Dread Linnorm // Scale Deflection
Creature — Snake Dragon // Instant — Adventure
This creature can't be blocked by creatures with power 3 or less.
- CMC
- 7
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #8260
Dread Linnorm // Scale Deflection lands as a massive trampling threat that kills a creature when it dies — immediate board presence plus a death trigger that demands an answer. The back face, Scale Deflection, is the reason Gorion, Wise Mentor runs this: it's a cheap instant that protects a creature and cantrips, making the modal card pull double duty as both a finisher and a reactive piece.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Gorion, Wise Mentor
Gorion, Wise Mentor casts Scale Deflection targeting another spell, which triggers his ability and lets him cast a card with higher mana value from hand for free — Dread Linnorm // Scale Deflection is one of the cheapest modal spells that also provides a legitimate late-game threat on the front face.
Beluna Grandsquall
Beluna Grandsquall rewards casting adventure and non-adventure spells in sequence, and Dread Linnorm // Scale Deflection fits that loop cleanly — Scale Deflection is a real adventure spell that generates value, and the Linnorm itself is the payoff creature Beluna wants slamming the board.
Alena, Kessig Trapper // Gilanra, Caller of Wirewood
Alena, Kessig Trapper // Gilanra, Caller of Wirewood generates mana from large creatures entering and digs for expensive spells, making the Linnorm's high power count and the deck's need for modal, flexible pieces exactly what Dread Linnorm // Scale Deflection provides.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Dread Linnorm // Scale Deflection earns its keep — the combination of a beefy death-trigger threat and a cheap protective instant on one card is exactly the kind of modal flexibility that 100-card singleton decks want. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but largely irrelevant; those formats move too fast for a six-mana creature to matter outside of dedicated reanimator or Gorion shells. Pauper is the most interesting non-Commander case: if the card's rarity qualifies, a resilient trampler with a relevant death trigger could see fringe play in green creature strategies. Oathbreaker follows the Commander logic — modal cards that work at multiple points on the curve are inherently good in smaller, faster singleton games.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Dread Linnorm // Scale Deflection isn't currently available, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the live market number before buying. Given its concentrated play in Gorion and Beluna decks rather than broad Commander adoption, expect a niche-card price point — likely budget-friendly unless one of those archetypes spikes in popularity.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Gorion, Wise Mentor
- Beluna Grandsquall
- Alena, Kessig Trapper // Gilanra, Caller of Wirewood
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.