a card, then discard a card. −2: Create a 2/1 blue Ninja creature token. −9: You get an emblem with “Whenever a player casts a spell, you create a 2/1 blue Ninja creature token.”
If you haven’t seen Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator yet, then you’re missing out on one of the best cards from MTG Foundations. For three mana, you get an exciting planeswalker package here.
The most notable thing about the new Kaito is his passive ability. Most planeswalkers gain loyalty only through their own abilities, but Kaito also gains it each time one of your creatures gets through for damage. This doesn’t come with an annoying ‘one or more’ clause, either. If you get through with three creatures, Kaito gains three loyalty.
This makes Kaito’s -9 ultimate much more feasible than it looks at first glance. His +1 guarantees a creature gets through for damage, so he can get to 5 loyalty consistently on turn three. From there, it’s not hard to get to nine and start the endless flow of Ninjas by turn four or five. These are simple 2/1s with no evasion, but their sheer numbers will quickly become an issue for your opponent.
Kaito can also create these tokens one at a time via his -2, but this is honestly the least attractive part of the card. Unless you’re in dire straits on the board, you’d be better off jamming the +1 until you can access the -9. It’s always good to have an in-built protection option on a ‘walker, however.
In addition to letting your creatures through, Kaito’s +1 ability also lets you loot, which is a great option in the current Standard. Graveyard synergies are everywhere right now, and this plays into them beautifully. Put it all together, and you have a versatile and surprisingly powerful planeswalker.
Sneaking Into Standard
Although the new Standard metagame is currently in flux, one particular deck is quickly emerging as a dominant force: Dimir Midrange. The potent combination of above-rate threats and cheap interaction has pushed this list into the upper echelons of competitive play. The deck was great pre-Foundations, of course, but it seems to be doing even better now.
Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator has been showing up in this stellar MTG list a lot lately, and for good reason. The card simply synergizes incredibly well with what the deck is trying to do. Dimir Midrange tends to spend its early turns playing cheap fliers like Spyglass Siren, Deep-Cavern Bat, and Faerie Mastermind. This means that by the time turn three rolls around and you drop Kaito, you’ll likely have a couple of creatures who can crack in and boost his loyalty.
Kaito also has very nice synergy with his past self. Kaito, Bane of Nightmares has quickly become a mainstay in Dimir Midrange, and the two go brilliantly together. Cunning Infiltrator’s +1 can guarantee the Ninjutsu ability on Bane of Nightmares goes off, and the latter connecting will bump up the former’s loyalty. Bane of Nightmares’ +1 also makes Cunning Infiltrators 2/1 Ninja tokens a much more serious threat. Winning a game where your every spell generates a new 3/2 or 4/3 for the opponent is wishful thinking at best.
Ultimately, Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator is a great tempo tool for a deck that lives and dies on tempo. It gets your creatures through for Enduring Curiosity draws, and it makes tokens to hold the ground in a pinch. In the right spots, it can even go -9 and provide a long-term win condition; something that Midrange decks like these typically lack access to.
Advanced Missions?
Standard is one thing, but does Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator have the goods to make it in more advanced MTG formats? Early results say maybe. While numbers are low so far, he has seen testing in Pioneer. Specifically, in Dimir Aggro lists.
While not exactly a high-tier meta player, Dimir Aggro is still an established deck in the format. It plays quite similarly to Standard’s Dimir Midrange, with evasive creatures and cheap removal. for that reason, Kaito plays a very similar role here. He sneaks your creatures through, enables Ninjutsu, and threatens to take over the game.
The Ninja synergy here is even more pronounced than in Standard. Ninjas like Moon-Circuit Hacker, and full playsets of Kaito, Bane of Nightmares, support the theme particularly well. It’s not a full-on Ninja Typal deck quite yet, but it’s the closest thing we’ve got in competitive Magic right now.
Speaking of Ninja Typal, another format in which New Kaito is likely to thrive is Commander. Kaito, Bane of Nightmares is an absolute must-play in Ninja Typal decks in the format, and I think Cunning Infiltrator is going to go the same way. Creating Ninjas and enabling Ninjutsu is just too much utility for a dedicated Ninja deck to turn down. Whether it’s a classic like Yuriko, or a newcomer like Taeko, the Patient Avalanche, you can expect to see Kaito in a wide range of Ninja Commander decks going forward.
Taken all together, this makes Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator look like a very attractive multi-format prospect. He may never be as iconic as Jace, but he’s on track to see a lot more play than him. Mind Sculptor aside, of course.
