Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor
Legendary Creature — Octopus Noble
Tap an untapped Octopus you control: Tap target permanent.
: Tap all creatures without flying.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $0.45
- EDHREC rank
- #19260
Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor taps every non-Cephalid permanent your opponents control at instant speed — a repeatable, unconditional lockdown stapled to a 3/3 body. The cost is steep: six mana to cast and UUU to activate makes this a slow engine that collapses against counterspells or fast decks that close before you stabilize.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is the only format where Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor is worth discussing seriously — the 100-card singleton environment gives you enough Cephalid tribal support and enough long games to recoup the six-mana investment. In Legacy and Vintage, the activation cost is a non-starter; no competitive shell is paying UUU at instant speed to tap permanents when faster, cheaper interaction exists. Oathbreaker is legal but the same problem applies — the format is too fast and the card too expensive to matter. Play Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor in Commander or not at all.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.45 bulk tier
At $0.45, Aboshan, Cephalid Emperor is firmly bulk — the price reflects narrow demand from Cephalid tribal builders and little else. It won't climb without a new Cephalid-matters card to spike interest, so pick it up cheap if the archetype calls for it and don't expect the price to move.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.