Bitterbloom Bearer
Creature — Faerie Rogue
Flash
Flying
At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life and create a 1/1 blue and black Faerie creature token with flying.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Lorwyn Eclipsed Promos
- Price
- $16.25
- EDHREC rank
- #2693
Bitterbloom Bearer puts a Faerie token into play on every upkeep, which means it generates board presence every single turn without requiring any further investment. In Maralen, Fae Ascendant decks especially, that passive token production is the engine, not an afterthought — and it costs nothing to maintain after the initial casting.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Maralen, Fae Ascendant
Maralen, Fae Ascendant cares deeply about Faerie tokens entering the battlefield, and Bitterbloom Bearer guarantees one every upkeep — making it one of the most reliable triggers in the deck rather than a burst piece you cast and forget.
Alela, Cunning Conqueror
Alela, Cunning Conqueror rewards you for casting spells on opponents' turns by creating Faeries, and Bitterbloom Bearer supplements that plan with a guaranteed token on every upkeep so the board keeps growing even in quiet turns.
Witherbloom, the Balancer
Witherbloom, the Balancer trades life totals and recurring effects for advantage, and Bitterbloom Bearer's steady token stream feeds sacrifice outlets and life-gain triggers without eating a spell slot each turn.
Obyra, Dreaming Duelist
Obyra, Dreaming Duelist pings opponents whenever a Faerie enters under your control, so Bitterbloom Bearer's upkeep trigger translates directly into a damage clock that fires every single turn cycle.
Silverquill, the Disputant
Silverquill, the Disputant cares about creatures entering and leaving play, and Bitterbloom Bearer provides a consistent, low-maintenance supply of bodies to fuel those triggers without demanding extra setup.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Bitterbloom Bearer is a Commander card through and through — the value of a free token every upkeep compounds over a long game in ways that 60-card formats simply don't reward. In Standard, Pioneer, and Modern, three mana for a 2/1 that does nothing until your next turn is too slow against proactive decks, and the token rate doesn't close games fast enough. Legacy and Vintage have the card pool to abuse repeating enter-the-battlefield effects, but Bitterbloom Bearer isn't broken enough to compete with those formats' actual engines. Commander is where the math works: more upkeeps, more opponents to pressure, and tribal synergies that turn each 1/1 Faerie into a meaningful threat.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
If Bitterbloom Bearer is out of budget, Spellstutter Sprite and Scion of Oona both contribute to Faerie synergies at a fraction of the price, though neither replicates the passive token generation — they're interactive pieces, not engine pieces. For pure token production in the same color identity, Bitterblossom does the job more efficiently but costs significantly more; below that price point, Wydwen, the Biting Gale and similar utility Faeries fill the curve without replacing the upkeep trigger Bitterbloom Bearer uniquely provides.
Price Context
Current price
$16.25 mid tier
At $16.25, Bitterbloom Bearer sits in mid-tier territory — expensive enough to feel like a deliberate include, not a throw-in. Given its near-60% inclusion rate in Maralen, Fae Ascendant decks and strong numbers across several other Faerie commanders, the price reflects genuine demand rather than hype, so it's not a card you're overpaying on.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.