Ob Nixilis, Unshackled MTG Card


Ob Nixilis Unshackled excels in disrupting opponents and accelerating your board state advantage. Requires careful consideration of resource management due to its discard and mana conditions. Ideal for decks focused on punishing tutor strategies and enhancing graveyard play.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityRare
TypeLegendary Creature — Demon
Abilities Flying,Trample
Power 4
Toughness 4

Text of card

Flying, trample Whenever an opponent searches their library, that player sacrifices a creature and loses 10 life. Whenever another creature dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Ob Nixilis, Unshackled.

Designed by Brad Muir


Cards like Ob Nixilis, Unshackled

Ob Nixilis Unshackled is an intriguing entity in Magic: The Gathering, drawing parallels to cards like Sire Of Insanity for its brutal disruption potential. While Ob Nixilis Unshackled punishes opponents for searching their libraries and keeps creature numbers in check with its exceptional triggered abilities, Sire Of Insanity forces all players to discard their hands at the end of each turn, creating a relentless pressure that dominates the game’s trajectory.

Another worthy comparison is Desecration Demon, which, similar to Ob Nixilis Unshackled, offers an impressive build in stats, but with a different kind of board control. Desecration Demon presents opponents with a choice – sacrifice a creature to tap it down or face a behemoth attacker. Unlike Ob Nixilis Unshackled, it lacks the capacity to grow stronger with each opponent’s fallen creature and doesn’t directly penalize opponents’ search strategies.

In essence, each of these cards can dictate the flow of the game but in varying manners. Ob Nixilis Unshackled stands out for its role in a strategy of attrition, punishing opponents’ tactics and growing in threat with every stifled action they take, solidifying its place in Magic: The Gathering as a powerful deterrent in the battle of wits and resources.

Desecration Demon - MTG Card versions
Desecration Demon - MTG Card versions

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Necrosavant - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Lancer - MTG Card versions
Face of Fear - MTG Card versions
Wire Surgeons - MTG Card versions
Grave Titan - MTG Card versions
Chittering Harvester - MTG Card versions
Crossway Troublemakers - MTG Card versions
Anurid Murkdiver - MTG Card versions
Gempalm Polluter - MTG Card versions
Nefashu - MTG Card versions
Twisted Abomination - MTG Card versions
Iname, Death Aspect - MTG Card versions
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Yawgmoth Demon - MTG Card versions
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Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ob Nixilis Unshackled thrives in scenarios that limit the opponent’s library access. Each time a creature dies or an opponent shuffles their library, a player draws a card, restocking their hand and consolidating their position.

Resource Acceleration: The card’s ability to punish opponents for searching their libraries can be utilized as a form of resource acceleration. It disrupts opponents’ mana curves and strategies, ultimately giving the user a tempo advantage over the course of the game.

Instant Speed: Though not an instant itself, Ob Nixilis Unshackled lends itself to strategies that involve instant-speed interaction. The threat of its punishing abilities can influence opponents to act conservatively, ideally during their turn, which aligns seamlessly with a reactive playstyle.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Although Ob Nixilis Unshackled comes with powerful abilities, a player may need to sacrifice another creature or pay life to trigger its benefits, which can deplete valuable resources and limit strategic options.

Specific Mana Cost: With a six mana casting cost that includes one swamp symbol, Ob Nixilis Unshackled requires a commitment to black mana, potentially constraining deck-building choices to a mono-black or dual-color theme.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: The card’s six-mana investment means it comes into play later in the game. Decks focused on efficiency may opt for lower-cost creatures with abilities that provide immediate impact, offering quicker value on the battlefield.


Reasons to Include Ob Nixilis Unshackled in Your Collection

Versatility: Ob Nixilis Unshackled is a flexible choice for commander decks or any strategy that wants to punish opponents for searching their libraries. Since so many decks rely on tutors, he acts as a potent deterrent.

Combo Potential: This card works beautifully in tandem with effects that force your opponent to search their library, thus triggering his ability, or with graveyard-based strategies that benefit from his flying and trample abilities. Pairing Ob Nixilis with cards like Maralen of the Mornsong can create a formidable lock on your opponents’ game plans.

Meta-Relevance: Given the prevalence of tutor effects and fetch lands in various formats, Ob Nixilis can be an unexpected yet impactful sideboard choice or even a main deck inclusion to counter certain prevalent deck types, making it both a meta-relevant and intimidating presence on the battlefield.


How to beat

The daunting presence of Ob Nixilis Unshackled on the battlefield is a challenge many Magic the Gathering players face. This formidable card has the capacity to become increasingly powerful with each opposing creature that dies, alongside penalizing opponents for searching their libraries. Overcoming this foe requires a calculated approach. Focus on removal spells that can bypass its triggered abilities, such as those that force a player to sacrifice a creature, or exile effects that can permanently remove it from the game without triggering it.

Additionally, reducing your own search effects minimizes the self-inflicted damage and negates the life loss and growth of Ob Nixilis. Include instant-speed removal in your deck as it can disrupt the timing of your opponent and handle Ob Nixilis before it becomes too strong. Cards offering hexproof or shroud can also prove invaluable, protecting your permanents from its harrowing abilities. By employing a strategy that includes instant removal, minimizing library searches, and utilizing protective effects, you can tilt the match in your favor and claim victory against the oppressive might of Ob Nixilis Unshackled.

Understanding this card’s strengths and weaknesses allows players to effectively navigate around the obstacles it presents and ensures a higher likelihood of success when facing down this nightmarish entity within the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Grasping the intricacies of MTG involves more than just knowing your cards; it’s about anticipation, adaptation, and the shrewd application of knowledge. Ob Nixilis Unshackled offers a unique blend of power and strategy, challenging players to consider each deck shuffle. Its potential for disruption and board control can be game-changing. Eager to refine your deck with Ob Nixilis and similar level threats? Or perhaps you’re looking for strategies to counteract this formidable card? Dive deeper with us for insights on maximizing your gameplay experience and evolving into a more formidable adversary at the table.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ob Nixilis, Unshackled MTG card by a specific set like Magic 2015 Promos and Magic 2015, 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 Ob Nixilis, Unshackled and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ob Nixilis, Unshackled Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2014-07-17 and 2022-07-08. Illustrated by Karl Kopinski.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12014-07-17Magic 2015 PromosPM15 110p2015NormalBlackKarl Kopinski
22014-07-18Magic 2015M15 1102015NormalBlackKarl Kopinski
32022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 4422015NormalBlackKarl Kopinski
42022-07-08Double Masters 20222X2 842015NormalBlackKarl Kopinski

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ob Nixilis, Unshackled has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PioneerLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

Date Text
2014-07-18 If the opponent controls no creatures when the first triggered ability resolves, that player still loses 10 life.
2014-07-18 Ob Nixilis’s first triggered ability won’t trigger if you search an opponent’s library or if an opponent searches another player’s library.
2014-07-18 The first triggered ability won’t be put on the stack until after the spell or ability causing the opponent to search their library finishes resolving. Notably, if that spell or ability causes any other abilities to trigger (for example, if the opponent searched for a creature card and put it onto the battlefield), those abilities and Ob Nixilis’s triggered ability will go on the stack together. The active player puts all of their abilities on the stack in any order, then each other player in turn order does the same. The last ability put onto the stack this way will be the first to resolve, and so on.