Ashen Ghoul
Creature — Zombie
Haste
: Return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Activate only during your upkeep and only if three or more creature cards are above this card.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Coldsnap Theme Decks
- Price
- $0.39
- EDHREC rank
- #24435
Ashen Ghoul is a recursive beater that reanimates itself for three mana at instant speed — the catch is that three other creatures need to be above it in your graveyard. That condition makes it unreliable in most shells but a genuine engine piece in decks that churn through the bin fast.
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 where Ashen Ghoul finds its best home, specifically in graveyard-centric decks that fill the bin quickly enough to satisfy the three-creature requirement consistently. Legacy has the raw speed to enable it, but dedicated graveyard decks there have more powerful self-mill and recursion options that crowd it out. Vintage has access to the same tools and the same problem — the card isn't banned, just outclassed. Ashen Ghoul is not legal in Modern, Pioneer, Standard, or Pauper, so Commander is effectively the format where it earns a slot.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.39 bulk tier
At $0.39, Ashen Ghoul is bulk — the kind of card you pick up in a trade binder without thinking twice. It's a narrow enough role-player that demand is unlikely to spike it, so the price is stable in both directions.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.