Old Gnawbone is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Flying Whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, create that many Treasure tokens.
Complete guide
Old Gnawbone is a massive Legendary Dragon that turns every point of combat damage into immediate mana production. By rewarding your aggression with Treasure tokens, it ensures your board state accelerates just as quickly as your opponent's life total drops. Whether you are swinging with a single flyer or a massive army, this Dragon provides the fuel for your most expensive spells.
Wealth through Warfare
The core mechanic of Old Gnawbone is its triggered ability that triggers whenever a creature you control deals combat damage to a player. Unlike some abilities that only trigger for the creature itself, this Dragon watches your entire board. For every point of damage that successfully connects with an opponent's life total, you create one Treasure token. Because these are Treasure tokens, you can immediately tap and sacrifice them to add one mana of any color to your mana pool.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, you must move to the combat phase and declare attackers. Once your creatures deal combat damage to a player, Old Gnawbone's ability triggers. If multiple creatures deal damage, the ability triggers separately for each creature that dealt damage to a player. As each trigger resolves, you count the amount of damage that specific creature dealt and create that many Treasure tokens. These tokens enter the battlefield untapped and ready to be used during your post-combat main phase or on your opponent's turn.
Important Timing and Limits
It is vital to remember that this ability only triggers on combat damage. Damage dealt via spells or 'fight' mechanics will not generate Treasure. Furthermore, the damage must be dealt to a player; hitting a Planeswalker or a Battle will not trigger the ability. If Old Gnawbone deals damage at the same time as other creatures, its ability will still see all of them and trigger accordingly, even if Old Gnawbone receives lethal damage during that same combat step.
Strategic Implementation
Old Gnawbone is best utilized in decks that can go 'wide' with many small creatures or 'tall' with one massive attacker. Since the Treasures are generated based on the amount of damage, increasing a creature's power directly increases your mana production. It serves as a perfect bridge to cast your game-ending spells or to maintain mana for protective counterspells after an all-out attack.
Interaction examples
Old Gnawbone
TreasureYou attack with Old Gnawbone, which has 7 power. Your opponent has no flyers to block. Old Gnawbone deals 7 combat damage to the player. The triggered ability resolves, and you create 7 Treasure tokens. You now have 7 additional mana available for your second main phase by sacrificing those tokens.
Craterhoof BehemothWith Old Gnawbone on the field, you cast Craterhoof Behemoth. Your creatures gain trample and a massive power boost. Even if your opponent blocks, the trample damage that spills over to the player is counted as combat damage. If your creatures deal a combined 30 damage to the player, Old Gnawbone will create 30 Treasure tokens.
Avenger of ZendikarYou have Old Gnawbone and ten 0/1 Plant tokens from Avenger of Zendikar. After growing your Plants with Landfall, you attack with all ten. If five Plants each deal 2 combat damage to the player, Old Gnawbone triggers five times, creating 2 Treasure tokens per trigger for a total of 10 Treasure tokens.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Old Gnawbone
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
No additional ruling has been published for this card.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Aggravated Assault + Old Gnawbone
- 1Attack with the creatures to deal at least six combat damage to a player, triggering Old Gnawbone's ability, creating at least six Treasure tokens.
- 2Activate five Treasure tokens by tapping and sacrificing them, to add
. - 3Activate Aggravated Assault by paying to untap all creatures you control and to get an additional combat phase and an additional main phase after that.
- 4Repeat.
Old Gnawbone + Hellkite Charger
- 1Move to your combat step.
- 2Attack with Hellkite Charger and Old Gnawbone.
- 3When Hellkite Charger attacks, it triggers.
- 4Pay
, adding an additional combat phase after this one. - 5Old Gnawbone triggers for each creature that dealt combat damage, creating a number of treasures equal to the damage dealt with each trigger.
- 6Move to your additional combat step.
- 7Attack with Hellkite Charger and Old Gnawbone.
- 8When Hellkite Charger attacks, it triggers.
Old Gnawbone + Revel in Riches
- 1Deal combat damage to an opponent with creatures that have total power ten or greater.
- 2Old Gnawbone triggers, creating at least ten Treasure tokens.
- 3At the beginning of your next upkeep, Revel in Riches triggers, causing you to win the game.
Old Gnawbone + Mechanized Production
- 1Deal combat damage to an opponent with Old Gnawbone.
- 2Old Gnawbone triggers, creating seven Treasure tokens.
- 3Cast Mechanized Production by paying
, attaching it to a Treasure token. - 4At the beginning of your next upkeep, Mechanized Production triggers, creating a Treasure token and causing you to win the game.
Najeela, the Blade-Blossom + Old Gnawbone
- 1Attack with the creatures to deal at least six combat damage to a player, triggering Old Gnawbone's ability, creating at least six Treasure tokens.
- 2Before the end of your combat phase, activate five Treasure tokens by tapping and sacrificing them, to add
. - 3Activate Najeela by paying to untap all creatures you control, give them trample, lifelink, and haste and to get an additional combat phase and an additional main phase after that.
- 4End the combat phase.
- 5Repeat.
Old Gnawbone + Time Sieve
- 1Deal combat damage to an opponent with Old Gnawbone.
- 2Old Gnawbone triggers, creating seven Treasure tokens.
- 3Activate Time Sieve by tapping it and sacrificing five Treasure tokens, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
- 4Repeat each turn.
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki + Combat Celebrant + Old Gnawbone
- 1Activate Reflection of KIki-Jiki by paying
and tapping it, creating a token copy of Combat Celebrant with haste. - 2Declare Combat Celebrant token and, if needed, any creature that an opponent cannot block as attackers, choosing to exert Combat Celebrant as it attacks.
- 3When you attack, the token Combat Celebrant triggers, untapping all other creatures you control and causing you to get an additional combat phase after this one.
- 4When you deal combat damage, Old Gnawbone triggers, creating at least one Treasure token.
- 5Activate a Treasure by tapping and sacrificing it, adding one mana.
- 6Repeat.
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Meta decks with Old Gnawbone
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