Xanathar, Guild Kingpin
Legendary Creature — Beholder
At the beginning of your upkeep, choose target opponent. Until end of turn, that player can't cast spells, you may look at the top card of their library any time, you may play the top card of their library, and you may spend mana as though it were mana of any color to cast spells this way.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BU
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Adventures in the Forgotten Realms Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #6394
Xanathar, Guild Kingpin locks an opponent out of playing spells on their own turn while letting you cast anything you exile off the top of their library — a one-card soft lock that generates real card advantage. Six mana is the honest cost, and the effect dies to removal, but if it survives a single rotation it can bury a player entirely. Tasha, the Witch Queen pairs so naturally here that the two feel purpose-built for the same shell.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Tasha, the Witch Queen
Tasha, the Witch Queen wants opponents casting spells so she can create Demons from them — Xanathar, Guild Kingpin flips that script by letting Tasha cast those spells herself, feeding both her token engine and her emblem off the same locked-out opponent.
Sen Triplets
Sen Triplets already wants to get into an opponent's hand; Xanathar, Guild Kingpin extends that intrusion to the top of their library, giving Sen Triplets decks a second axis of theft that operates even when the targeted player has nothing worth casting in hand.
Don Andres, the Renegade
Don Andres, the Renegade rewards playing spells from zones other than your hand, and Xanathar, Guild Kingpin supplies a steady stream of cards exiled from opponents' libraries — the two together mean Don Andres triggers fire almost every turn without spending a single card from your own hand.
Nathan Drake, Treasure Hunter
Nathan Drake, Treasure Hunter cares about casting spells from exile, so Xanathar, Guild Kingpin acts as a continuous fuel source — every opponent's top card becomes a potential trigger for Nathan's ability.
Gonti, Canny Acquisitor
Gonti, Canny Acquisitor is built around playing with opponents' cards, and Xanathar, Guild Kingpin deepens that game plan by locking a target out entirely while feeding Gonti's theft engine with fresh exiled cards every turn.
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 Xanathar, Guild Kingpin belongs — three opponents means three potential targets, and the political weight of pointing the lock at whoever threatens you most is a real tool. In a 1v1 format like Legacy or Vintage, six mana for a creature that does nothing the turn it enters is far too slow to be competitive, and it simply won't survive long enough to matter against the interaction density of those formats. Modern and Pioneer are similarly inhospitable; the mana cost and the reliance on surviving to untap put Xanathar, Guild Kingpin well outside the viable window in any format where opponents interact at instant speed on a budget of two or three mana. Oathbreaker can support it as a signature spell shell if the planeswalker generates mana or protects the board, but the raw power is Commander-specific.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Current pricing data for Xanathar, Guild Kingpin isn't available in this snapshot, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for a live number. Historically it's settled in the mid-range mythic tier — notable enough to hold value but not chased like a staple, so copies are generally findable at reasonable prices.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Tasha, the Witch Queen
- Sen Triplets
- Don Andres, the Renegade
- Nathan Drake, Treasure Hunter
- Gonti, Canny Acquisitor
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.