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Commander Nexus
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  3. Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

Command zone

Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

Legendary Creature — Zombie Elemental

Skullbriar wants a deck that keeps making its creatures bigger turn after turn. It also works in a deck built around Elementals or Zombies.

  • Mana costblackgreen
  • Black, Green ()
  • Power / toughness1 / 1
  • RarityRare

Haste

Whenever Skullbriar deals combat damage to a player, put a +1/+1 counter on it.

Counters remain on Skullbriar as it moves to any zone other than a player's hand or library.

Build a deck with Skullbriar Find it in the app

Archetypes

Cards That Fit Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

Picked for what they do in Skullbriar's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Skullbriar'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 Skullbriar, the Walking Grave does6

The 6 Cards

Rulings for Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

explain how Skullbriar 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

Counters that adjust power and/or toughness affect Skullbriar's power and/or toughness in zones other than the battlefield. For example, a Skullbriar in the command zone with a +1/+1 counter on it will be 2/2.

Wizards of the Coast 22 Sep 2011

Effects that last "for as long as that creature has a [kind of] counter on it," such as Aven Mimeomancer's, stop applying to Skullbriar once it leaves the battlefield. Even though Skullbriar retains the counters, it becomes a new object with no relation to its last existence in its previous zone.

Wizards of the Coast 22 Sep 2011

If a card becomes a copy of Skullbriar, counters will remain on that card when it leaves the battlefield (unless it goes to your hand or library). Once it does so, it stops being a copy of Skullbriar, so those counters will cease to exist when that card next changes zones.

Wizards of the Coast 22 Sep 2011

Skullbriar retains all counters, not just +1/+1 counters.

Wizards of the Coast 22 Sep 2011

Skullbriar will get one +1/+1 counter each time it deals combat damage to a player (including you if its combat damage gets redirected), regardless of how much damage is dealt.

Wizards of the Coast 22 Sep 2011

Skullbriar's last ability only works if it has that ability in the zone it's moving from. For example, with Yixlid Jailer ("Cards in graveyards lose all abilities") on the battlefield, a Skullbriar with a counter on it in a graveyard loses that counter when it's put onto the battlefield. Conversely, that Skullbriar moving from the graveyard to the battlefield would retain that counter if Humility ("All creatures lose all abilities and are 1/1") were on the battlefield; if Skullbriar then left the battlefield with Humility still on the battlefield, it would lose the counter.

Wizards of the Coast 22 Sep 2011

The counters that remain on Skullbriar as it changes zones aren't "placed" on Skullbriar. Effects like Doubling Season's and Melira, Sylvok Outcast's won't affect those counters.

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

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Skullbriar, 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 glossaryBGPlayers write colors as letters: B for black, G for green.+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 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 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 pageSaboteurTriggers when a creature deals combat damage to a player, so the reward comes from connecting rather than from the damage itself. Evasion makes these far more reliable. Ragavan, Nimble PilfererOpen the Saboteur page