Skip to content
  1. Commander Nexus
  2. Commanders
  3. Ob Nixilis, Unshackled

Command zone

Ob Nixilis, Unshackled

Ob Nixilis, Unshackled

Legendary Creature — Demon

Ob Nixilis wants a deck that gives up its own cards on purpose to get something back. It also suits a deck that keeps making its creatures bigger turn after turn.

  • Mana cost4 genericblackblack
  • Black ()
  • Power / toughness4 / 4
  • RarityRare

Flying, trample

Whenever an opponent searches their library, that player sacrifices a creature of their choice and loses 10 life.

Whenever another creature dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Ob Nixilis.

Build a deck with Ob Nixilis Find it in the app

Themes

Cards That Fit Ob Nixilis, Unshackled

Picked for what they do in Ob Nixilis's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Ob Nixilis'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

plan6

The 6 Cards

plan6

The 6 Cards

Rulings for Ob Nixilis, Unshackled

explain how Ob Nixilis 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 18 Jul 2014

If the opponent controls no creatures when the first triggered ability resolves, that player still loses 10 life.

Wizards of the Coast 18 Jul 2014

Ob Nixilis's first triggered ability won't trigger if you search an opponent's library or if an opponent searches another player's library.

Wizards of the Coast 18 Jul 2014

The first triggered ability won't be put on the stack until after the spell or ability causing the opponent to search their library finishes resolving. Notably, if that spell or ability causes any other abilities to trigger (for example, if the opponent searched for a creature card and put it onto the battlefield), those abilities and Ob Nixilis's triggered ability will go on the stack together. The active player puts all of their abilities on the stack in any order, then each other player in turn order does the same. The last ability put onto the stack this way will be the first to resolve, and so on.

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

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Ob Nixilis, 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 glossaryBPlayers write colors as letters: B for black.SacrificeSacrifice decks give up their own creatures, Treasures and other cards on purpose and get something back each time. A sacrifice outlet, a card that lets you sacrifice whenever you want, is the heart of the deck.Open the Sacrifice pageForced SacrificeMakes opponents sacrifice their own permanents. Because they choose what to lose, it gets around protection and hexproof that ordinary removal cannot touch. Braids, Arisen Nightmare, Living DeathOpen the Forced Sacrifice pageDeath TriggerTriggers when a creature dies, whether it is this creature, one of yours or an opponent's. These are the cards that pay you in an Aristocrats deck: something else makes creatures die, and these decide what you get each time. Blood Artist, Solemn SimulacrumOpen the Death Trigger pageCounter EngineAdds +1/+1 counters over and over rather than once. A counter here is a small permanent marker that raises a creature's power and toughness for good. It is not a counterspell, which is a different thing entirely. Something that adds them every turn makes your whole board bigger and keeps it that way. Hardened Scales, Corpsejack MenaceOpen the Counter Engine pageGame ChangerCards that warp the game disproportionately around themselves, requiring immediate answers.What the brackets meanEvasionAn ability that makes a creature hard to block, so its attacks reach the player. Flying, menace, landwalk and plain 'can't be blocked' are the common kinds.Open the Evasion page+1/+1 Counters+1/+1 counter decks put small markers on their creatures that make each one permanently bigger, and keep adding more every turn. Each +1/+1 counter adds one to a creature's power (the damage it deals) and toughness (the damage it can take).Open the +1/+1 Counters page+1/+1 CountersPuts +1/+1 counters on creatures, permanently raising their power and toughness. Unlike a temporary boost that wears off at end of turn, these markers stay put and stack up over a long game. Hardened Scales, The Great HengeOpen the +1/+1 Counters pageStaxStax decks slow the whole game down with cards that make spells cost more, stop lands from untapping, or limit what players can do each turn. The deck is built so those limits hurt it least. Many groups dislike playing against it, so check with your table first.Open the Stax page