Shipbreaker Kraken
Creature — Kraken
: Monstrosity 4. (If this creature isn't monstrous, put four +1/+1 counters on it and it becomes monstrous.)
When this creature becomes monstrous, tap up to four target creatures. Those creatures don't untap during their controllers' untap steps for as long as you control this creature.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Commander Legends
- Price
- $0.42
- EDHREC rank
- #8171
Shipbreaker Kraken locks down up to four creatures when it becomes monstrous — a board-stall that can single-handedly close a game if opponents can't answer an 8/8. The cost is real: six mana to cast, eight more to activate, and you need it to survive a full turn cycle before the tap ability fires.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Runo Stromkirk
Runo Stromkirk flips into Krothuss by showing a creature with mana value six or greater at upkeep, and Shipbreaker Kraken hits that threshold exactly — making it both a flip enabler and a late-game lock piece in the same slot.
Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep
Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep cheats Sea Creatures into play for free when a Kraken, Leviathan, Octopus, or Serpent enters, so Shipbreaker Kraken arrives without paying its six-mana tax and immediately threatens the monstrous activation.
Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle
Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle wants to go tall with big blue creatures, and Shipbreaker Kraken fits the curve while providing a tap effect that buys time for Arixmethes to push through on attacks.
Kenessos, Priest of Thassa
Kenessos, Priest of Thassa puts the top Kraken, Leviathan, Octopus, or Serpent from your library directly onto the battlefield tapped and attacking, letting Shipbreaker Kraken enter already swinging and saving the full fourteen mana it would otherwise demand.
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 |
Commander is where Shipbreaker Kraken actually belongs — the 100-card singleton format gives sea-creature tribal decks a critical mass of synergy pieces, and the multiplayer table gives the tap-four ability enough targets to matter. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer it's legal but unplayed; six mana for an 8/8 with a conditional tap effect doesn't compete with those formats' threat density and interaction speed. Vintage is the same story on steroids. Shipbreaker Kraken is a Commander card through and through, and even there it earns its slot only in decks built to cheat it into play or exploit the Kraken type line.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.42 bulk tier
At $0.42, Shipbreaker Kraken is deep bulk — cheap enough to throw into any sea-creature build without a second thought. It won't appreciate; it's a niche tribal piece that sees play in a narrow Commander archetype and sits at its floor.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.