Boreal Griffin
Snow Creature — Griffin
Flying
: This creature gains first strike until end of turn. ( can be paid with one mana from a snow source.)
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Coldsnap
- Price
- $0.18
- EDHREC rank
- #24964
Boreal Griffin is a five-mana 2/3 flyer with first strike — the stats are mediocre enough that it needs a specific payoff to earn a slot. Outside of snow-tribal lists built around Isu the Abominable, it doesn't clear the bar.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Isu the Abominable
Isu the Abominable counts every snow permanent, and Boreal Griffin is a snow creature that flies and blocks well in the air — it contributes to Isu's power/toughness scaling while holding the board until you're ready to attack.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Boreal Griffin is a bulk roleplayer in Commander, and only in dedicated snow builds — it's too expensive and understatted to see play anywhere else. In Pauper it's technically legal but has no competitive home; five mana for a 2/3 first striker doesn't cut it when efficient commons exist at every point on the curve. Legacy and Vintage are non-starters. The honest read is that Boreal Griffin is a Commander-only card, and even there it's a fringe inclusion gated entirely to snow-tribal.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.18 bulk tier
At $0.18, Boreal Griffin is deep bulk — the kind of card that ends up in a collection binder, not a singles order. It won't climb in price; snow-tribal demand is narrow and supply is plentiful.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.