Basilica Screecher
Creature — Bat
Flying
Extort (Whenever you cast a spell, you may pay 
. If you do, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain that much life.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Gatecrash
- Price
- $0.26
- EDHREC rank
- #6715
Basilica Screecher puts a flying body on the board and drains the table every time you cast a spell with extort — in a 99-card format full of spell-slinging, that life differential adds up fast. Zoraline, Cosmos Caller decks run it at nearly 70% inclusion because extort triggers stack with constellation and enchantment-cast payoffs, making this a two-mana card that punches well above its slot.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Zoraline, Cosmos Caller
Basilica Screecher sits in 69% of Zoraline, Cosmos Caller decks because every enchantment you cast through Zoraline's engine is also an extort trigger, turning passive life drain into a passive wincon layered on top of the constellation package.
Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor
Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor wants creatures that connect in the air and create incremental advantage, and Basilica Screecher's extort rider means every subsequent spell you cast while it's on board widens the life gap that Gix's combat damage trigger needs to matter.
K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth already converts life into mana, so Basilica Screecher's extort lets you drain back some of what K'rrik spends — it's a small but genuine life-total stabilizer in a commander that otherwise bleeds you dry.
Blech, Loafing Pest
Blech, Loafing Pest cares about cheap creatures and incremental life manipulation, and Basilica Screecher fits both criteria: it's a two-mana flier that keeps draining opponents as long as you keep casting spells through Blech's engine.
Sorin of House Markov
Sorin of House Markov builds around life gain and vampire synergies, and Basilica Screecher's extort trigger turns every spell in a spell-dense vampire shell into a passive life-swing that feeds Sorin's payoffs.
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 |
Basilica Screecher is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but Commander is by far its natural home — three opponents means extort drains for three life and gains you three simultaneously, a swing that's largely irrelevant in one-on-one formats. In Pauper it's seen fringe play in extort-stacking black-white lists, where multiple copies of extort permanents turn each cheap spell into a meaningful life-total shift, but the singleton rule in Commander means Basilica Screecher is one piece of a broader extort suite rather than a four-of engine. In Modern and Pioneer the card is simply too slow and low-impact without a dedicated extort shell to support it.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.26 bulk tier
At $0.26, Basilica Screecher is bulk by any measure — pick it up without hesitation if the deck calls for it. Extort cards rarely spike; this one will stay in the penny bin unless a high-profile Commander precon puts extort back in the spotlight.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Zoraline, Cosmos Caller
- Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor
- K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
- Blech, Loafing Pest
- Sorin of House Markov
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.