Blister Beetle
Creature — Insect
When this creature enters, target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Shards of Alara
- Price
- $0.07
- EDHREC rank
- #23567
Blister Beetle enters the battlefield and immediately puts a -1/-1 counter on target creature — a removal-adjacent effect stapled to a body for two mana. It's a role-player, not a star: the value is in synergies with -1/-1 counter payoffs, not in the card in isolation.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Blister Beetle earns its slot only in dedicated -1/-1 counter builds — Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons and Yawgmoth, Thran Physician lists where every counter placed generates additional value. Outside that niche, a 1/1 that nicks one creature for one counter is too marginal at three players worth of boards. In Pauper, the enter-the-battlefield trigger is clean interactive tempo at common, but the competition at two mana is stiff enough that Blister Beetle rarely makes the cut. Legacy and Vintage have no realistic home for it. The card has a real job in exactly one context; everywhere else, it's scenery.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.07 bulk tier
At $0.07, Blister Beetle is deep bulk — you're paying for cardboard and postage, not the card. Price stability is a non-issue at this tier; it will stay near zero unless a future -1/-1 counter commander drives narrow spikes in casual demand.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.