Banehound
Creature — Nightmare Dog
Lifelink, haste
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- War of the Spark
- Price
- $0.21
- EDHREC rank
- #9291
Banehound is a one-mana 1/1 with lifelink and haste — it attacks the turn it enters and starts gaining life immediately. The ceiling is modest outside of specific synergy builds, but Indominus Rex, Alpha makes it a serious inclusion by demanding creatures with multiple ability words, and Banehound checks both boxes.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Indominus Rex, Alpha
Indominus Rex, Alpha requires hiding cards with different ability words under it to grant those abilities to a massive threat, and Banehound delivers two distinct keywords — lifelink and haste — on a single one-mana body, making it one of the most efficient ability-word sources in the deck.
Umbris, Fear Manifest
Umbris, Fear Manifest is a Nightmare Horror commander that grows whenever an opponent exiles cards from their library, and Banehound qualifies as a Horror that can swing in for lifelink damage the same turn it enters — giving the deck a cheap, fast body that fits the tribal shell while keeping pressure on life totals.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Banehound is a niche inclusion — it shows up almost exclusively in Indominus Rex, Alpha builds that need cheap multi-keyword creatures, and Umbris, Fear Manifest lists that want on-tribe bodies at low cost. In Pauper, a one-mana lifelink-haste creature has genuine applications in aggressive black shells, where incremental life gain off repeated attacks can matter against burn-heavy opponents. Modern and Pioneer have no real home for Banehound — a 1/1 for one is simply outclassed by the aggressive two-drops and synergy pieces those formats demand. Legacy and Vintage are non-starters. The card's competitive ceiling is Pauper; everywhere else, it's a Commander synergy piece first.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.21 bulk tier
At $0.21, Banehound is bulk — pick it up without a second thought if it fits your build. Bulk commons and uncommons at this price point rarely move unless a new commander creates sudden demand, so don't expect the number to change.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Indominus Rex, Alpha
- Umbris, Fear Manifest
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.