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Commander Nexus
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  3. Nin, the Pain Artist

Command zone

Nin, the Pain Artist

Nin, the Pain Artist

Legendary Creature — Vedalken Wizard

Nin wants a deck that deals one damage at a time, again and again. It also works in a deck built around Vedalken or Wizards.

  • Mana costbluered
  • Blue, Red ()
  • Power / toughness1 / 1
  • RarityRare

Xbluered, tap: Nin deals X damage to target creature. That creature's controller draws X cards.

Build a deck with Nin Find it in the app

Archetypes
Themes

Cards That Fit Nin, the Pain Artist

Picked for what they do in Nin's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Nin's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Sol RingOpen the full glossary

plan6

The 6 Cards

Does what Nin, the Pain Artist does6

The 6 Cards

Rulings for Nin, the Pain Artist

explain how Nin works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary

Wizards of the Coast 22 Sep 2011

If the ability resolves, but the damage is prevented or redirected, the controller of the targeted creature will draw X cards, regardless of how much damage was dealt or what the damage was ultimately dealt to.

Wizards of the Coast 22 Sep 2011

If the creature is an illegal target when Nin's ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve and none of its effects will happen. No player will draw cards.

Wizards of the Coast 22 Sep 2011

If the damage is lethal, the cards are drawn before the creature is destroyed (the next time state-based actions are checked).

Wizards of the Coast 22 Sep 2011

The effect is not optional. The creature's controller can't choose to draw fewer than X cards.

Wizards of the Coast 22 Sep 2011

You may choose a value for X that's greater than the creature's toughness. Its controller will draw that many cards.

5 rulings, all written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Nin, and what they share.

Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryURPlayers write colors as letters: U for blue, R for red. Blue is U because B was already taken by black.PingersPinger decks deal one damage at a time, again and again, to pick off small creatures and wear opponents down. The damage usually comes from creatures you tap to deal 1 damage, or from cards that deal damage whenever something happens.Open the Pingers pageRepeatable DamageDeals damage again and again rather than once. It comes from an activated ability you can use every turn, or a trigger that fires whenever something happens. Walking Ballista, Impact TremorsOpen the Repeatable Damage pageMana SinkGives you somewhere useful to spend spare mana, usually through an ability you can activate again and again. Rogue's Passage, Mind StoneOpen the Mana Sink pageDamage RemovalRemoves creatures by dealing damage to them rather than by destroying them outright. This includes fight cards, where your creature deals the damage. Damage only kills a creature if it at least equals its toughness, so it can miss the biggest ones, and it does not kill a creature that cannot be destroyed. Lightning Bolt, Rabid Bite, PyroclasmOpen the Damage Removal page