With Foundations putting some emphasis on cats, this is the perfect time to evaluate the game’s cuddly kitties and ferocious felines and decide which are the best. Seeing as my cat – John Fitzgerald Kitty – sits on a perch behind me while I work, I figured I should be the one to do this ranking because I have a real cat present to approve of my choices.
Cats are a bit of a funny creature type in Magic, because they don’t have a uniform look the way some animal types like squirrels or mice do. Instead, cats range from typical house cats to humanoid Leonin like Ajani. Despite their visual differences, they’re relatively consistent from a mechanical standpoint, with some exceptions. Let’s take a look at some of the best cats Magic has to offer so we can all be prepared to make a Rum Tum Tugger Commander deck once the inevitable MTG x Cats Secret Lair is released.
As of November 3, 2023, Wizards issued an errata which changed these cards to be demons or devils, as opposed to cat demons or cat devils. This was done in an effort to bring Magic’s Rakshasas more in line with their origin from Hindu myths. For a detailed breakdown on the reasons behind this, you can check out YouTuber Spice8Rack’s explanation of the origin of Rakshasas and how they were changed for Dungeons & Dragons and then Magic.
#35. Ajani’s Pridemate
I wasn’t surprised to see Ajani's Pridemate pop up in Foundations. This card has been a staple of both lifegain decks and Magic’s Core Sets going back to 2011. While there are much better versions of this card – like Voice of the Blessed – Ajani's Pridemate is still a nice bit of value in a lifegain deck. It’s an early white creature that’ll presumably grow each turn, helping it keep up with other threats on the board.
Helpful Hunter is essentially the cat version of Spirited Companion‘s model, though without the added benefits of being an enchantment. This type of card isn’t bad for a mono-white deck, though if white card draw keeps steadily improving Helpful Hunter may soon feel outdated. Still, this card is a shoe-in for a deck dedicated to cats.
#31. Leonin Warleader
If you’re able to attack with Leonin Warleader a few times, you’ll get a lot of extra value out of it. This cat soldier works best if you have ways to keep it safe while attacking or prevent it from being blocked. Leonin Warleader is also a nice addition to lifegain decks, not only because its tokens have lifelink, but getting two extra bodies each turn triggers things like Soul Warden.
Jazal Goldmane isn’t the most exciting white commander, but it can be a nice finisher in a deck that goes wide with creatures. Alternatively, you can slip this cat warrior into the 99 of a more exciting commander and still use it as a way to give your creatures a big buff. It’s not quite as good as Moonshaker Cavalry but could make a nice budget alternative.
#26. Pride Sovereign
It’s safe to say if you see a cat card with the word “sovereign” in its name, it’s at least decent. Pride Sovereign may be the least of these, but it still isn’t bad. Creating two extra creatures for 1 mana is pretty good, and even better if you’re running token doublers. Including ways to untap a creature makes Pride Sovereign more consistent, since you don’t have to worry about the downside of exerting it.
#25. Blistering Firecat
I might be giving Blistering Firecat more credit than it deserves, but it’s hard for me to see 7 potential damage for 4 mana and not want to take the risk of including this red card in my deck.
As a fan of Fling effects, cards like this also tend to stand out to me. Morph it, hit for a surprise 7 damage, then Fling it for another 7? It might not happen that often, but when it does it’ll be glorious.
#24. Arahbo, the First Fang
Being a cat anthem is nice, but Arahbo, the First Fang’s biggest benefit is its ability to give you two bodies for the price of one. This card would help a cat deck go very wide and get a little extra value out of all its creatures.
#23. Sovereign Okinec Ahau
Sovereign Okinec Ahau has the perfect color identity for a Selesnya () token deck. Even if this is the most powerful card on your board, turning a field full of 1/1s into 3/3s is nothing to scoff at. Ward also makes it more likely this Selesnya card sticks around long enough to make an impact.
#22. Regal Caracal
If it isn’t already apparent, cats have a decent number of lords, and many either have or benefit from lifegain abilities. Regal Caracal distinguishes itself by also giving your cats both a buff and lifelink, synergizing well with what cats like to do. As a bonus, you also get some Cat tokens, which also feeds the cat strategy of going wide.
#21. Rin and Seri, Inseparable
Dogs and cats living together? Apparently, not as outlandish as one might expect. Rin and Seri, Inseparable is the perfect card for those of us who love man’s best friend and man’s ornery freeloading roommate equally. As a bonus, this is also a pretty solid Naya commander.
