Is Inkwell Leviathan good in Commander?

Inkwell Leviathan in Commander — Combos, Decks & Price

Inkwell Leviathan lands as an 7/11 with islandwalk, trample, and shroud — three words that mean your opponents have almost no way to answer it in combat or with targeted removal. Nine mana is steep, but commanders like Kenessos, Priest of Thassa put it into play for free, making the cost irrelevant.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01

Kenessos, Priest of Thassa

70.6% of decks · synergy 0.66

Kenessos, Priest of Thassa's activated ability cheats the biggest Serpents and Leviathans directly onto the battlefield, and Inkwell Leviathan is the premier target — shroud means opponents can't remove it in response, and islandwalk plus trample closes games fast.

02

Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep

65.9% of decks · synergy 0.62

Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep triggers whenever a Kraken, Leviathan, Octopus, or Serpent enters under your control, and Inkwell Leviathan is one of the most resilient hits — shroud protects the free spell you cascade into, and the 7/11 body is an immediate clock.

03

Braids, Conjurer Adept

41.7% of decks · synergy 0.39

Braids, Conjurer Adept lets each player put an artifact, creature, or land into play for free at the start of their upkeep, and Inkwell Leviathan is the most punishing thing you can cheat in — your opponents rarely have something equally large and shrouded to match it.

04

Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle

37.5% of decks · synergy 0.33

Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle ramps hard enough to actually cast Inkwell Leviathan on curve, and a deck already built around enormous blue threats naturally wants the shrouded, trample-equipped 7/11 as a finisher.

05

Runo Stromkirk

29.5% of decks · synergy 0.29

Runo Stromkirk copies Krakens, Leviathans, Octopuses, and Serpents that enter the battlefield, and Inkwell Leviathan is one of the best targets — two shrouded 7/11 tramplers with islandwalk end games before opponents find an answer.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

Format	Verdict
commander	legal
legacy	legal
modern	legal
pioneer	not legal
standard	not legal
vintage	legal
pauper	not legal
oathbreaker	legal

Commander is where Inkwell Leviathan actually belongs — the format's big-mana shells and cheat-into-play commanders exist specifically to abuse a card with this stat line and keyword suite. In Legacy and Vintage, nine mana is a non-starter without dedicated reanimation or Show and Tell, and even then there are threats with more immediate impact. Modern has enough efficient interaction that a shroudless-to-removal-at-instant-speed, no-haste 7/11 loses its appeal, and Inkwell Leviathan sees essentially no competitive play there. Stick to Commander, where the payoff for getting it into play is a nearly unanswerable threat.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.58 bulk tier

At $0.58, Inkwell Leviathan is bulk, which makes it an easy include — you're paying almost nothing for one of the most keyword-protected finishers available to blue decks. Don't expect the price to move; it's been reprinted enough times that supply keeps it firmly in the bulk tier.