If only every card they printed were as unique and flavorful as this. Not that i think this card will ever stick around long enough to deal alot of damage to an opponnent before they have a way to deal with it and the fact still remains that you need a way to consistantly revive it, but still, such a unique concept makes this card worth using.
metalevolence
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(5 votes)
A wonderful Goodstuff or Voltron general. Just watch out for black sun's zenith D:
MasterOfEtherium
★☆☆☆☆ (1.7/5.0)(8 votes)
DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE
greg2367
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(6 votes)
Nils Hamm does not disappoint with his art, yet again.
lorendorky
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(6 votes)
People have said this should have been printed as the WBG general and Ghave, Guru of Spores should have been BG. I agree.
Magnor_Criol
★☆☆☆☆ (1.1/5.0)(4 votes)
I don't really see black's contribution to the card; +1/+1 counters are green, and the counters-beyond-zones thing isn't any color (because it's entirely unique, of course).
Sweet art, though, and an interesting effect. It's got some rules heft to it.
Atali
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(6 votes)
I'm just envisioning him getting killed after a few counters pile up, then a few cards drop on him in the graveyard. Random passer by - "What's that pile of counters halfway down your graveyard?"
infernox10
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
To be honest, this guy can be a house, especially if you can get him into a Karador EDH deck.
He'll keep bashing face, and you can get him back on the field over and over with your general.
However, he ended up in the deck because it has the most reanimation effects, while had more of a sacrifice for power sort of theme.
Either way, he's awesome. 5/5
It's a little upsetting that if this guy dies to infect he dies permanently. Same with Black Sun's Zenith. They could have easily said, "+1/+1 Counters remain". Bribery counters also stay permanently. I can't think of any other counters that go on creatures. The thing's still a beast though!
syrazemyla
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(4 votes)
@C5r1a5z0y
You, turn 3: Eternal Witness, return Skullbriar to my hand. Opponent: :<
Noyan_Dar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love that third ability. I hope they do more with it. So much potential was lost when they (presumably) wussed out on referencing Spiritmonger, though. Despite getting anxious when playing a deck without any blue in it, I'd gladly make a Skullbriar, the Mongering Spirit commander deck.
Tynansdtm
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Or any hand reanimate. I use a Disentomb or two because it's more splashable, but Morbid Plunder belongs in nearly any black deck I can think of.
Feralsymphony
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(7 votes)
Character Bio: The undead monstrosity known as Skullbriar was formed when a necromancer and an elementalist entered into a grim pact. The mages wove their magics together in an overgrown cemetery, thinking it would bring them eternal life. Instead it fused them together into Skullbriar, the relentless, restless elemental of death.
A0602
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(4 votes)
It only keeps the counters in the graveyard or battlefield. That being said it works quite well with existing Golgari cards.
Especially Vigor Mortis. Not only is this effecient, but it's also flavorful.
Reign274
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
everything about this card reads epic. 10/5 easily. I wasn't planning on getting a EDH (I mean...*commander*) deck, but ...*sighs and pulls out wallet*
you guys are rating this pretty high on flavor alone. I admit, this is an awesome card, and I wish they made more cards like this, but still, you can't get over the fact that he's a 1/1 with no flying, landwalk, trample, or anything.
this guy would make an awesome commander tho
The_Trendkill
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(9 votes)
Skullbriar, the Walking Bull$hit
GrimjawxRULES
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you're running Skullbriar as your commander, Mighty Emergence makes it one hell of a pain once it hits 5/5.
Zombie_Ninjaz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ah man just made this guy into a general (commander) - bloody tiiiiight! - running a bunch of zombie boosting guys (lord of undead, cem reaper...etc), green totem auras and rancor ..etc, and grafting and counter stuff like quest for gemblade, loxodon warhammer, whispersilk - and some artifact/enchantment kill (just to give yal an idea of its flavor - what do you think?) had some really fun games. also anybody know any elemental boosting cards (stuff that gives elemental creatures actual bonuses like +1/+1..etc - can't find any)??
sonorhC
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@A0602: It's not only the graveyard and battlefield. It's every zone except library and hand. This includes the Exile zone, as NoobOfLore points out. Notably, this being the Commander set, it also includes the Command zone. If you make a deck with him as the general, every time someone kills him and you re-cast him, he'll still have all the counters he used to have.
Why, oh why is this in and not in . I want to buy the latter and make a Doran deck based on it, but now I'll have to resort to singles :<
NoobOfLore
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Does it keep the counters in the Exile zone? Not often that this becomes relevant, but good to know, in case he gets flickered or something.