If I’m building a deck that focuses largely on combat damage, I’ll often look at Naya cards first (with Temur () being a close second). One reason I like Marisi, Breaker of the Coil in a combat focused deck is the peace of mind it gives you while attacking. Knowing you’re the only one that can play combat tricks or removal spells during combat makes it much easier to decide who to attack with what creatures.
Felidar Sovereign was printed before Wizards had officially started designing cards with the Commander format in mind, which means they weren’t considering how powerful this Zendikar card could be in a format where players start with 40 life. Add in ways to cheat creatures out early, and you can sometimes luck into an early Commander win with Felidar Sovereign. Of course, players will likely counter or remove this alternate wincon on sight, so you’ll need to be careful about when you play it.
#18. Nethroi, Apex of Death
Casting Nethroi, Apex of Death for its mutate cost gives you your mana back in value, so long as you have a stocked graveyard. Even better, any time you mutate a creature onto this card, you’ll get another 10 power’s worth of value from the graveyard, plus any other mutate abilities stacked on it.
Abzan () has a solid amount of resources for dumping cards in your graveyard, which makes it easier to fill up for Nethroi, Apex of Death’s ability. This Abzan card also gets even more powerful if any more mutate cards are printed in the future, though they may only show up in supplemental sets like Modern Horizons, since mutate has a 7 on the Storm Scale.
#17. Armored Skyhunter
Armored Skyhunter is a useful tool for any equipment or aura deck. Getting around equip costs can also save you a lot of mana if you’re hitting equipment like Helm of the Host or Colossus Hammer. Digging six cards deep with this card’s ability gives you a good chance of at least hitting something in the right decks, and since it costs no mana to activate, whiffing isn’t the worst feeling.
By reconfiguringLion Sash into an equipment, it can dodge creature removal. This can be very helpful when playing against a mono-black deck which might struggle to remove Lion Sash when it is no longer a creature.
Thanks to having vigilance, Brimaz, King of Oreskos has the potential to create tokens on every turn, not just yours. If you’re able to give this cat soldier the ability to block multiple creatures with a card like Entangler, you can also make a lot of tokens all at once. You have a pretty good chance of getting more than 3 mana's worth of value out of this card.
#11. Cauldron Familiar
Cauldron Familiar made a splash in Standard back when Throne of Eldraine came out. Its interaction with Witch's Oven was a frustrating one to try and get around, and made a pretty nice life drain loop. It has since made a comeback in Pioneer’s Jund () Sacrifice decks and was made even better with the recent printing of Ygra, Eater of All.
I already mentioned my affinity for Naya combat commanders, and Jetmir, Nexus of Revels is part of the reason for that. This card handsomely rewards you for going wide, giving you a lot of meaningful keywords that can help close out a game. Because Jetmir, Nexus of Revels simply has to be on the battlefield to get these buffs, you can keep it in the command zone until you’re ready to do some serious damage.
Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist is perfect for decks that like to go tall instead of wide. This card prevents your opponents from swinging out at you with a board full of creatures, and forces combat to be one-on-one, both of which favor you.
Since Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist has first strike, you don’t have to worry as much about attacking with it to benefit from its abilities. That said, if you’re after the second ability more than the first, you can always tap this card down with the help of something like Cryptolith Rite and avoid the risk of attacking.
#7. Ajani, Nacatl Pariah / Ajani, Nacatl Avenger
Now that I’ve (mostly) gotten over the fact that the only Ajani who can be my commander isn’t able to play 35% of the existing Ajani planeswalker cards, I have to admit Ajani, Nacatl Pariah is a pretty cool flipwalker cat.
Ajani, Nacatl Pariah giving you two creatures for 2 mana is already pretty solid, and I appreciate that transforming this card is both easy and flavorful. Once this becomes Ajani, Nacatl Avenger, it becomes very powerful, especially in a cat deck. Buffing all your cat creatures as a plus ability is very good. This Boros card () can also ult second turn, allowing you to clear out wide board states. This planeswalker is also great at protecting itself, as its second ability gives you both a body to block with and can serve as removal if you have enough creatures on the board.
#6. Arahbo, Roar of the World
Eminence abilities like the one on Arahbo, Roar of the World allow your commander to start providing value as early as turn 1. This is especially nice on a Selesnya commander like Arahbo which costs 5 mana and won’t hit the battlefield for a few turns.
If you’re able to pay for Arahbo, Roar of the World’s triggered ability, you can give any cat, at the very least, a +7/+7 boost, likely more. This can turn even your tiny cat tokens into massive threats.
