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Cephalid Inkshrouder

Creature — Octopus

Discard a card: This creature gains shroud until end of turn and can't be blocked this turn. (A creature with shroud can't be the target of spells or abilities.)

CMC
3
Mana cost
{2}{U}
Color identity
U
Rarity
uncommon
Set
Judgment
Price
$0.34
EDHREC rank
#15421
Buy on TCGplayer
Cephalid Inkshrouder card art
Cephalid Inkshrouder gives you repeatable shroud and discard on demand — relevant protection stapled to an ability that fuels graveyard engines — but the two-mana activation cost per use adds up fast. It's a role-player, not a staple: outside of Mairsil, the Pretender cage locks or Glint-Horn Buccaneer discard loops, it rarely earns its slot.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Mairsil, the Pretender

Mairsil, the Pretender

33.1% of decks · synergy 0.33

Mairsil, the Pretender exiles Cephalid Inkshrouder to the cage and then uses the activated ability repeatedly — granting Mairsil shroud at instant speed while simultaneously fueling any graveyard or discard synergies wired into the build.

02
Captain Howler, Sea Scourge

Captain Howler, Sea Scourge

16.4% of decks · synergy 0.16

Captain Howler, Sea Scourge rewards repeated discard, and Cephalid Inkshrouder turns every protection activation into a trigger — the more you need to protect your board, the more value you extract from the same mana.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

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

Cephalid Inkshrouder sees essentially no play outside Commander, where its activated ability can be caged by Mairsil, the Pretender or slotted into graveyard-matters shells that want cheap, repeatable discard outlets. In Legacy and Vintage, where it's technically legal, the card is too slow and too low-impact to compete — there are simply better ways to generate shroud or feed the graveyard in those formats. Commander is its entire context, and even there it's a narrow include rather than a broadly recommended piece.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.34 bulk tier

At $0.34, Cephalid Inkshrouder is firmly bulk — cheap enough to throw into any Mairsil, the Pretender list without a second thought. Demand is too narrow for the price to move meaningfully in either direction.

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Sources

Mentioned

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