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Death Baron

Creature — Zombie Wizard

Skeletons you control and other Zombies you control get +1/+1 and have deathtouch. (Any amount of damage they deal to a creature is enough to destroy it.)

CMC
3
Mana cost
{1}{B}{B}
Color identity
B
Rarity
rare
Set
Core Set 2019 Promos
Price
—
EDHREC rank
#1664
Buy on TCGplayer
Death Baron card art
Death Baron turns every Zombie and Skeleton you control into a deathtouch threat that trades up the board state and survives combat favorably — all for three mana. It's a staple-tier lord: Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver runs it in over 80% of decks, and it slots just as cleanly alongside Deathbringer Thoctar for reliable removal-on-a-stick synergy.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver

Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver

81.8% of decks · synergy 0.72

Wilhelt, the Rotcleaver generates a stream of decayed Zombie tokens that want to attack and die, and Death Baron makes every one of those attacks a forced trade — opponents either chump a deathtouch body or eat the damage.

02
Varina, Lich Queen

Varina, Lich Queen

77.0% of decks · synergy 0.72

Varina, Lich Queen builds wide Zombie boards through combat, and Death Baron turns that width into a wall of deathtouch blockers that punishes any attempt to race back.

03
Ghoulcaller Gisa

Ghoulcaller Gisa

75.3% of decks · synergy 0.70

Ghoulcaller Gisa can flood the board with 2/2 Zombie tokens in a single tap, and Death Baron converts that army into a pile of deathtouch threats that make combat math impossible for opponents.

04
Gisa, the Hellraiser

Gisa, the Hellraiser

73.7% of decks · synergy 0.68

Gisa, the Hellraiser rewards attacking, and Death Baron ensures the Zombies swinging in can trade with anything — turning aggressive pressure into board advantage even through unfavorable blocks.

05
Zul Ashur, Lich Lord

Zul Ashur, Lich Lord

71.8% of decks · synergy 0.66

Zul Ashur, Lich Lord scales on Zombie count, and Death Baron protects that investment by making each Zombie a deathtouch threat that discourages removal by deterring profitable blocks.

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

In Commander, Death Baron is a three-mana lord that pulls weight in every Zombie and Skeleton build — the deathtouch clause separates it from flat-stat lords by actively shaping combat and threatening board-state equity. In Modern and Pioneer, Zombie tribal shells run it alongside lord chains to push damage while keeping blockers honest, though the format's speed means the three-mana entry point is the ceiling for curve consideration. Legacy has the tools to support tribal aggro, but Death Baron competes there against a higher power baseline and earns its slot mostly in dedicated Zombie lists. Standard legality makes it accessible in rotation windows when Zombie payoffs align, but its impact is format-dependent on the supporting cast.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

unknown tier

Current pricing data isn't available for Death Baron at this moment — check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for live market rates. Historically it has seen reprint attention, which tends to keep the floor accessible for a card this widely played in Zombie tribal.

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Sources

Mentioned

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