#5. Enduring Curiosity
As its name suggests, Enduring Curiosity gives all your creatures the same effect as being enchanted with Curiosity. Thanks to its death trigger, this blue card often has to be removed twice before it truly goes away. Since it has flash, you can also drop it at instant speed before the damage step to make it more likely you’ll get at least a few triggers off of this enchantment creature.
#4. Displacer Kitten
Displacer Kitten is perhaps one of the best repeatable flicker effects in Magic. It’s relatively easy to trigger and can allow for some nasty interactions. Use this card to flicker something like Agent of Treachery repeatedly with cheap spells, and your opponents’ boards will be so bare you’ll have to resort to stealing their lands (or you can do that first depending on how mean you want to be).
#3. Lurrus of the Dream-Den
Cards don’t typically earn themselves a ban in multiple Magic formats by being a slouch, and Lurrus of the Dream-Den is no exception. Whether as companion, Orzhov commander (), or simply an Orzhov card in your deck, Lurrus can make it difficult for your opponents to keep up with your board state when you’re constantly bringing cards back from your graveyard. This card can be especially helpful in sacrifice builds, since you’ll rarely run out of sacrifice fodder.
#2. Ygra, Eater of All
At first I didn’t know what the big deal was with Ygra, Eater of All, until I realized it wasn’t just creatures you control that become Food tokens, but all creatures. That means any time any player’s creature dies, this cat is getting a significant buff.
Some of the best payoffs for cats are cards that specifically call them out in their oracle text. For example, Rin and Seri, Inseparable rewards you for having a large number of cats. Claws Out is another good example, as it’ll be easier to cast the more cats you have.
While there isn’t an overabundance of cards that call out cats specifically, you can also supplement your deck with any generic typal support cards like Banner of Kinship. Vanquisher's Banner and Patchwork Banner are also good choices for decks running mostly one creature type. I also like to run Coat of Arms but this can easily backfire if you’re going up against another typal deck that outpaces you.
Because a lot of cats have lifegain abilities or payoffs, other lifegain cards synergize well with cats. Cards like Aetherflux Reservoir can give you a very powerful use for your extra life. Alternatively, you can stockpile your extra life and get benefits from cards like Caduceus, Staff of Hermes or Serra Ascendant.
Is Ajani a Cat?
This depends on which Ajani card we’re talking about. The creature side of Ajani, Nacatl Pariah is a cat. However, planeswalkers use the character’s name as a subtype instead of something generic like cat. This means that any Ajani planeswalker card isn’t considered a cat, though some do have good synergy with cat cards.
Along with new art Cat tokens, many of these cards are mentioned above as some of the strongest cat cards in Magic and I think this Secret Lair did a good job of capturing some of the better choices available for new art treatments and a special release.
Zelda's owner might not be with Draftsim anymore, but we still love this goober.
Arti
This is Artemis, a.k.a. Arti. She's about three years old and the photo of her chomping down on my computer monitor was taken two seconds before she broke it. I still love her.
Selena Gomeows, Miley Cypuss, and Lincoln
The kitten in the first few pics is Selena Gomeows, the wide-eyed photogenic beauty is Miley Cypuss, and the black queen of the house is Lincoln. I've had Lincoln for a decade, Miley showed up a few years ago and decided she lives there, same with Selena this winter.
Neptune
His name is Neptune and there is nothing inside his head, thoughts empty.
Skeeter
When not supervising, Skeeter likes to sit on the To-Do section of a whiteboard in my office. She happens to do so right around mealtimes.
John Fitzgerald Kitty
John Fitzgerald Kitty – Jack for short – is a mouse hunter, outdoor explorer, and strict supervisor. But mostly, he's asleep.
Cats are far from as powerful a creature type as something like humans or elves, but there are still some good cards here to work with. Additionally, while a fully cat-themed deck may not be super powerful, cards like Ocelot Pride and Cauldron Familiar show that some cats can be pretty strong.
What’s your favorite Magic cat? Are you also curious how cats became associated with lifelink? Let me know in the comments or join a conversation on Draftsim’s Discord.
Thank you for reading and see you next time!
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Sean Migalla has been playing Magic consistently for the past 6 years. His favorite aspect of the game is building new decks, which makes Draft and Sealed two of his favorite formats. He also enjoys playing competitive constructed formats on MTG Arena like Standard and Historic, as well as a casual game of Commander.
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Just built a cat/dog deck for Rin & Seri. Still tweaking it to win battles against Eldrazi and Padeem decks. Looking promising!
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