Skull Storm
Sorcery
When you cast this spell, copy it for each time you've cast your commander from the command zone this game.
Each opponent sacrifices a creature of their choice. Each opponent who can't loses half their life, rounded up.
- CMC
- 9
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Commander 2018
- Price
- $0.87
- EDHREC rank
- #12329
Skull Storm makes every opponent lose life equal to the number of spells cast this turn — twice — and at eight mana with storm, that trigger count is routinely high enough to close out a pod in one shot. The cost is real: you need a dedicated storm shell to reliably reach a count that matters, which is why Skull Storm sees almost no play outside of decks built around it.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Magar of the Magic Strings
Magar of the Magic Strings can exile Skull Storm and recur it as a creature-copy attack trigger, letting the deck replay the spell without paying eight mana every time — that loop is the entire reason Skull Storm shows up in 18% of Magar lists.
Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge
Jeleva, Nephalia's Scourge exiles cards from opponents' libraries and casts them for free, and a free Skull Storm off a stocked exile pile ends games on the spot without requiring the controller to build any storm count at all.
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 |
Commander is where Skull Storm actually lives — a four-player table means the life-loss trigger hits three opponents simultaneously, so a storm count of ten or more is a realistic one-shot win rather than a Timmy moment. Legacy and Vintage allow it, but dedicated storm decks in those formats close games faster and more consistently with Past in Flames or Tendrils of Agony lines that don't cost eight mana. Oathbreaker is the sleeper format here: signature spell rules let you set up a specific storm-enabling planeswalker and reach for Skull Storm as a repeatable finisher within a tighter, faster game state.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.87 bulk tier
At $0.87, Skull Storm is firmly bulk — the price reflects how narrow the card is, not how powerful it is when it resolves. It's a safe pickup at this price point for any dedicated storm or Magar build, and there's no reason to expect the floor to drop further given steady Commander demand.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.