Sliver Gravemother 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
The "legend rule" doesn't apply to Slivers you control. Each Sliver creature card in your graveyard has encore, where X is its mana value. Encore
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Complete guide
Sliver Gravemother is a powerhouse legendary commander that defies the laws of nature and the rules of the game. By ignoring the legend rule and granting your graveyard recurring power, she ensures your hive always returns stronger and more numerous than before.
Breaking the Legend Rule
Normally, the 'legend rule' prevents you from having two legendary permanents with the same name. Sliver Gravemother specifically overrides this for your Slivers. While she is on the battlefield, you can have multiple copies of any legendary Sliver, including Sliver Gravemother herself, without being forced to sacrifice them. However, if she leaves the battlefield, the rule immediately applies again, and you will have to choose one of each named legendary Sliver to keep and put the rest into your graveyard.
How Encore Works
Sliver Gravemother gives every Sliver creature card in your graveyard the Encore ability. To activate it, you must pay mana equal to the card's mana value and exile the card from your graveyard as a cost. This can only be done as a sorcery. When the ability resolves, you create a token copy of that creature for each opponent you have. These tokens gain haste and must attack the specific opponent they were created for if able. At the beginning of the next end step, you sacrifice these tokens.
Strategic Timing
Because Encore requires a sorcery-speed activation, you should plan your turn around your combat phase. Once the Encore ability is activated, players cannot remove the card from your graveyard to stop the activation, as exiling the card is part of the cost. The tokens created will trigger any 'enters the battlefield' effects, making them excellent for generating value before they are sacrificed at the end of the turn.
Common Pitfalls
Remember that if a token is unable to attack (for example, if a tax like Propaganda is in effect and you choose not to pay), the token simply doesn't attack. Additionally, the tokens are sacrificed at the beginning of the next end step. If you use an effect to end the turn prematurely, the sacrifice trigger will wait until the next available end step. If you lose control of a token, you cannot sacrifice it, and it will remain on the battlefield indefinitely.
Interaction examples
Sliver GravemotherIf a Sliver Gravemother is in your graveyard, you can pay 5 mana to Encore her. If you have three opponents, you create three token copies of Sliver Gravemother. Because her own ability makes the legend rule not apply to Slivers, all three tokens (and the original, if it were somehow still there) stay on the battlefield. This gives all your other Slivers in the graveyard Encore, though the costs remain the same.
Roaming ThroneWith Sliver Gravemother on the battlefield, you cast Roaming Throne and choose 'Sliver'. Roaming Throne is now a Sliver. If you later Encore a Sliver from your graveyard, the Encore ability is an activated ability, not a triggered one, so Roaming Throne won't double the number of tokens created. However, any 'enters the battlefield' triggers that those Sliver tokens have will trigger twice thanks to the Throne.
Solemn SimulacrumNote that Sliver Gravemother only gives Encore to Sliver cards. Since Solemn Simulacrum is a Golem, it does not gain Encore from the Gravemother. If you want to use Encore on a creature, you must ensure it has the Sliver creature type in the graveyard. However, if you had a way to make the Simulacrum a Sliver, the tokens created would allow you to search for lands when they enter and draw cards when they are sacrificed at the end of the turn.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Sliver Gravemother
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The "legend rule" is the rule that states that if a player controls two or more legendary permanents with the same name, that player chooses one of them, and the rest are put into their owners' graveyards.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
While the "legend rule" doesn't apply to Slivers you control, you can control any number of legendary Slivers with the same name and none of them will be put into the graveyard.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If you control more than one legendary Sliver with the same name and the "legend rule" begins applying to them again (perhaps because Sliver Gravemother leaves the battlefield) you'll immediately have to comply with the rule and put all but one of those Slivers into the graveyard.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Exiling the card with encore is a cost to activate the ability. Once you announce that you're activating it, no player may take actions until you've finished. They can't try to remove the card from your graveyard to stop you from paying the cost.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Opponents who have left the game aren't counted when determining how many tokens to create.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
The tokens copy only what's on the original card. Effects that modified that creature when it was previously on the battlefield won't be copied.
Card named in this ruling
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
Each token must attack the appropriate player if able.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
If one of the tokens can't attack for any reason (such as being tapped), then it doesn't attack. If there's a cost associated with having it attack, you aren't forced to pay that cost, so it doesn't have to attack in that case either.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect stops a token from attacking a specific player, that token can attack any player, planeswalker, or battle, or not attack at all. If the effect stops the token from attacking a specific player unless a cost is paid, you don't have to pay that cost unless you want to attack that player.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
If one of the tokens somehow is under another player's control as the delayed triggered ability resolves, you can't sacrifice that token. It remains on the battlefield indefinitely, even if you regain control of it later.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Sliver Gravemother + Intruder Alarm + Cloudshredder Sliver + Manaweft Sliver
- 1Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 2Cast Sliver Grandmother from the command zone by paying
and commander tax, if applicable. - 3When Sliver Grandmother enters the battlefield, Intruder Alarm triggers.
