Argentum Masticore
Artifact Creature — Phyrexian Masticore
First strike, protection from multicolored
At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice this creature unless you discard a card. When you discard a card this way, destroy target nonland permanent an opponent controls with mana value less than or equal to the mana value of the discarded card.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Phyrexia: All Will Be One
- Price
- $0.26
- EDHREC rank
- #9639
Argentum Masticore lands as a repeatable, double-strike threat that destroys a nonland permanent every time it deals combat damage — the cost is discarding a card each upkeep or sacrificing it. In Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer that discard is pure upside, which is why this card has a real home rather than a trivia slot.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer
Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer turns the mandatory upkeep discard into a free cast trigger, meaning Argentum Masticore feeds the engine instead of draining it — you're paying nothing real to keep a double-striking removal machine in play.
The Capitoline Triad
The Capitoline Triad's discard-matters and graveyard-value framework makes the upkeep cost of Argentum Masticore negligible, and a double-striker that blows up permanents on contact lines up well with the deck's controlling game plan.
Glissa, the Traitor
Glissa, the Traitor recurs artifacts from the graveyard whenever an opponent's creature dies, so if Argentum Masticore ever gets sacrificed to dodge removal, Glissa can pull it straight back — and the double strike means Glissa herself becomes a lethal blocker the moment an opponent swings in.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Argentum Masticore occupies a specific niche: discard-synergy decks that want a self-sufficient threat and can turn the upkeep cost into value rather than a liability. Outside that niche, a five-mana 4/4 that requires ongoing support doesn't compete with the raw efficiency available in the format. In Modern and Legacy, the rate is simply too slow — five mana for a creature that needs a turn to connect before doing anything, and dies to all the same removal as cheaper threats, is not a serious proposition. Pioneer is legal but similarly uninterested. Argentum Masticore is a Commander card through and through, and even there it belongs in one of two or three specific decks rather than as a general goodstuff pickup.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.26 bulk tier
At $0.26, Argentum Masticore is bulk — you're picking it up for throw-in money in any trade. The narrow commander homes keep demand low enough that the price is unlikely to move unless a new discard-matters commander spikes its inclusion rate.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer
- The Capitoline Triad
- Glissa, the Traitor
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.