Nimbus Swimmer
Creature — Leviathan
Flying
This creature enters with X +1/+1 counters on it.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- GU
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- RNA Guild Kit
- Price
- $0.31
- EDHREC rank
- #12985
Nimbus Swimmer enters as a flying creature with power and toughness equal to the mana spent on X — the bigger the investment, the bigger the threat. In Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep builds, the ceiling is high enough that a single resolved Swimmer can end a game, and the only real cost is the upfront mana.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep
Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep cares about casting high-mana creatures, and Nimbus Swimmer's variable cost means you can dial it up to trigger Kiora's ability at virtually any threshold you need.
Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle
Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle decks stockpile enormous amounts of mana, and Nimbus Swimmer converts that surplus directly into a flying body that scales — something Arixmethes lists often lack once they've already deployed their commander.
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 |
Nimbus Swimmer is a Commander card through and through — the multiplayer format gives you enough turns to accumulate the mana X demands, and a single large flier carries real threat equity at a table. In Legacy, Modern, or Pioneer, a creature that requires ten-plus mana to be genuinely dangerous has no competitive standing; faster clocks make it unplayable before it becomes relevant. Oathbreaker shares enough of Commander's mana-abundance that the Swimmer can occasionally find a home, but the smaller deck size and faster game pace narrow its window considerably.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.31 bulk tier
At $0.31, Nimbus Swimmer sits firmly in bulk territory — easy to acquire as a throw-in trade or cheap single. Bulk X-spell creatures rarely appreciate unless a new commander pushes the archetype hard, so treat it as a low-cost role-player rather than a hold.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.