Apex Altisaur
Creature — Dinosaur
When this creature enters, it fights up to one target creature you don't control.
Enrage — Whenever this creature is dealt damage, it fights up to one target creature you don't control.
- CMC
- 9
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander
- Price
- $6.62
- EDHREC rank
- #1490
Apex Altisaur enters and fights everything in sight — enrage triggers included — making it a one-card board control spell stapled to a 10/10 body. Nine mana is the real ask, but Wrathful Raptors and similar enrage payoffs turn each fight into a removal chain that Neyith of the Dire Hunt can double-trigger for free.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Neyith of the Dire Hunt
Neyith of the Dire Hunt's trigger doubles the first fight each turn, which means Apex Altisaur's enrage-fueled chain can fire twice on entry — the synergy score of 0.59 reflects just how cleanly these two interact.
Pantlaza, Sun-Favored
Pantlaza, Sun-Favored's discover trigger can cascade directly into Apex Altisaur, and a Dinosaur tribal shell gives the Altisaur a full roster of enrage creatures to chain through on arrival.
Gishath, Sun's Avatar
Gishath, Sun's Avatar puts Apex Altisaur directly onto the battlefield from the top of the library, skipping the nine-mana cost entirely and dropping an immediate board-clearing threat.
Wayta, Trainer Prodigy
Wayta, Trainer Prodigy copies fight abilities without requiring the creature to actually be in combat, letting Apex Altisaur's enter-the-battlefield fights replicate and stack enrage triggers across the board.
Kona, Rescue Beastie
Kona, Rescue Beastie cheats big creatures into play from the hand, making Apex Altisaur a regular free threat and sidestepping the mana investment entirely.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Apex Altisaur belongs — the singleton format's multiplayer board states give it multiple targets, the enrage synergy network is deep, and nine mana is reachable with green ramp by turn five or six. Legacy and Vintage are both technically legal, but a nine-mana 10/10 that fights rather than closes the game immediately has no realistic home in either format's threat landscape. Oathbreaker is the one non-Commander 60-card-adjacent format where it could theoretically slot into a green stompy shell, though the compressed game length makes the mana cost punishing.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Apex AltisaurWrathful RaptorsSavage Order
Destroy all creatures opponents control; Near-infinite damage
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Kogla, the Titan Ape hits a single creature on entry and costs five mana, losing the chain-fight upside but delivering immediate removal at a fraction of the price. Ranging Raptors offers a much cheaper enrage body that ramps rather than removes, which covers a different part of what Apex Altisaur does but keeps the enrage synergy intact for decks on a tighter budget.
Price Context
Current price
$6.62 mid tier
At $6.62, Apex Altisaur sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel like a deliberate inclusion but not a format staple that commands a premium. The price is reasonable given its role as a cornerstone in Dinosaur tribal builds, and it's unlikely to spike without a reprint driving renewed demand.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.