Arcbound Fiend
Artifact Creature — Horror
Fear (This creature can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.)
At the beginning of your upkeep, you may move a +1/+1 counter from target creature onto this creature.
Modular 3 (This creature enters with three +1/+1 counters on it. When it dies, you may put its +1/+1 counters on target artifact creature.)
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Darksteel
- Price
- $0.42
- EDHREC rank
- #12659
Arcbound Fiend lands as a 3/3 at minimum and redistributes its counters on death, making every removal spell your opponent casts a tempo loss for them. The six-mana ask is steep in a format full of faster modular payoffs, so Arcbound Fiend earns its slot in dedicated +1/+1 counter builds — specifically Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp and Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight shells — and nowhere else.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp
Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp's static ability adds an extra counter to every modular trigger, which means Arcbound Fiend's death dumps even more loyalty onto the board than the card text suggests — it's the commander that turns a six-drop into a genuine threat multiplier.
Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate
Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate cares about proliferating and stacking counters across the board, and Arcbound Fiend feeds that engine on entry and again on death, giving Omarthis two distinct moments to leverage the counters.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is the only format where Arcbound Fiend is worth the slot — the modular payoffs and counter-stacking synergies that justify a six-mana artifact creature are almost exclusively found in EDH shells built around the mechanic. In Legacy and Vintage, the card is legal but entirely absent from competitive play; Arcbound Ravager does what Fiend does for a fraction of the cost, and those formats don't tolerate six-mana creatures without an immediate win condition attached. Modern is the same story — modular decks there run lean, and Arcbound Fiend's cost is a hard ceiling on its viability. Stick to Commander.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of TwilightArcbound RavagerArcbound Fiend
Infinite LTB; Infinite ETB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite death triggers; Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature; Infinite +1/+1 counters on certain creatures; Draw the game
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of TwilightViscera SeerArcbound Fiend
Infinite LTB; Infinite ETB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite death triggers; Infinite scry 1; Infinite +1/+1 counters on certain creatures
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of TwilightAshnod's AltarArcbound Fiend
Infinite LTB; Infinite ETB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite death triggers; Infinite colorless mana; Infinite +1/+1 counters on certain creatures
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of TwilightCarrion FeederArcbound Fiend
Infinite LTB; Infinite ETB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite death triggers; Infinite +1/+1 counters on a creature; Infinite +1/+1 counters on certain creatures
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of TwilightPhyrexian AltarArcbound Fiend
Infinite LTB; Infinite ETB; Infinite colored mana; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite death triggers; Infinite +1/+1 counters on certain creatures
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$0.42 bulk tier
At $0.42, Arcbound Fiend is bulk, and that price is stable — it sees enough Commander play in counter synergy decks to keep it from dropping further, but not enough cross-format demand to push it up. Pick it up freely; there's no budget barrier here.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight
- Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp
- Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate
- Arcbound Ravager
- Viscera Seer
- Ashnod's Altar
- Carrion Feeder
- Phyrexian Altar
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.