Squall Drifter
Snow Creature — Elemental
Flying
, 
: Tap target creature.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Coldsnap
- Price
- $0.22
- EDHREC rank
- #15236
Squall Drifter puts a tapped-and-frozen blocker on the board the turn it arrives — a 1/1 flying body that taps any creature on entry, no mana activation required. The cost is a two-mana 1/1 that trades down in combat and contributes nothing to your board state beyond the single tap trigger. In dedicated tap-matters builds, specifically anything helmed by Isu the Abominable, that trade-off is worth it; outside those shells, it isn't.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Isu the Abominable
Isu the Abominable rewards every snow permanent you tap, and Squall Drifter's enter-the-battlefield tap trigger counts — you get the freeze effect on an opponent's creature and immediately feed Isu the Abominable's accumulating damage clock at the same time. Over 50% inclusion in Isu decks reflects exactly that double-dip.
Hylda of the Icy Crown
Hylda of the Icy Crown generates tokens and card advantage whenever you tap a creature during your opponent's turn, and Squall Drifter's triggered tap happens at instant timing relative to that window — meaning a well-timed cast can fire a Hylda trigger on the spot. It shows up in roughly 20% of Hylda of the Icy Crown lists as an on-theme budget piece.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Squall Drifter is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker. Commander is where it actually sees play, and only in narrow tap- or snow-matters builds — outside those, a two-mana 1/1 with a soft tap-down is too underpowered for the format. In Pauper it's common-legal and the tap effect is more meaningful, but dedicated tap-synergy decks at common rarity don't have enough critical mass to make it a staple. Legacy and Vintage are non-starters; the card can't compete at those power levels.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.22 bulk tier
At $0.22, Squall Drifter sits firmly in bulk territory — pick it up without thinking about the price. Bulk snow commons don't spike unless a new commander causes sudden demand, so expect it to stay right where it is.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.