I like how killing this guy with -1/-1 counters makes it so he can't be reanimated.
wstonefi
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Not only does he make an awesome general, he also has a badass character bio!
"The undead monstrosity known as Skullbriar was formed when a necromancer and an elementalist entered into a grim pact. The mages wove their magics together in an overgrown cemetery, thinking it would bring them eternal life. Instead it fused them together into Skullbriar, the relentless, restless elemental of death."
Zielheim
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
@infernox10
I think the reasoning why is because, even if you kill it, if it comes back, it's just as strong. Kind of like an actual zombie (as far as 'actual' can go), in that even if you chop off an arm, it's not going to slow down. Or something along those lines.
nope.avi
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
If he was in white black color, debtors' knell would make it impossible to get rid of. It would be like oh you killed him, ok i recast him for free kkthx
Luke_BPC
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Infect and -1/-1 counters still won't kill him for good, just return him to your hand or library, cast him again, and get back into the game :D
GlassJoetheChamp
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(13 votes)
I saw this card and thought, "This was MADE for EDH!"
Then I realized it actually was made for EDH... :P
Tsuichoi
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I dont know if anyone noticed, yet this would certainly do well with the new Undying mechanic (Mikaeus, the Unhallowed), coupled with Reanimation of course.
Dolorosa
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is how the Ghoultree should look.
Ipsilont
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A true beast of an EDH commander.
The fact that you virtually guaranteed to cast him on turn 2 (or even turn 1, if I get a lotus petal in my hand) and can swing with him right away makes him a commander you can truly build an entire deck around.
Ashrubel
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ Verdant_Handshake: Neither of those are very good... That Which was Taken's counters have no intrinsic effect, they merely allow the permanent to be made indestructible by That Whic was Raen... If TWwT leaves play, those counters do nothing.
Sensei's Tokens do nothing a all, they just mark the creature, i is an added ability that gives it Bushido, Skullbriar leaves play and the counter does nothing at all.
The best combo's fo this involve things tha give it free counters, such as Ashnod's Transmogrant and any Graft abilities. (many of the best are in green). Remember, when Skullbriar leaves play he forgets what changes were done to him, such as permanently becoming an artifact, or gaining bushido. He only tracks counters, so anything that gives him extea counters = awesome. Too bad Gildet Bairn is blue...
infamado
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Verdant_Handshake: Does it work with Sensei Golden-Tail? The rulings on his Gatherer entry make it clear that the abilities aren't dependent on the counter. I think that if he leaves play, he'll lose those abilities, and come back in with a counter that doesn't do anything.
Can anyone say Ring of Kalonia? It was made for Skullbriar in EDH. Ring of Xathrid is alright, but recursion with Skullbriar isn't really a problem.
ParishInquisitor
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
My EDH General. {G}/{B} has so many cards that give you card advantage( Phyrexian Arena, Grave pact) or put +1/+1 counters on him ( Increasing Savagery, Shape of the Wiitigo). It's actually pretty easy to kill your opponents with commander damage, especially if you give him trample. Just watch out for Hex Parasites. :P A solid 5/5 for me.
Well I won't lie, I just realized how much better Return to Ravnica has made this guy, between Corpsejack Menace and Scavenge in general, well you could probably pull off quite the glorious deck using Mr. The Walking Grave...
Nothing was quite as depressing for me as someone killing him early on with Fume Spitter. Sigh.
One NASTY Scavenge platform though, keepin' all dem counters.
Kodanshi
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Scavenge this guy’s retained +1/+1 counters using Varolz, the Scar-Striped.
WolfWhoWalks
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@A060Z: Nope. Skullbriar also keeps counters in the Command Zone, which was the whole purpose behind giving it this ability.
I ran a B/G zombie deck for a while with this guy as commander, and I really love the flavor, art, and feel of this card. However, high rating aside, if you're running this card against skilled opponents with good 1-drops, it can actually be quite hard to land a blow. In EDH especially, almost everyone has a chump blocker by the time Skullbriar swings. However, in early game aggro where opponents can't find a chump blocker, Skullbriar owns face.
SAUS3
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@WolfWhoWalks If you're playing in a multiplayer game, it is actually highly unlikely that every one of your opponents will have a blocker when it's your turn 2. Just poke the guy without a blocker until you can force bad trades from the other players.
I love this guy because he's a monster. Just keep poking and threatening the commander damage kill. If they board wipe, you just recast and swing through the empty battlefield.
