Scalebane's Elite
Creature — Human Soldier
Protection from black
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- GW
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Visions
- Price
- $0.20
- EDHREC rank
- #30998
Scalebane's Elite enters the battlefield as a 3/3 first strike that grows whenever an artifact creature is put into an opponent's graveyard — solid stats with a conditional upside that requires the right meta to pay off. Five mana for a vanilla-rate body in most games is too slow for competitive slots, and the bonus triggers are too opponent-dependent to build around.
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 |
In Commander, Scalebane's Elite is a fringe include in artifact-hate shells or tribal green decks that happen to face artifact-heavy pods — the first strike is relevant, but five mana competes with far more impactful threats. Legacy and Vintage are nonstarters; the card is simply outclassed by everything in those formats at any cost. Oathbreaker shares Commander's logic: playable in the right meta pocket, irrelevant anywhere else.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.20 bulk tier
At $0.20, Scalebane's Elite sits firmly in bulk territory, and there's no pressure driving that price up. It's a safe pickup if you need the effect, but don't expect the market to move.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.