Tarrian's Soulcleaver — Magic: The Gathering card

Tarrian's Soulcleaver

{1}
Legendary Artifact — Equipment

Equipped creature has vigilance.

Whenever another artifact or creature is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on equipped creature.

Equip {2}

*Tarrian's holy weapon still holds a fragment of his dark power... and his hunger.*

Set The Lost Caverns of Ixalan
Rarity Rare
Mana Value 1
Artist Nereida
Collector # 264
Scryfall

Why Play Tarrian's Soulcleaver

At just one mana, Tarrian's Soulcleaver provides exceptional early-game value by granting vigilance and the potential for massive growth throughout the game. The equipment shines in creature-heavy metas where combat trades are frequent, allowing your equipped creature to accumulate counters from every battlefield death. Deploy it early on aggressive creatures like Champion of the Parish or Experiment One to create immediate pressure, or save it for mid-game threats that can better capitalize on the scaling power.

Format Notes

Commander represents this card's strongest format, where longer games and higher creature counts maximize the counter accumulation potential. The equipment sees fringe play in Pioneer and Modern artifact-based strategies, particularly those running Goblin Engineer or Urza's Saga as tutors. Standard applications remain limited but possible in sacrifice-heavy metas where cards like Braids, Arisen Nightmare create consistent death triggers.

Combos & Synergies

Ashnod's Altar creates a powerful engine by converting creatures into mana while triggering counter generation, often enabling explosive turns. Skullclamp pairs naturally by drawing cards from small creatures while feeding Soulcleaver's ability. Walking Ballista becomes particularly threatening when equipped, as the accumulated counters can be converted into direct damage while the vigilance allows continued board presence.

Learn More

Artifact Vigilance