Alibou, Ancient Witness

Legendary Artifact Creature — Golem

Other artifact creatures you control have haste.
Whenever one or more artifact creatures you control attack, Alibou deals X damage to any target and you scry X, where X is the number of tapped artifacts you control.

CMC
5
Mana cost
{3}{R}{W}
Color identity
RW
Rarity
mythic
Set
Commander 2021
Price
EDHREC rank
#2554
Buy on TCGplayer
Alibou, Ancient Witness card art
Alibou, Ancient Witness turns every tapped artifact into a damage trigger and a scry, which means a wide artifact board translates directly into card selection and pressure on the same turn. The cost is real — you need a critical mass of artifacts that want to tap, and cards like Myr Propagator that generate token fodder pull serious weight here. General Ferrous Rokiric decks snap this up because multicolor spells keep fueling the artifact count that makes Alibou tick.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
General Ferrous Rokiric

General Ferrous Rokiric

71.2% of decks · synergy 0.67

General Ferrous Rokiric churns out Golem tokens with every multicolor spell, and Alibou, Ancient Witness converts those tapping Golems into scry and direct damage — the two commanders form a self-reinforcing loop where spell volume becomes both board presence and reach.

02
Inspirit, Flagship Vessel

Inspirit, Flagship Vessel

64.6% of decks · synergy 0.58

Inspirit, Flagship Vessel's artifact-creature focus means Alibou, Ancient Witness's trigger fires constantly, letting the deck translate crew actions and combat into a steady stream of scry and incremental damage.

03
Osgir, the Reconstructor

Osgir, the Reconstructor

51.6% of decks · synergy 0.47

Osgir, the Reconstructor doubles up artifact copies and puts them into play tapped, which hands Alibou, Ancient Witness immediate triggers without needing to wait a turn — every Osgir activation is also a free scry.

04

Megatron, Tyrant

44.4% of decks · synergy 0.43

Megatron, Tyrant generates Energy and artifact synergies that keep the board stocked with tappable permanents, and Alibou, Ancient Witness rewards that density with damage and card quality on every activation.

05
Kilo, Apogee Mind

Kilo, Apogee Mind

44.8% of decks · synergy 0.38

Kilo, Apogee Mind leans into artifact synergies at scale, and Alibou, Ancient Witness slots in as an engine that converts the sheer number of tapping artifacts into scry depth and a clock.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander
legacy
modern
pioneer
standard
vintage
pauper
oathbreaker

Alibou, Ancient Witness is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but Commander is the only format where it actually sees play. The five-mana cost and build-around requirement make it uncompetitive in Legacy and Vintage, where the artifact synergies it demands don't assemble fast enough to matter. In Commander it excels as the head of an artifact-token or artifact-tap deck, delivering both card selection and a damage clock in the same package. Oathbreaker is a theoretical fit if you're building around an artifact-heavy signature spell, but the format's compressed game length works against a five-drop engine.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

13 decks
Breath of FuryAlibou, Ancient WitnessThreefold Thunderhulk

Breath of FuryAlibou, Ancient WitnessThreefold Thunderhulk

Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite combat damage; Infinite combat phases; Infinite creature tokens with haste; Infinite death triggers; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite untap of creatures you control

View on Commander Spellbook ↗
8 decks
Breath of FuryAlibou, Ancient WitnessMyrel, Shield of Argive

Breath of FuryAlibou, Ancient WitnessMyrel, Shield of Argive

Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite combat damage; Infinite combat phases; Infinite creature tokens with haste; Infinite death triggers; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite untap of creatures you control

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

Price Context

Current price

unknown tier

Pricing data for Alibou, Ancient Witness isn't currently available in this context, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the live number before buying. Given its niche Commander role and absence from competitive formats, it historically sits in the affordable range — worth confirming before a pickup, but unlikely to break a budget.

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.