Barbed-Back Wurm
Creature — Wurm
: Target green creature blocking this creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Mirage
- Price
- $0.21
- EDHREC rank
- #30540
Barbed-Back Wurm enters as a 4/4 that permanently grows every creature you control whenever it deals combat damage — but it costs seven mana for a body that dies to any removal before the trigger ever fires. The payoff is real in theory; the rate is not.
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 |
Barbed-Back Wurm is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but the only format where it has any realistic home is Commander — and even there it's fighting for a slot against cheaper, more resilient threats. Seven mana for a single body that needs to survive combat and connect is a steep ask at a typical pod table where removal is plentiful. Legacy and Vintage ignore it entirely; the formats move too fast for a seven-drop with no immediate board impact.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.21 bulk tier
At $0.21, Barbed-Back Wurm is deep bulk — you're paying almost nothing, and the price reflects the demand accurately. Don't expect movement; this is a card that sits in bulk bins, not speculation targets.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.