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Shabraz, the Skyshark

Legendary Creature — Shark Bird

Partner with Brallin, Skyshark Rider
Flying
Whenever you draw a card, put a +1/+1 counter on Shabraz and you gain 1 life.
{W/U}: Target Human gains flying until end of turn.

CMC
5
Mana cost
{3}{W}{U}
Color identity
UW
Rarity
mythic
Set
The List
Price
$27.10
EDHREC rank
#6386
Buy on TCGplayer
Shabraz, the Skyshark card art
Shabraz, the Skyshark turns every card draw into a permanent size upgrade and a life payment into a free cantrip — both triggers are unconditional and apply to your whole team of life-gain and draw effects. The ceiling is absurd when paired with Drogskol Reaver's lifelink-draw loop, and Gavi, Nest Warden already wants every piece of that engine.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Gavi, Nest Warden

Gavi, Nest Warden

44.7% of decks · synergy 0.44

Gavi, Nest Warden builds around cycling and card draw by default, so Shabraz, the Skyshark slots in as a self-reinforcing payoff — every cycled card grows Shabraz, and every point of life paid to cycle it back triggers another draw.

02
Will, Scion of Peace

Will, Scion of Peace

46.0% of decks · synergy 0.41

Will, Scion of Peace reduces spell costs based on life gained, which pairs directly with Shabraz, the Skyshark's life-payment trigger firing on each draw and feeding a continuous cost-reduction loop.

03
Sokrates, Athenian Teacher

Sokrates, Athenian Teacher

42.8% of decks · synergy 0.38

Sokrates, Athenian Teacher rewards players for drawing cards in volume, and Shabraz, the Skyshark converts that same card draw into a growing aerial threat that closes games once it gets out of hand.

04
Kwain, Itinerant Meddler

Kwain, Itinerant Meddler

30.2% of decks · synergy 0.26

Kwain, Itinerant Meddler forces symmetrical draws every turn, which means Shabraz, the Skyshark accumulates +1/+1 counters at a pace measured in counters-per-round rather than counters-per-turn.

05
Shanna, Purifying Blade

Shanna, Purifying Blade

20.1% of decks · synergy 0.19

Shanna, Purifying Blade converts life gain directly into card draw, so pairing her with Shabraz, the Skyshark creates a loop where life triggers draw, draw triggers growth, and growth enables lifelink attacks that restart the cycle.

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 the natural home for Shabraz, the Skyshark — the 40-life total gives the life-payment trigger room to breathe, multiplayer tables generate enough card draw to stack counters quickly, and the Bird Shark's flying body can threaten a single opponent without painting a target on your back immediately. Legacy and Vintage are both legal but practically irrelevant; a five-mana 5/5 that scales off draw is nowhere near competitive speed in those formats, where the game is often decided by turn two or three. Oathbreaker is the one non-Commander format worth considering, where Shabraz, the Skyshark can serve as a signature-spell-adjacent threat if your planeswalker generates enough card draw to keep the counters coming.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Bident of Thassa and similar draw-on-attack effects can approximate Shabraz, the Skyshark's card-draw payoff for a fraction of the price, though they lack the self-growing body and the life-payment trigger entirely. If you want the counter-accumulation angle on a budget, Lorescale Coatl does the same job for under a dollar — it just doesn't fly and doesn't cycle.

Price Context

Current price

$27.10 premium tier

At $27.10, Shabraz, the Skyshark sits firmly in premium territory for a card with a narrow, archetype-specific role. It holds that price because the Gavi, Nest Warden partner pairing keeps demand steady, but outside of dedicated cycling or life-gain-draw loops, you're overpaying for a build-around that doesn't function without its engine.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

← All cards

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