Broodbirth Viper
Creature — Snake
Myriad (Whenever this creature attacks, for each opponent other than defending player, you may create a token copy that's tapped and attacking that player or a planeswalker they control. Exile the tokens at end of combat.)
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a card.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Commander 2015
- Price
- $0.57
- EDHREC rank
- #12635
Broodbirth Viper puts three bodies on the board for five mana and replaces itself at end of turn — the catch is that the clue and the snake tokens vanish unless something prevents the end step from resolving normally. Obeka, Brute Chronologist is the key: end the turn on your own terms and you keep everything, turning a conditional card into a genuine tempo engine.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Obeka, Brute Chronologist
Obeka, Brute Chronologist's activated ability ends the turn before the sacrifice triggers resolve, letting Broodbirth Viper's tokens and clue persist permanently — this is the exact engine Obeka builds around, which is why nearly a quarter of all Obeka decks include it.
Araumi of the Dead Tide
Araumi of the Dead Tide can encore Broodbirth Viper from the graveyard, creating three exiled copies that each trigger independently and flood the board with snakes and clues — Araumi gets triple value from the on-attack trigger before the temporary copies vanish at end of turn.
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 |
Broodbirth Viper is Commander-first design: the conditional payoff only becomes reliable with specific commanders like Obeka, Brute Chronologist, and the five-mana slot is too slow and niche for Legacy or Vintage, where it's technically legal but sees no meaningful play. In Commander, it occupies a narrow but real slot — it's an auto-include in Obeka lists and a strong consideration in any deck that manipulates end steps or recurs creatures from the graveyard. Outside of those shells, a 2/3 that makes a clue and a 1/1 you have to sacrifice is below rate for the format.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.57 bulk tier
At $0.57, Broodbirth Viper is firmly bulk — you're paying almost nothing for a card with genuine upside in the right commander shell. Prices this low rarely move unless a breakout commander pushes demand, so buy it now if you're building Obeka and don't expect much appreciation otherwise.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.