- 4Holding priortiy, activate Sliver Gravemother by tapping it, adding one mana of any color.
- 5Resolve the Intruder Alarm trigger, untapping all creatures.
- 6Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 7Activate Sliver Gravemother by sacrificing it, adding .
- 8Choose not to return Sliver Gravemother to the command zone from your graveyard.
Sliver Gravemother + Intruder Alarm + Cloudshredder Sliver + Gemhide Sliver
- 1Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 2Cast Sliver Grandmother from the command zone by paying and commander tax, if applicable.
- 3When Sliver Grandmother enters the battlefield, Intruder Alarm triggers.
- 4Holding priortiy, activate Sliver Gravemother by tapping it, adding one mana of any color.
- 5Resolve the Intruder Alarm trigger, untapping all creatures.
- 6Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 7Activate Sliver Gravemother by sacrificing it, adding .
- 8Choose not to return Sliver Gravemother to the command zone from your graveyard.
Sliver Gravemother + Intruder Alarm + Firewake Sliver + Manaweft Sliver
- 1Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 2Cast Sliver Grandmother from the command zone by paying and commander tax, if applicable.
- 3When Sliver Grandmother enters the battlefield, Intruder Alarm triggers.
- 4Holding priortiy, activate Sliver Gravemother by tapping it, adding one mana of any color.
- 5Resolve the Intruder Alarm trigger, untapping all creatures.
- 6Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 7Activate Sliver Gravemother by paying
and sacrificing it. - 8Choose not to return Sliver Gravemother to the command zone from your graveyard.
Sliver Gravemother + Intruder Alarm + Firewake Sliver + Gemhide Sliver
- 1Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 2Cast Sliver Grandmother from the command zone by paying and commander tax, if applicable.
- 3When Sliver Grandmother enters the battlefield, Intruder Alarm triggers.
- 4Holding priortiy, activate Sliver Gravemother by tapping it, adding one mana of any color.
- 5Resolve the Intruder Alarm trigger, untapping all creatures.
- 6Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 7Activate Sliver Gravemother by paying and sacrificing it.
- 8Choose not to return Sliver Gravemother to the command zone from your graveyard.
Sliver Gravemother + Intruder Alarm + Heart Sliver + Manaweft Sliver
- 1Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 2Cast Sliver Grandmother from the command zone by paying and commander tax, if applicable.
- 3When Sliver Grandmother enters the battlefield, Intruder Alarm triggers.
- 4Holding priortiy, activate Sliver Gravemother by tapping it, adding one mana of any color.
- 5Resolve the Intruder Alarm trigger, untapping all creatures.
- 6Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 7Activate Sliver Gravemother by sacrificing it, adding .
- 8Choose not to return Sliver Gravemother to the command zone from your graveyard.
Sliver Gravemother + Intruder Alarm + Heart Sliver + Gemhide Sliver
- 1Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 2Cast Sliver Grandmother from the command zone by paying and commander tax, if applicable.
- 3When Sliver Grandmother enters the battlefield, Intruder Alarm triggers.
- 4Holding priortiy, activate Sliver Gravemother by tapping it, adding one mana of any color.
- 5Resolve the Intruder Alarm trigger, untapping all creatures.
- 6Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 7Activate Sliver Gravemother by sacrificing it, adding .
- 8Choose not to return Sliver Gravemother to the command zone from your graveyard.
Sliver Gravemother + Intruder Alarm + Cloudshredder Sliver + Manaweft Sliver
- 1Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 2Cast Sliver Grandmother from the command zone by paying and commander tax, if applicable.
- 3When Sliver Grandmother enters the battlefield, Intruder Alarm triggers.
- 4Holding priortiy, activate Sliver Gravemother by tapping it, adding one mana of any color.
- 5Resolve the Intruder Alarm trigger, untapping all creatures.
- 6Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 7Activate Sliver Gravemother by paying and sacrificing it.
- 8Choose not to return Sliver Gravemother to the command zone from your graveyard.
Sliver Gravemother + Intruder Alarm + Cloudshredder Sliver + Gemhide Sliver
- 1Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 2Cast Sliver Grandmother from the command zone by paying and commander tax, if applicable.
- 3When Sliver Grandmother enters the battlefield, Intruder Alarm triggers.
- 4Holding priortiy, activate Sliver Gravemother by tapping it, adding one mana of any color.
- 5Resolve the Intruder Alarm trigger, untapping all creatures.
- 6Activate all Slivers you control by tapping them, adding one mana of any color for each Sliver tapped this way.
- 7Activate Sliver Gravemother by paying and sacrificing it.
- 8Choose not to return Sliver Gravemother to the command zone from your graveyard.
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