Kraken of the Straits
Creature — Kraken
Creatures with power less than the number of Islands you control can't block this creature.
- CMC
- 7
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Born of the Gods
- Price
- $0.30
- EDHREC rank
- #13116
Kraken of the Straits hits the board as an 8/8 that blocks nothing smaller than an island-count creature — a massive body that doubles as a soft lock on opposing attacks. Eight mana is the honest cost, and outside of Runo Stromkirk decks that cheat it into play, you're paying every cent of it.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Runo Stromkirk
Runo Stromkirk's triggered ability flips him by showing a creature with mana value 6 or greater on top of your library, and Kraken of the Straits is exactly the kind of sea monster payoff that justifies the whole engine — a free 8/8 that also blanks most ground-based attackers.
Kenessos, Priest of Thassa
Kenessos, Priest of Thassa puts Sea Monsters directly onto the battlefield from the top of your library, bypassing the eight-mana cost entirely and making Kraken of the Straits a free threat that immediately demands an answer.
Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep
Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep rewards you every time a Kraken, Leviathan, Octopus, or Serpent enters the battlefield, and Kraken of the Straits triggers that ability while also providing the raw power needed to close games in a sea-creature strategy.
Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle
Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle decks want the biggest blue creatures available to leverage their mana production, and Kraken of the Straits fits that role as an eight-mana finisher whose evasion clause gets progressively more oppressive the later the game runs.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Kraken of the Straits is a Commander card — full stop. In 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer, eight mana is a nonstarter when you could be casting Emrakul or Ulamog, and the power-to-cost ratio doesn't survive comparison. In Commander, the calculus changes: 40-life tables run longer, tribal sea-monster synergies are plentiful, and commanders like Runo Stromkirk or Kenessos, Priest of Thassa can put Kraken of the Straits into play without ever touching eight mana. That's the only home where it earns a slot.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.30 bulk tier
At $0.30, Kraken of the Straits is bulk — easy to pick up in any binder or throw into a trade. Bulk rares with narrow tribal applications don't appreciate, so buy it when you need it and don't think twice about the price.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.