Cleaver Skaab
Creature — Zombie Horror
, 
, Sacrifice another Zombie: Create two tokens that are copies of the sacrificed creature.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Secret Lair Drop
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #4277
Cleaver Skaab enters the battlefield and immediately copies a Zombie you control, doubling whatever threat is already on board without spending an additional card. The six-mana cost is real, but in Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver shells that generate disposable Zombie tokens the tempo math closes fast.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver
Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver generates a steady stream of Decayed Zombie tokens, and Cleaver Skaab turns any of them into a free copy of your best Zombie on the spot — the 60% inclusion rate across 21,000+ decks reflects exactly how well that engine clicks.
The Scarab God
The Scarab God reanimates creatures from any graveyard as 4/4 Zombies, and Cleaver Skaab lets you immediately duplicate whichever stolen threat is most dangerous — doubling a 4/4 body the turn it enters is hard to ignore.
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born
Grimgrin, Corpse-Born wants a constant supply of Zombies to sacrifice for counters and untaps, and Cleaver Skaab delivers a free extra body the moment it lands, feeding that sacrifice loop without costing you a card in hand.
Varina, Lich Queen
Varina, Lich Queen rewards you for attacking with Zombies, and Cleaver Skaab swells the attacking squad by copying whichever Zombie carries the most combat value — more attackers means more cards drawn and more life gained.
Gisa and Geralf
Gisa and Geralf recur Zombies from the graveyard, and Cleaver Skaab pairs with that recursion loop by copying the replayed threat and widening the board before opponents can stabilize.
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 |
Cleaver Skaab is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but its home is clearly Commander. At six mana with an enters-the-battlefield copy trigger, it's far too slow and narrowly tribal for Legacy or Vintage, where the Zombie synergy context doesn't exist and the rate is simply uncompetitive. In Oathbreaker the math is similar — the format's faster pace makes a six-drop conditional payoff difficult to justify unless the signature spell actively enables it. Commander is where Cleaver Skaab earns its slot: the 99-card format rewards synergy density over raw efficiency, and any Zombie-tribal build running 30-plus Zombies has consistent targets to copy on entry.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Cleaver Skaab isn't currently available through this tool, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for a live number. Given its heavy concentration in casual Commander Zombie tribal rather than competitive formats, it typically sits in the budget-to-low-mid range — worth grabbing if you're building the archetype.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.