Ashiok, Nightmare Muse
Legendary Planeswalker — Ashiok
+1: Create a 2/3 blue and black Nightmare creature token with "Whenever this token attacks or blocks, each opponent exiles the top two cards of their library."
−3: Return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand, then that player exiles a card from their hand.
−7: You may cast up to three spells from among face-up cards your opponents own from exile without paying their mana costs.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BU
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Theros Beyond Death
- Price
- $3.49
- EDHREC rank
- #6909
Ashiok, Nightmare Muse lands on turn five and immediately threatens to run away with the game — a plus ability that mills and generates blockers, a minus that exiles anything cast from outside the hand, and an ultimate that empties a library fast. The five-mana cost is real, but the loyalty total and built-in protection mean Ashiok, Nightmare Muse survives long enough to matter in most pods.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Umbris, Fear Manifest
Umbris, Fear Manifest grows on every exile trigger, and Ashiok, Nightmare Muse's plus ability exiles cards from opponents' libraries every turn — that's a free +1/+1 counter on Umbris, Fear Manifest per activation without spending any additional resources.
Tasha, the Witch Queen
Tasha, the Witch Queen wants opponents casting spells from outside their hands, and Ashiok, Nightmare Muse's minus ability exiles those spells and lets you cast them instead — the two abilities reward exactly the same board state.
Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Nicol Bolas, the Ravager plays Grixis control and wants five-mana planeswalkers that grind value over several turns; Ashiok, Nightmare Muse fits the gameplan as a resilient threat that disrupts opponent hands and libraries while the deck answers everything else.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Ashiok, Nightmare Muse does its best work — three opponents means the mill and exile abilities trigger against multiple libraries, the token generation blocks in a multiplayer board, and the ultimate can realistically end a game. In Pioneer and Modern, Ashiok, Nightmare Muse sees fringe play in Dimir or Esper control shells as a late-game threat that hoses decks relying on graveyard recursion or tutors. Legacy and Vintage are too fast for a five-mana planeswalker without immediate board impact, so Ashiok, Nightmare Muse doesn't hold a competitive slot there. Oathbreaker is a viable home given the format's planeswalker-as-commander structure, where the grind-and-exile game plan can be built around directly.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$3.49 cheap tier
At $3.49, Ashiok, Nightmare Muse sits firmly in the cheap tier for a mythic planeswalker with genuine Commander demand. The price reflects steady supply from a widely opened set rather than any lack of playability — Ashiok, Nightmare Muse is a real card at a real discount.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Umbris, Fear Manifest
- Tasha, the Witch Queen
- Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.