Spectacular Skywhale
Creature — Elemental Whale
Flying
Opus — Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, this creature gets +3/+0 until end of turn. If five or more mana was spent to cast that spell, put three +1/+1 counters on this creature instead.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- RU
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Secrets of Strixhaven
- Price
- $0.16
- EDHREC rank
- #21678
Spectacular Skywhale is a four-mana 3/4 flyer with trample that requires you to tap three untapped creatures to give it flying until end of turn — meaning you're trading board presence to activate a stat line that just isn't competitive at that cost. Better flying creatures exist at every price point, and this one asks too much for too little.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Spectacular Skywhale is legal in every major constructed format but sees essentially zero competitive play in any of them. In Commander, a 3/4 with conditional flying and trample is well below the power threshold — the tap cost means you're weakening your own attacks to make one creature evasive, which rarely closes a four-player game. In Standard or Pioneer it's outclassed by cheaper or more efficient flyers. Legacy and Vintage don't give this a second look. The card isn't unplayable in the most casual of Commander pods, but there's almost always something better doing the same job.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.16 bulk tier
At $0.16, Spectacular Skywhale sits firmly in bulk territory and is unlikely to appreciate — demand just isn't there. Pick it up if you need a body with a whale aesthetic for a themed deck, but don't expect that price to move.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.