Obzedat, Ghost Council
Legendary Creature — Spirit Advisor
When Obzedat enters, target opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
At the beginning of your end step, you may exile Obzedat. If you do, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of your next upkeep. It gains haste.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BW
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Explorer Anthology 3
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #10283
Obzedat, Ghost Council enters draining 2 life on the way in, threatens another 2 every upkeep, and dodges sorcery-speed removal by exiling itself at end of turn — all on a 5/4 body for five mana. Ketramose, the New Dawn turns that exile-and-return loop into a repeatable trigger engine, which is exactly why the two cards are inseparable in that shell.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ketramose, the New Dawn
Ketramose, the New Dawn rewards permanents that leave and re-enter the battlefield, and Obzedat, Ghost Council does that every single turn on autopilot — each upkeep loop drains the table and resets Ketramose's counters without spending a single additional card.
King of the Oathbreakers
King of the Oathbreakers cares about Spirits, and Obzedat, Ghost Council is a Spirit that keeps coming back — the Ghost Council's self-exile loop means it survives most board wipes that would strand other spirit payoffs, giving the King a reliable high-power piece that never fully goes away.
Karlov of the Ghost Council
Karlov of the Ghost Council grows two counters every time a life-drain trigger resolves, and Obzedat, Ghost Council fires one each upkeep — that's a free +2/+2 on Karlov every turn without any additional setup, accelerating Karlov's exile ability well ahead of schedule.
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 |
In Commander, Obzedat, Ghost Council is a grind-forward threat that punishes tables for not answering it immediately — the life-drain compounds fast in a four-player game, and the end-step exile means most removal windows close before opponents can use them. In Pioneer, it sat at the top of Orzhov midrange and control lists for years as a near-unanswerable threat at five mana, though the format has since moved fast enough that five mana demands a more immediate payoff. Modern and Legacy have too many instant-speed answers and faster clocks for Obzedat, Ghost Council to dominate, but it remains playable in slower, grindier builds that can protect it through the early turns. Oathbreaker gives it another competitive home, especially as a signature spell target in life-drain strategies.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Obzedat, Ghost Council isn't currently available in the system — check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for live market prices. Historically it has settled in the $3–8 range depending on printing, making it an accessible pickup for most budgets.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.