Mask of Griselbrand MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 6 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Artifact — Equipment
Abilities Equip

Key Takeaways

  1. Provides card advantage and resource acceleration, but requires losing a creature for activation.
  2. Instant speed ability offers flexibility, though it comes with a specific mana cost.
  3. Ideal for lifegain and combo strategies while remaining pertinent in various metas.

Text of card

Equipped creature has flying and lifelink. Whenever equipped creature dies, you may pay X life, where X is its power. If you do, draw X cards. Equip

The legacy of evil lives on.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Mask of Griselbrand facilitates additional draw opportunities with its equipped creature’s life-gain ability, granting an edge by replenishing your hand upon dealing combat damage.

Resource Acceleration: When the creature equipped with Mask of Griselbrand dies, it enables further resource utilization by potentially ramping up with mana through the creation of X Treasure tokens, where X is that creature’s power.

Instant Speed: The activated ability of the Mask can be utilized at instant speed, offering flexibility to respond to your opponents’ actions by sacrificing the equipped creature for lifegain and card draw when most advantageous.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Mask of Griselbrand requires a creature you control to die before its card-drawing ability can be utilized. This not only calls for a sacrificial setup but also potentially diminishes your board presence in the process.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring a strict combination of one black mana and two generic mana, this artifact is constrained to decks that can effectively produce these resources, potentially limiting its versatility across various deck archetypes.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing three mana to cast, the Mask of Griselbrand may compete for crucial early-game plays with other impactful cards. Its activation cost is additional, which may stack up to be resource-intensive in decks where mana efficiency is paramount.


Reasons to Include Mask of Griselbrand in Your Collection

Versatility: Mask of Griselbrand offers dual benefits, catering to both life gain strategies and aggressive plays. This artifact can slot into various deck archetypes with its life-link ability, making it a valuable piece in both commander and standard formats.

Combo Potential: This powerful equipment enables numerous interactions, particularly in decks that utilize the graveyard. By sacrificing creatures for card advantage and life, it opens up potential for dynamic plays with resurrection mechanics or death triggers.

Meta-Relevance: Considering its ability to enhance your creatures while offering card draw, the Mask of Griselbrand remains relevant in metas that pivot on midrange tactics or decks that depend on incremental advantages to outpace opponents.


How to beat

The Mask of Griselbrand proves to be a formidable equipment card in Magic the Gathering, offering both life gain and card draw mechanics that can be quite advantageous for the player wielding it. This lifelink and card draw tandem make it a double-edged sword in any opponent’s arsenal. When pitted against this card, one effective strategy is to employ artifact removal spells, such as Disenchant or Nature’s Claim, to directly target and eliminate the Mask of Griselbrand from the field.

Taking a proactive stance can also turn the tides in your favor. Cards like Pithing Needle can preemptively shut down activated abilities, effectively neutralizing the Mask’s benefits before they pose a larger threat. Additionally, countering the card when it’s on the stack is another viable approach; Counterspell and Negate are excellent choices in this instance, preventing the Mask from even entering the battlefield.

Dealing with the creatures equipped with the Mask is just as crucial. Sacrificing creatures tends to feed the Mask’s advantage, so employing exile effects or forced sacrifices without targeting, such as through the use of board wipes like Day of Judgment or Toxic Deluge, can effectively circumvent the life gain that it facilitates. Thus, it becomes important to manage the board and maintain control over the Mask’s influence throughout the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the capabilities of the Mask of Griselbrand reveals its potential to become a game-changer in your MTG matches. Such a card accelerates your strategy by transitioning casualty into opportunity and extends your resilience within the game. Whether it’s harnessing the card drawing power fueled by life gain or exploiting the mana ramp through treasure tokens, this artifact can be a linchpin in decks built around synergy and sacrifice. As you continue crafting your collection and honing your deck, consider the versatile nature of Mask of Griselbrand. Dive deeper into its strategic use and other synergistic card interactions by joining our community, where we delve into these topics and help guide your path to victory.


