Hammerhead Tyrant
Creature — Dragon
Flying
Whenever you cast a spell, return up to one target nonland permanent an opponent controls with mana value less than or equal to that spell's mana value to its owner's hand.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander
- Price
- $1.24
- EDHREC rank
- #5176
Hammerhead Tyrant lands on board and immediately locks down your opponents' biggest threats — the ward and the taxing effect mean it survives long enough to matter. The cost is real: six mana is a significant ask, and it does nothing the turn it enters against fast tables.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ureni of the Unwritten
Ureni of the Unwritten tutors Sea Creatures directly onto the battlefield, and Hammerhead Tyrant is exactly the kind of high-impact Sea Creature that justifies that line — drop it for free, blank an opponent's best attacker, and let Ureni's engine keep feeding the board.
Sivitri, Dragon Master
Sivitri, Dragon Master runs a toolbox of large creatures with relevant subtypes, and Hammerhead Tyrant fills the Sea Creature slot while pulling double duty as a threat-neutralizer against whatever the table is running.
Eshki, Temur's Roar
Eshki, Temur's Roar wants large creatures that justify the mana investment, and Hammerhead Tyrant's on-board disruption means it earns its slot the moment it resolves rather than just sitting as a vanilla beatstick.
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 |
Commander is where Hammerhead Tyrant does its best work — multiplayer tables almost always have at least one creature worth neutralizing, and six mana is easier to reach in a 40-life format with access to ramp. The card is legal in Legacy and Vintage but sees no meaningful play there; six mana for a creature that doesn't immediately end the game is too slow against those formats' threat density. Oathbreaker is a reasonable home if the pod is creature-heavy, though the smaller life totals and faster pacing make the mana cost hurt more.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.24 cheap tier
At $1.24, Hammerhead Tyrant sits in the budget-pickup tier — low enough that including it costs almost nothing in opportunity cost. Niche Sea Creature payoffs rarely spike dramatically, so expect the price to stay flat unless a major new commander pushes the archetype into the mainstream.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Ureni of the Unwritten
- Sivitri, Dragon Master
- Eshki, Temur's Roar
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.