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Scytheclaw

Artifact — Equipment

Living weapon (When this Equipment enters, create a 0/0 black Phyrexian Germ creature token, then attach this to it.)
Equipped creature gets +1/+1.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, that player loses half their life, rounded up.
Equip {3}

CMC
5
Mana cost
{5}
Color identity
C
Rarity
rare
Set
Legendary Cube Prize Pack
Price
—
EDHREC rank
#7135
Buy on TCGplayer
Scytheclaw card art
Scytheclaw turns any combat hit into a halved life total — an effect that mirrors Wound Reflection stapled to a piece of Equipment, for the price of seven mana to cast and equip. Nahiri, Forged in Fury makes the math obscene by cheating the equip cost, letting you deploy Scytheclaw the same turn it lands and swing before anyone can answer it.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Nahiri, Forged in Fury

Nahiri, Forged in Fury

21.0% of decks · synergy 0.20

Nahiri, Forged in Fury equips Scytheclaw for free when a creature enters attacking, which collapses the two-turn setup window to zero and makes the life-halving effect available the moment the Equipment hits play.

02
Anowon, the Ruin Thief

Anowon, the Ruin Thief

13.4% of decks · synergy 0.13

Anowon, the Ruin Thief runs a Rogue-tribal evasion package where connecting with opponents is already the whole game plan, and Scytheclaw turns those incidental rogues into life-halving threats that demand an answer or a scoop.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern not legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is where Scytheclaw actually lives — 40 life totals make the halving effect backbreaking, and a three-player table means one hit can drop someone from 40 to 20 before anyone untaps. In Legacy and Vintage, the seven-mana total investment is unplayable on rate; those formats don't give you the time or the life totals to make it worthwhile. Oathbreaker is legal and shares the higher starting life count, but the smaller table and lower curve expectations still make Scytheclaw a fringe inclusion at best.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

unknown tier

Current pricing data for Scytheclaw isn't available in this listing, so check Scryfall or your preferred vendor before buying. Given its niche Commander role and relatively low reprint profile, it tends to trade on casual demand rather than spike interest — worth picking up when you see it cheap.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.