5/5
DarthParallax
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(2 votes)
This guy is a horrible Commander.
BUT! He's an awesome Creature! Windmill him into any {B}{G}{W} or {B}{G}{U} deck's 99!
White or Blue do so freaking much for him, it is quite silly. :)
Once you count the ways, you'll never want to leave your {B}{G} decks at two colors again.
At first I thought it was rather vulnerable to -1/-1 counters (or other detrimental counters), but then I realized that BG is the perfect colors for dealing with that. Let it go to the graveyard, then put it back in your hand with some form of regrowth or disentomb effect. Problem solved.
Comments (58)
Sweet art, though, and an interesting effect. It's got some rules heft to it.
He'll keep bashing face, and you can get him back on the field over and over with your general.
However, he ended up in the
Either way, he's awesome. 5/5
haste is black, as is returning from the grave (reassembling skeleton, rise from the grave), which is what this thing is supposed to do.
You, Turn 2: Skullbriar, the Walking Grave
Opponent, Turn 2: Contagion Clasp, -1/-1 counter to Skullbriar.
You: :'-(
You, turn 3: Eternal Witness, return Skullbriar to my hand.
Opponent: :<
So much potential was lost when they (presumably) wussed out on referencing Spiritmonger, though. Despite getting anxious when playing a deck without any blue in it, I'd gladly make a Skullbriar, the Mongering Spirit commander deck.
The undead monstrosity known as Skullbriar was formed when a necromancer and an elementalist entered into a grim pact. The mages wove their magics together in an overgrown cemetery, thinking it would bring them eternal life. Instead it fused them together into Skullbriar, the relentless, restless elemental of death.
Especially Vigor Mortis. Not only is this effecient, but it's also flavorful.
this guy would make an awesome commander tho
also anybody know any elemental boosting cards (stuff that gives elemental creatures actual bonuses like +1/+1..etc - can't find any)??
Not often that this becomes relevant, but good to know, in case he gets flickered or something.
I like how killing this guy with -1/-1 counters makes it so he can't be reanimated.
"The undead monstrosity known as Skullbriar was formed when a necromancer and an elementalist entered into a grim pact. The mages wove their magics together in an overgrown cemetery, thinking it would bring them eternal life. Instead it fused them together into Skullbriar, the relentless, restless elemental of death."
I think the reasoning why is because, even if you kill it, if it comes back, it's just as strong. Kind of like an actual zombie (as far as 'actual' can go), in that even if you chop off an arm, it's not going to slow down. Or something along those lines.
Then I realized it actually was made for EDH... :P
The fact that you virtually guaranteed to cast him on turn 2 (or even turn 1, if I get a lotus petal in my hand) and can swing with him right away makes him a commander you can truly build an entire deck around.
Sensei's Tokens do nothing a all, they just mark the creature, i is an added ability that gives it Bushido, Skullbriar leaves play and the counter does nothing at all.
The best combo's fo this involve things tha give it free counters, such as Ashnod's Transmogrant and any Graft abilities. (many of the best are in green). Remember, when Skullbriar leaves play he forgets what changes were done to him, such as permanently becoming an artifact, or gaining bushido. He only tracks counters, so anything that gives him extea counters = awesome. Too bad Gildet Bairn is blue...
A solid 5/5 for me.
One NASTY Scavenge platform though, keepin' all dem counters.
I ran a B/G zombie deck for a while with this guy as commander, and I really love the flavor, art, and feel of this card. However, high rating aside, if you're running this card against skilled opponents with good 1-drops, it can actually be quite hard to land a blow. In EDH especially, almost everyone has a chump blocker by the time Skullbriar swings. However, in early game aggro where opponents can't find a chump blocker, Skullbriar owns face.
If you're playing in a multiplayer game, it is actually highly unlikely that every one of your opponents will have a blocker when it's your turn 2. Just poke the guy without a blocker until you can force bad trades from the other players.
I love this guy because he's a monster. Just keep poking and threatening the commander damage kill. If they board wipe, you just recast and swing through the empty battlefield.
5/5
BUT! He's an awesome Creature! Windmill him into any {B}{G}{W} or {B}{G}{U} deck's 99!
White or Blue do so freaking much for him, it is quite silly. :)
Once you count the ways, you'll never want to leave your {B}{G} decks at two colors again.
Here's one: start with Mighty Emergence.
Otherworldly Journey. Now put it on Isochron Scepter. YEAH.