With Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty comes some really awesome callbacks to many of the original block's classic cards. These are most prevalent on the various saga cards - many of which resemble characters from the original block. There's only a handful of directly returning characters, primarily in the form of Hidetsugu and Kyodai (who was featured previously as That Which Was Taken in the original block). In addition, there are several nods to classic characters and bloodlines, such as Satoru Umezawa, the two Yamazaki cousins, the cycle of new dragons, and the cycle of new Myojin cards. That's to say nothing of the returning lands/settings, tribes, and mechanics we haven't seen in some time now.

The one new legend that caught my eye with this release, however, was Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful. Yoshimaru is clearly a nod to Isamaru, Hound of Konda from the original Kamigawa block. This is apparent in that he is a dog of the emperor, much like Isamaru, while also having a one-mana cost and potent stats courtesy of his ability. What you might not know is how this card references a true Japanese legend: Hachiko.

Hachiko was a dog who would go and meet his owner at the local train station every day. Unfortunately, one day, his owner - Hidesaburo Ueno - died while at work and didn't return home. After that, Hachiko would continue to go to the station every day until his death to wait for Ueno to come home. This became a tale that would become famous for Hachiko's loyalty and was immortalized in a statue at the station.

Hachiko's tale would also become known in other places too, retold through different mediums. Arguably the most well known - and certainly the way I came to know of the story - was Futurama's episode Jurassic Bark. Generally considered one of, if not the best, episodes of the series, the episode finds leading man Fry discovering his dog Seymour fossilized with the remains of the old pizza shop he worked in before being flung 1000 years into the future. The episode builds their story, their friendship, and eventually Fry leaves his fossilized dog rather than cloning him as planned, thinking he'd lived a long and full life. We then get a flashback showing that Seymour actually lived his life sitting outside the pizza shop, waiting day after day for Fry to return.

Futurama is my favorite show of all time. I've watched it time and time again, and in fact watch it a little bit every night before going to bed. It's been almost a nightly ritual since I was in high school when it would run as reruns on Adult Swim and has become my comfort watch. Still, this episode continues to get to me, and remains one of the biggest tearjerkers no matter how many times it's viewed. As such, while I know this card is Magic's version of Hachiko, I wanted to make a Yoshimaru deck that was themed a little more around my favorite show, Futurama.

Let's check out a list:

Abzan Yoshimaru | Commander | Paige Smith

• Commanders (2)
• 1 Reyhan, Last of the Abzan
• 1 Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful

• Creatures (33)
• 1 Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit
• 1 Arvad the Cursed
• 1 Birds to Paradise
• 1 Captain Sisay
• 1 Drizzt Do'Urden
• 1 Eight-and-a-Half-Tails
• 1 Emiel the Blessed
• 1 Gyome, Master Chef
• 1 Hua Tuo, Honored Physician
• 1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
• 1 Karador, Ghost Chieftain
• 1 Katilda, Dawnhart Prime
• 1 Kethis, the Hidden Hand
• 1 Liesa, Forgotten Archangel
• 1 Maja, Bretagard Protector
• 1 Mangara of Corondor
• 1 Masako the Humorless
• 1 Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker
• 1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
• 1 Mowu, Loyal Companion
• 1 Obzedat, Ghost Council
• 1 Ravos, Soultender
• 1 Reki, the History of Kamigawa
• 1 Rhys the Redeemed
• 1 Saffi Eriksdotter
• 1 Selfless Savior
• 1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
• 1 Tolsimir Wolfblood
• 1 Torens, Fist of the Angels
• 1 Toski, Bearer of Secrets
• 1 Tymna the Weaver

• Planeswalkers (6)
• 1 Ajani, the Greathearted
• 1 Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury
• 1 Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter
• 1 Karn, Scion of Urza
• 1 The Wandering Emperor
• 1 Vivien, Monsters' Advocate

• Instants (3)
• 1 Beast Within
• 1 Eladamri's Call
• 1 Swords to Plowshares

• Sorceries (5)
• 1 Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary
• 1 Kamahl's Druidic Vow
• 1 Primevals' Glorious Rebirth
• 1 Time of Need
• 1 Urza's Ruinous Blast

