Cartel Aristocrat
Creature — Human Advisor
Sacrifice another creature: This creature gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BW
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Ravnica Remastered
- Price
- $0.25
- EDHREC rank
- #11243
Cartel Aristocrat turns any sacrifice outlet into a protection engine — pay one creature, grant it indestructible, repeat until your opponents run out of removal. In Teysa, Orzhov Scion builds it's a two-mana engine piece that both fuels the token loop and keeps itself alive, and in any Angel of Glory's Rise pile it's the free sac outlet that makes the combo actually go.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Teysa, Orzhov Scion
Cartel Aristocrat is one of the cleanest fits in Teysa, Orzhov Scion decks — sacrificing white tokens to Teysa generates black tokens, which feed back into the Aristocrat, creating a self-sustaining loop that can protect itself through removal.
Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim
Elas il-Kor, Sadistic Pilgrim drains on every death trigger, so Cartel Aristocrat functioning as a zero-cost, repeatable sacrifice outlet translates every creature you feed it into free damage and life.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Cartel Aristocrat earns its slot in any Orzhov aristocrats shell that wants a two-mana sacrifice outlet with built-in resilience — indestructibility on demand is a genuine upgrade over outlets that can't protect themselves. In Pauper it has seen niche play in sacrifice-based black-white lists where free or cheap sac outlets are scarce at common. Modern and Pioneer have access to cleaner options like Viscera Seer and Woe Strider, so Cartel Aristocrat mostly stays on the bench in those formats. Legacy and Vintage don't need it — the sac outlet toolbox there is deep enough that a two-mana creature with no enters-the-battlefield effect doesn't make the cut.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Angel of Glory's RiseSakashima of a Thousand FacesCartel Aristocrat
Infinite LTB; Infinite ETB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite death triggers; Infinite recrusion of some creature cards in your graveyard
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$0.25 bulk tier
At $0.25, Cartel Aristocrat is bulk — you're buying a playset for the cost of a pack sleeve. It's been printed enough times to stay at this floor indefinitely, so there's no reason to hesitate picking up copies.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.