Taurean Mauler
Creature — Shapeshifter
Changeling (This card is every creature type.)
Whenever an opponent casts a spell, you may put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Commander 2016
- Price
- $1.21
- EDHREC rank
- #923
Taurean Mauler enters as a 2/2 for three mana and grows a +1/+1 counter every time any opponent casts a spell — in a four-player game, that clock accelerates fast enough to threaten lethal in the mid-game. It's a Changeling, which means Sethron, Hurloon General counts it as a Minotaur and every tribal payoff in the format sees it as a valid target.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Sethron, Hurloon General
Sethron, Hurloon General triggers off every nontoken Minotaur entering the battlefield, and Taurean Mauler qualifies through its Changeling type — so it immediately generates a 2/3 token and gives itself menace, then keeps growing off every spell opponents cast.
Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes
Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes wants large, threatening creatures to hammer with its damage-doubling ability, and Taurean Mauler scales up automatically across a long game without requiring any additional investment from the deck.
Wick, the Whorled Mind
Wick, the Whorled Mind cares about creatures with high power for its connive triggers, and Taurean Mauler becomes a reliable oversized threat as opponents cycle through their hands — the more spells hit the stack, the better it looks for Wick.
Gornog, the Red Reaper
Gornog, the Red Reaper deals damage whenever a Minotaur attacks, and Taurean Mauler's Changeling type means every swing it makes fires that trigger — pair that with its natural size growth and it becomes one of the most efficient attackers in the 99.
Kibo, Uktabi Prince
Kibo, Uktabi Prince's Banana tokens feed every player, which means opponents are casting more spells and Taurean Mauler is collecting more counters — the card turns the table's activity directly into its own board presence.
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 |
Commander is where Taurean Mauler does its best work: three opponents casting spells every turn cycle means it outgrows most blockers by turn five without any support, and its Changeling type slots it into every tribal deck that touches red. In eternal formats like Legacy and Vintage, it's legal but never played — a 2/2 for three that grows slowly is nowhere near the speed those formats demand. Modern and Pioneer are similarly unkind; creature benchmarks are too high and the format clock too fast for a build-around threat that starts small. Oathbreaker works on the same logic as Commander and the card is fine there, but the 20-life total means you need the counters to stack faster than the format allows.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.21 cheap tier
At $1.21, Taurean Mauler sits in the bulk-rare tier — cheap enough to include without a second thought and widely available. Its Changeling utility across tribal decks keeps consistent demand, so don't expect it to fall further.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.