RedLegendary Creature — Human ShamanBrallin, Skyshark Rider
Mana value4Rank#4,675PartnerYes
The Commander
Partner with Shabraz, the Skyshark (When this creature enters, target player may put Shabraz into their hand from their library, then shuffle.)
Whenever you discard a card, put a +1/+1 counter on Brallin and it deals 1 damage to each opponent.
: Target Shark gains trample until end of turn.
Guide
Gameplan
Brallin turns every discarded card into 1 damage to each opponent and a +1/+1 counter on himself, so you build a deck full of wheels and rummaging effects to discard cards in bulk and burn the table out. Pair with Shabraz to spread that damage (and counters) across both partners while gaining life, then close with a giant trampling Brallin or a single explosive wheel turn. Turn to turn you ramp, draw, and loot, setting up a critical mass of discard outlets before unloading a hand on one turn.
Strengths
- Each discard pings every opponent, so a big wheel can deal lethal damage across the whole table at once
- Mono-red gives access to the best wheels and impulsive card advantage to fuel discards
- Scales fast: Brallin grows into a hard-to-block beater while burning everyone
- Shabraz adds resilience, life gain, and a second body to absorb counters and flying damage
Weaknesses
- Relies heavily on the commander; without Brallin in play, your discard does nothing
- Mono-red struggles with interaction, card-type diversity, and answering enchantments/artifacts
- Symmetrical wheels often refill opponents' hands, fueling their game plans
- Vulnerable to graveyard hate and to a single removal spell resetting your engine
Key Cards
- Khorvath's Fury — A repeatable, cheap discard-and-draw engine that pings the table every loop.
- Wheel of Misfortune — Mass discard from every player triggers Brallin once per card you pitch for huge burst damage.
- Containment Construct — Lets you replay discarded cards, converting wheel fuel into card advantage.
- Glint-Horn Buccaneer — Each discard deals extra damage to each opponent, doubling Brallin's burn output.
- Sneak Attack — Cheats out fatties and lets you discard them for value when needed, plus pressure.
- Daretti, Ingenious Iconoclast — Loots for value and provides removal and a blocker the deck otherwise lacks.
Upgrade Path
Add more nonsymmetrical or repeatable discard outlets (Containment Construct, Bone Miser, Geier Reach Sanitarium) and burn multipliers like Glint-Horn Buccaneer and Khorvath's Fury to maximize triggers. Improve mana with fast rocks (Mana Crypt, Jeweled Lotus) and add protection (Heroic Intervention effects are off-color, so lean on counters from Shabraz and recursion) plus stax pieces like Smokestack to slow opponents. Tighten the curve so you can deploy a discard outlet and a big wheel in the same turn for an explosive kill.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸A single huge wheel triggering Brallin (and Glint-Horn Buccaneer) for lethal damage to the whole table
- ▸Beating down with an oversized, trampling Brallin
- ▸Chip burn accumulating across many small discard triggers over the game
Archetypes
- Wheels/Discard Burn — Brallin converts every discarded card into direct damage, weaponizing mass card draw spells.
- Spellslinger Aggro — Looting and impulse draw feed a burn-and-beatdown plan centered on the commander.
- Voltron — Brallin grows with every discard, becoming a trampling threat that can carry equipment.
Combos
- Brallin, Skyshark Rider + Curiosity
→ Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature
- Brallin, Skyshark Rider + Ophidian Eye
→ Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature
- Brallin, Skyshark Rider + Tandem Lookout
→ Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature
- Brallin, Skyshark Rider + Keen Sense
→ Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature
- Brallin, Skyshark Rider + Change of Fortune + Reiterate + Grafted Exoskeleton
→ Each opponent loses the game
Combos via Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (R), by popularity.
