Brood Butcher
Creature — Eldrazi Drone
Devoid (This card has no color.)
When this creature enters, create a 1/1 colorless Eldrazi Scion creature token. It has "Sacrifice this token: Add 
."
, Sacrifice a creature: Target creature gets -2/-2 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BG
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Battle for Zendikar
- Price
- $0.32
- EDHREC rank
- #16842
Brood Butcher enters with a free sacrifice trigger that drains an opponent for 1 and gives you a 1/1 Eldrazi Scion, then stays on board as a repeatable outlet that converts any creature into -2/-2 on a target and another life payment. The five-mana cost is real, but the enter-the-battlefield value plus ongoing sac outlet in one body makes Brood Butcher a genuine engine piece in token and sacrifice decks, not just a roleplayer.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Brood Butcher earns its slot — sacrifice synergies are abundant, games go long enough to use the repeatable ability multiple times, and the three-opponent table means the life drain adds up fast. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer it's a five-mana 3/3 competing against formats that end on turns three through five, which is a non-starter; Brood Butcher has no path to relevance in any of those. Vintage is technically legal but the answer is the same as Legacy. Oathbreaker shares enough of Commander's multiplayer DNA that Brood Butcher can find a home there in the right sacrifice shell.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.32 bulk tier
At $0.32, Brood Butcher sits firmly in bulk territory — it's the kind of card you pull from a draft chaff box rather than buy. Bulk rare prices this low rarely move unless a reprint drives renewed interest, so there's no financial case for speculating; just grab one if the deck wants it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.