MagicTheGathering.fyi

Burdened Stoneback

Creature — Giant Warrior

This creature enters with two -1/-1 counters on it.
{1}{W}, Remove a counter from this creature: Target creature gains indestructible until end of turn. Activate only as a sorcery. (Damage and effects that say "destroy" don't destroy it. If its toughness is 0 or less, it still dies.)

CMC
2
Mana cost
{1}{W}
Color identity
W
Rarity
uncommon
Set
Lorwyn Eclipsed
Price
$0.12
EDHREC rank
#20890
Buy on TCGplayer
Burdened Stoneback card art
Burdened Stoneback puts an 8/8 trample body on the board for four mana — the catch is that your opponents collectively decide which of them gets saddled with a 3/3 that can't block, a tax that matters far less than it looks when the game is already going wide. It slots cleanly under Mikaeus, the Unhallowed for undying recursion and pairs with Ruhan of the Fomori as a second massive threat that forces unfavorable attacks, but outside of those specific homes it's hard to justify over creatures that don't hand any resource to the table.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Ruhan of the Fomori

Ruhan of the Fomori

11.8% of decks · synergy 0.12

Ruhan of the Fomori decks want large, threatening bodies that pressure life totals independently, and Burdened Stoneback fits that role while the 3/3 burden token landing on an opponent mirrors Ruhan's own political pressure — your opponents are managing two problems instead of one.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Burdened Stoneback is legal across every major constructed format but sees essentially no play outside Commander, and even there it's a niche include. In Standard, Modern, and Pioneer, a four-mana 8/8 with a downside that benefits opponents doesn't compete with what those formats offer at the same slot. Commander is where it makes the most sense: the multiplayer table dilutes the burden token's sting, opponents will squabble over who absorbs the 3/3, and the raw size is genuinely relevant when voltron or stompy strategies need bodies that close games fast.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.12 bulk tier

At $0.12, Burdened Stoneback is deep bulk — a throw-in card with essentially no floor to drop through. It holds that price as a novelty and a budget option for the specific Commander builds that want it, not because demand is meaningfully driving it anywhere.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

← All cards

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