Cards like Mask of Griselbrand

The Mask of Griselbrand is a unique artifact equipment that enhances creature-based strategies. Its abilities echo those found in cards like Whispersilk Cloak which also provides evasion through unblockability, but does not offer the life gain or card draw. Where Mask of Griselbrand shines is in its ability to transform lost creatures into new opportunities, a feature that Whispersilk Cloak misses.

Comparatively, Batterskull generates a similar impact in terms of life gain and creature buffing. Nevertheless, Batterskull lacks the card advantage aspect, focusing solely on battlefield presence and resilience. Additionally, the Mask’s ability to equip from the graveyard gives it an edge in resource reusability, a strategy Batterskull can’t emulate.

Evaluating these points, Mask of Griselbrand claims a spot as a multifaceted piece of equipment. It’s not just about protecting or enhancing creatures—it’s about leveraging every aspect of a creature’s journey from the battlefield to the graveyard, making it a potent inclusion in decks that capitalize on such synergies.

Whispersilk Cloak - MTG Card versions
Batterskull - MTG Card versions
Whispersilk Cloak - Darksteel (DST)
Batterskull - Grand Prix Promos (PGPX)

Cards similar to Mask of Griselbrand by color, type and mana cost

Skull of Ramos - MTG Card versions
Crowded Crypt - MTG Card versions
Armix, Filigree Thrasher - MTG Card versions
The Book of Vile Darkness - MTG Card versions
Nim Replica - MTG Card versions
Skeleton Shard - MTG Card versions
Phyrexian Totem - MTG Card versions
Onyx Goblet - MTG Card versions
Moriok Replica - MTG Card versions
Prakhata Pillar-Bug - MTG Card versions
Whispersteel Dagger - MTG Card versions
Serpent's Soul-Jar - MTG Card versions
Wand of Orcus - MTG Card versions
Glass-Cast Heart - MTG Card versions
Undercity Scrounger - MTG Card versions
Enormous Energy Blade - MTG Card versions
Chainflail Centipede - MTG Card versions
Smogbelcher Chariot - MTG Card versions
Flayed One - MTG Card versions
Skorpekh Lord - MTG Card versions
Skull of Ramos - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Crowded Crypt - Midnight Hunt Commander (MIC)
Armix, Filigree Thrasher - The Brothers' War Commander (BRC)
The Book of Vile Darkness - Adventures in the Forgotten Realms (AFR)
Nim Replica - Mirrodin (MRD)
Skeleton Shard - Planechase (HOP)
Phyrexian Totem - Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition (DDE)
Onyx Goblet - Salvat 2011 (PS11)
Moriok Replica - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Prakhata Pillar-Bug - Kaladesh Remastered (KLR)
Whispersteel Dagger - The List (PLST)
Serpent's Soul-Jar - Kaldheim Commander (KHC)
Wand of Orcus - Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate (HBG)
Glass-Cast Heart - The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)
Undercity Scrounger - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Enormous Energy Blade - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Chainflail Centipede - Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty (NEO)
Smogbelcher Chariot - Alchemy: Dominaria (YDMU)
Flayed One - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)
Skorpekh Lord - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Mask of Griselbrand MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Mask of Griselbrand and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Mask of Griselbrand Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2021-09-24 and 2022-01-28. Illustrated by Jason Felix.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 939822015normalblackJason Felix
22021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight HuntMID 1112015normalblackJason Felix
32021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight HuntMID 3472015normalblackJason Felix
42021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight Hunt PromosPMID 111p2015normalblackJason Felix
52021-09-24Innistrad: Midnight Hunt PromosPMID 111s2015normalblackJason Felix
62022-01-28Innistrad: Double FeatureDBL 1112015normalblackJason Felix

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Mask of Griselbrand has restrictions

FormatLegality
StandardLegal
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
FutureLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
BrawlLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Mask of Griselbrand card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2021-09-24 Use the equipped creature's power as it last existed on the battlefield to determine the value of X.
2021-09-24 You must pay exactly X life or nothing. You can't pay less life to draw fewer cards.

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