• Enchantments (4)
• 1 Journey to Eternity // Atzal, Cave of Eternity
• 1 Legion's Landing // Adanto, the First Fort
• 1 Profane Procession // Tomb of the Dusk Rose
• 1 Spear of Heliod

• Artifacts (11)
• 1 Akroma's Memorial
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Avacyn's Memorial
• 1 Blackblade Reforged
• 1 Chromatic Lantern
• 1 Helm of the Host
• 1 Heroes' Podium
• 1 Instrument of the Bards
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Ugin's Nexus
• 1 Weatherlight

• Lands (36)
• 1 Swamp
• 3 Forest
• 3 Plains
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1 Branchloft Pathway // Boulderloft Pathway
• 1 Brightclimb Pathway // Grimclimb Pathway
• 1 City of Brass
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Darkbore Pathway // Slitherbore Pathway
• 1 Deathcap Glade
• 1 Eiganjo Castle
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Flagstones of Trokair
• 1 Gavony Township
• 1 Godless Shrine
• 1 Indatha Triome
• 1 Isolated Chapel
• 1 Kor Haven
• 1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
• 1 Overgrown Farmland
• 1 Overgrown Tomb
• 1 Sandsteppe Citadel
• 1 Shattered Sanctum
• 1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse
• 1 Sunpetal Grove
• 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
• 1 Temple Garden
• 1 Untaidake, the Cloud Keeper
• 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
• 1 Woodland Cemetery
• 1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth

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The hardest part in coming up with this deck was deciding who would make the best partner. While I wanted to have something that seemed fairly close to Fry and Seymour specifically, there weren't really a lot of partners that really stood out to me. After a bit, I ended up settling on Reyhan, because of her devotion to the Abzan and how she meets an untimely demise in the story during the Khanfall. Her ability regarding +1/+1 counters also ended up playing nicely with Yoshimaru, so it seemed like a good fit to me.

From there, I tried to go with as many legendary permanents as I could find, added a couple additional support cards - with a few thematic choices like Selfless Savior - and whittled it down to a proper list. What surprised me as I constructed it was just how many possible allusions you could make to Futurama characters. Captain Sisay and Freyalise probably make good versions of Leela while Solemn Simulacrum and Karn, Scion of Urza make good Benders. There's also Gyome, Master Chef who works here as an analogue of Mister Pannucci - the grumpy pizza maker who owns the parlor Fry works at and Seymour visits him at. Weatherlight makes a good Planet Express ship and there's even Ugin's Nexus as a good way of showing time travel.

It was kind of surprising how well it all just came together, and largely unintentionally. They all just seemed like great cards that fit nicely into a legends matter strategy. Getting the Black in the mix from Reyhan was also a pretty sweet choice, as it allowed for a lot of meaningful ways to get creatures back from the graveyard. This can be thematically useful as a way to bring back Yoshimaru should he be killed in some way and you want to bring him back easily without worrying about him going to the command zone.

As I worked on the list, though, I kept recalling when I asked about who would make a good pair with Yoshimaru and someone recommending Tana, the Bloodsower. This was because of some added "legends matter" cards like Bard Class. I realized there weren't as many as I'd have liked, but it did fit with something else I wanted to do. It felt like there was one glaring omission that I couldn't fit in due to the deck's Abzan colors: Sarkhan Vol. While The Wandering Emperor and Jiang Yanggu (with Mowu) might make for better comparisons to Fry here, Sarkhan actually traveling through time and affecting the lives around him in the process made me want to try to work him in and take a different route with the deck.

Here's the list I came up with as a result:

Naya Yoshimaru | Commander | Paige Smith

• Commanders (2)
• 1 Tana, the Bloodsower
• 1 Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful

