Blightwing Bandit
Creature — Faerie Rogue
Flying, deathtouch
Whenever you cast your first spell during each opponent's turn, look at the top card of that player's library, then exile it face down. You may play that card for as long as it remains exiled, and mana of any type can be spent to cast it.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Wilds of Eldraine Commander
- Price
- $7.04
- EDHREC rank
- #5829
Blightwing Bandit turns every Faerie token your opponents make into a loot for you and a discard for them — a punisher that generates card advantage just by being in play. In Alela, Cunning Conqueror decks, where opponents are constantly creating Faeries through ninjutsu triggers, the effect fires so reliably it functions as a permanent draw engine.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Alela, Cunning Conqueror
Alela, Cunning Conqueror's ninjutsu ability forces opponents to create a 1/1 Faerie token whenever she connects, which means Blightwing Bandit triggers on your opponents' turns repeatedly, looting you ahead and stripping their hands simultaneously.
Tegwyll, Duke of Splendor
Tegwyll, Duke of Splendor cares about Faeries dying and being in play, and Blightwing Bandit slots in as a supplementary punisher that punishes opponents for every Faerie token they produce — relevant in a deck that wants to dominate the Faerie-tribal space.
Obyra, Dreaming Duelist
Obyra, Dreaming Duelist is built around opponents creating tokens during their turns, and Blightwing Bandit capitalizes on that same trigger window to compound the incremental advantage Obyra's strategy is already generating.
Maralen, Fae Ascendant
Maralen, Fae Ascendant cares about Faeries entering the battlefield and Faerie tokens in general, making Blightwing Bandit a reliable source of looting and discard pressure in the same shell.
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 |
Blightwing Bandit's home is Commander, where multiplayer tables mean more opponents creating Faerie tokens and more triggers firing each turn cycle. Its effect scales with the number of players at the table, which is exactly the kind of card you want in a 100-card singleton format. In Legacy and Vintage it's technically legal but too slow and too situational — competitive Faerie decks in those formats don't need a four-mana punisher when they can deploy threats on turn one. Oathbreaker is the other format where Blightwing Bandit shows up, particularly in Faerie-tribal builds that mirror the Commander experience.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Faerie Miscreant and Faerie Vandal both slot into Faerie tribal at under $1 and provide card draw without the discard rider, though neither punishes opponents for creating tokens the way Blightwing Bandit does. If the loot-and-discard punishment specifically is what you're after, there's no direct replacement at a lower price point — you're paying for a unique effect.
Price Context
Current price
$7.04 mid tier
At $7.04, Blightwing Bandit sits in the mid tier — reasonable for a card that's a near-auto-include in 64% of Alela, Cunning Conqueror decks. The price reflects its narrow but dominant role in Faerie tribal; it won't sink to bulk, but it's also unlikely to climb without a new flagship Faerie commander pushing demand higher.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.