MagicTheGathering.fyi

Carnifex Demon

Creature — Phyrexian Demon

Flying
This creature enters with two -1/-1 counters on it.
{B}, Remove a -1/-1 counter from this creature: Put a -1/-1 counter on each other creature.

CMC
6
Mana cost
{4}{B}{B}
Color identity
B
Rarity
rare
Set
Scars of Mirrodin
Price
$0.77
EDHREC rank
#5289
Buy on TCGplayer
Carnifex Demon card art
Carnifex Demon lands as a 6/6 flying infect creature that enters with two -1/-1 counters on itself and can spend a black mana to proliferate those counters across the board — the immediate wrath pressure and counter-spreading engine are the whole reason to run it. The six-mana cost is real, but in any shell that cares about -1/-1 counters, pairing it with Nest of Scarabs or Auntie Ool, Cursewretch turns that upkeep drain into a token flood or recursive value almost immediately.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Auntie Ool, Cursewretch

Auntie Ool, Cursewretch

84.0% of decks · synergy 0.78

Auntie Ool, Cursewretch converts every -1/-1 counter placement into a resource, and Carnifex Demon's repeatable proliferate means you're spinning that engine every turn for a single black mana.

02
The Scorpion God

The Scorpion God

72.7% of decks · synergy 0.72

The Scorpion God draws a card whenever a creature gets a -1/-1 counter, so Carnifex Demon's board-wide proliferate can refill your hand in a single activation while simultaneously threatening to kill every small creature at the table.

03
Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons

Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons

60.7% of decks · synergy 0.60

Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons creates a deathtouch Snake every time any creature receives a -1/-1 counter, so a single Carnifex Demon activation that touches six creatures produces six bodies — that's the combo engine in two cards.

04
The Reaper, King No More

The Reaper, King No More

64.4% of decks · synergy 0.58

The Reaper, King No More cares about creatures dying to -1/-1 counters and rewards you with additional payoffs when they do, making Carnifex Demon's slow drain across the board a reliable engine for triggering that clause repeatedly.

05
Massacre Girl, Known Killer

Massacre Girl, Known Killer

18.5% of decks · synergy 0.18

Massacre Girl, Known Killer gives all your creatures wither, turning your own board into a counter-distribution network, and Carnifex Demon's proliferate then accelerates the counters already placed — together they can clear a table of small creatures with minimal targeting.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Carnifex Demon is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but its competitive home is essentially Commander only. At six mana with no immediate board impact beyond a 6/6 and a slow proliferate ability, it doesn't clear the efficiency bar Legacy or Modern demand — those formats kill or win before the engine gets going. In Commander, the calculus flips: six mana is reachable by turn four or five, multiplayer tables give you enough targets to make proliferate devastating, and -1/-1 counter synergies are a deep archetype with dedicated commanders that make Carnifex Demon a near-auto-include.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.77 bulk tier

At $0.77, Carnifex Demon is bulk, and the price reflects its narrow format fit rather than its power ceiling in the right shell. It's a safe pickup — demand from -1/-1 counter builds keeps a floor under it, and there's no cheaper way to get repeatable board-wide proliferate on a flying body.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

← All cards

Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.