Ambush Viper
Creature — Snake
Flash
Deathtouch
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Arena Anthology 3
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #4940
Ambush Viper trades with any attacker at instant speed for two mana — that's the whole pitch. Outside of Fynn, the Fangbearer, where the deathtouch trigger turns it into a poison-clock piece, it's a fine trick that doesn't make the cut in most 99s.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Fynn, the Fangbearer
Fynn, the Fangbearer shows up in 78% of Fynn decks because every deathtouch creature is a poison counter on demand, and Ambush Viper doubles as a combat trick that kills blockers and advances the poison clock in the same attack step.
Aphelia, Viper Whisperer
Aphelia, Viper Whisperer has a 70% inclusion rate for Ambush Viper — a Snake typal commander that wants bodies on board, and a flash deathtouch Snake is exactly the kind of creature that pulls double duty as removal and a tribal payoff.
Vraska, the Silencer
Vraska, the Silencer cares about killing opponents' creatures to turn them into Treasure, and Ambush Viper's flash deathtouch is a clean, cheap way to pick off a blocker or value piece on the opponent's turn and feed that trigger.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Ambush Viper is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but the only home where it's consistently earning its slot is Commander — specifically deathtouch and Snake typal builds. In Pauper it's theoretically playable as a combat trick, but two-mana 1/2s with flash and deathtouch compete against cheaper options and don't see meaningful play. Legacy and Modern have far more efficient removal and threat density, so Ambush Viper never surfaces in those formats in practice.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data isn't available for Ambush Viper at the moment — check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for current listings. As a common with narrow Commander appeal, it's almost certainly a bulk pickup wherever you find it.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.