Is Brallin, Skyshark Rider good in Commander?

Brallin, Skyshark Rider

Legendary Creature — Human Shaman

Partner with Shabraz, the Skyshark (When this creature enters, target player may put Shabraz into their hand from their library, then shuffle.)
Whenever you discard a card, put a +1/+1 counter on Brallin and it deals 1 damage to each opponent.
: Target Shark gains trample until end of turn.

CMC: 4
Mana cost
Color identity: R
Rarity: mythic
Set: The List
Price: $22.58
EDHREC rank: #4669

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Brallin, Skyshark Rider turns every discard into a damage trigger, and strapping Curiosity onto him closes games on the spot — draw a card, deal a damage, draw a card, deal a damage, repeat until someone is dead. Captain Howler, Sea Scourge decks run him in more than half their lists because the engine is that consistent.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

Captain Howler, Sea Scourge

54.2% of decks · synergy 0.52

Captain Howler, Sea Scourge and Brallin, Skyshark Rider are a natural pair — Howler's discard-and-loot effects feed Brallin's triggered damage directly, turning every spell cycle into a clock on your opponents.

Gavi, Nest Warden

51.0% of decks · synergy 0.50

Gavi, Nest Warden's free cycling each turn gives Brallin, Skyshark Rider a consistent, zero-cost damage trigger, and Gavi's token generation means Brallin isn't the only threat absorbing removal.

Clive, Ifrit's Dominant

43.9% of decks · synergy 0.42

Clive, Ifrit's Dominant rewards aggressive discard strategies, and Brallin, Skyshark Rider converts those same discards into reach damage — both cards pull in the same direction without competing for resources.

Rielle, the Everwise

41.1% of decks · synergy 0.39

Rielle, the Everwise makes discarding cards pure value, and Brallin, Skyshark Rider stapled to that engine means every Rielle draw trigger also ticks opponents down — the two together close games faster than either does alone.

Queen Kayla bin-Kroog

23.4% of decks · synergy 0.23

Queen Kayla bin-Kroog's ability requires discarding artifacts and creatures, which feeds Brallin, Skyshark Rider's trigger on the same activation — you're paying the discard cost and getting free damage as a bonus.

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 Brallin, Skyshark Rider does his best work — the multiplayer damage triggers scale hard when every ping hits any target, and the enchantment-combo ceiling (slap Curiosity on him, discard repeatedly, draw your deck) is genuinely threatening at most tables. Legacy and Vintage allow him, but a four-mana legendary creature with no immediate board impact has no business in those formats. Oathbreaker is the one alternative worth mentioning: he can serve as a signature-spell-adjacent threat in a discard-based list, though the 20-life starting total shortens his clock considerably.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

4,571 decks

Brallin, Skyshark RiderCuriosity

Infinite card draw; Infinite draw triggers; Near-infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature; Near-infinite damage; Near-infinite self-discard triggers

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2,031 decks

Brallin, Skyshark RiderOphidian Eye

Infinite card draw; Infinite draw triggers; Near-infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature; Near-infinite damage; Near-infinite self-discard triggers

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1,839 decks

Brallin, Skyshark RiderTandem Lookout

Infinite card draw; Infinite draw triggers; Near-infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature; Near-infinite damage; Near-infinite self-discard triggers

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403 decks

Brallin, Skyshark RiderKeen Sense

Infinite card draw; Infinite draw triggers; Near-infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature; Near-infinite damage; Near-infinite self-discard triggers

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5 decks

Brallin, Skyshark RiderChange of Fortune Reiterate Grafted Exoskeleton

Each opponent loses the game

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Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Brallin, Skyshark Rider's exact combination of discard-trigger damage and built-in trample is hard to replicate cheaply, but Glint-Horn Buccaneer covers the core loop — it also pings on discard and can go infinite with Curiosity-style enchantments — for well under a dollar. You lose the flying body and the Izzet partner flexibility, but the engine functions the same way for decks that just need the damage trigger.

Price Context

Current price

$22.58 premium tier

At $22.58, Brallin, Skyshark Rider sits in premium territory for a card that sees most of its play as a combo piece rather than a format staple. That price reflects low reprint availability more than raw demand, so it's worth picking up if you're building the archetype rather than waiting for a reprint that may not come soon.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated 2026-05-30. Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.