• Creatures (34)
• 1 Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit
• 1 Anax, Hardened in the Forge
• 1 Atla Palani, Nest Tender
• 1 Borborygmos Enraged
• 1 Birds of Paradise
• 1 Captain Sisay
• 1 Delina, Wild Mage
• 1 Drizzt Do'Urden
• 1 Eight-and-a-Half Tails
• 1 Emiel the Blessed
• 1 Feldon of the Hidden Path
• 1 Hofri Ghostforge
• 1 Hua Tuo, Honored Physician
• 1 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
• 1 Katilda, Dawnhart Prime
• 1 Maja, Bretagard Protector
• 1 Mangara of Corondor
• 1 Masako the Humorless
• 1 Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker
• 1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch
• 1 Mila, Crafty Companion // Lukka, Wayward Bonder
• 1 Minsc, Beloved Ranger
• 1 Mowu, Loyal Companion
• 1 Radha, Heart of Keld
• 1 Reki, the History of Kamigawa
• 1 Rhys the Redeemed
• 1 Saffi Eriksdotter
• 1 Selfless Savior
• 1 Shalai, Voice of Plenty
• 1 Solemn Simulacrum
• 1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
• 1 Tolsimir Wolfblood
• 1 Torens, Fist of the Angels
• 1 Toski, Bearer of Secrets

• Planeswalkers (7)
• 1 Arlinn, the Pack's Hope // Arlinn, the Moon's Fury
• 1 Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury
• 1 Jiang Yanggu, Wildcrafter
• 1 Karn, Scion of Urza
• 1 Sarkhan Vol
• 1 The Wandering Emperor
• 1 Vivien, Monsters' Advocate

• Instants (4)
• 1 Beast Within
• 1 Eladamri's Call
• 1 Return to Dust
• 1 Swords to Plowshares

• Sorceries (4)
• 1 Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary
• 1 Kamahl's Druidic Vow
• 1 Time of Need
• 1 Urza's Ruinous Blast

• Enchantments (2)
• 1 Bard Class
• 1 Legion's Landing // Adanto, the First Fort

• Artifacts (12)
• 1 Akroma's Memorial
• 1 Arcane Signet
• 1 Avacyn's Memorial
• 1 Blackblade Reforged
• 1 Chromatic Lantern
• 1 Helm of the Host
• 1 Heroes' Podium
• 1 Instrument of the Bards
• 1 Sol Ring
• 1 Spear of Heliod
• 1 Ugin's Nexus
• 1 Weatherlight

• Lands (35)
• 1 Mountain
• 3 Forest
• 4 Plains
• 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
• 1 Branchloft Pathway // Boulderloft Pathway
• 1 City of Brass
• 1 Clifftop Retreat
• 1 Command Tower
• 1 Cragcrown Pathway // Timbercrown Pathway
• 1 Eiganjo Castle
• 1 Exotic Orchard
• 1 Flagstones of Trokair
• 1 Gavony Township
• 1 Jungle Shrine
• 1 Kher Keep
• 1 Kor Haven
• 1 Krosan Verge
• 1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
• 1 Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway
• 1 Overgrown Farmland
• 1 Rockfall Vale
• 1 Rootbound Crag
• 1 Sacred Foundry
• 1 Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
• 1 Stomping Ground
• 1 Sundown Pass
• 1 Sunpetal Grove
• 1 Temple Garden
• 1 Untaidake, the Cloud Keeper
• 1 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth

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Adding Red to the mix here offers some different takes on the deck while still keeping with the legends matter theme. There's much less recursion here without the Black, but that's fine when you've got Feldon of the Third Path (who works nicely as The Professor, who tries to help Fry bring back his dog) and Hofri Ghostforge. Both can bring back creatures after they die, allowing you to keep things going nicely.

There's also a couple more companion-themed cards. No, not the mechanic, but rather the theme. You get Minsc, Beloved Ranger; Arlinn, the Pack's Hope // Arlinn, the Moon's Fury; and Mila, Crafty Companion // Lukka, Wayward Bonder to fit this theme extremely well. Atla Palani, Nest Tender also kind of fits this theme a bit, though a little less so. Either way, she benefits nicely by helping you find all kinds of creatures out of your deck! You can even hit the big, mean Borborygmos Enraged, who just so happens to work as a cyclops for the deck!

In the end, it's kind of funny how much this deck worked for the theme I was trying to go with, regardless of which colors I went with. Both lists are bound to be tons of fun - even for such a sad tale behind it - and I can't wait to play with them when I get a chance. Give them a try at your next Commander night, and maybe put on Jurassic Bark in the background as you do. Just remember to bring a couple tissues when you do.

Paige Smith

Twitter: @TheMaverickGal

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