Caustic Hound
Creature — Phyrexian Dog
When this creature dies, each player loses 4 life.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Mirrodin Besieged
- Price
- $0.05
- EDHREC rank
- #26922
Caustic Hound hits the table as a 4/4 for six mana and drains each opponent for 4 when it dies — that's 12 life in a four-player pod from a single death trigger. The body is underpowered for the cost, so you're running this exclusively in sacrifice loops where the death trigger fires repeatedly.
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 |
Caustic Hound is essentially a Commander card — the four-player pod is the only context where draining each opponent for 4 on death translates into 12 life swing from a single trigger. In Pauper, it's legal but competes against far more efficient common creatures and sees no meaningful play. Legacy and Vintage are non-starters; six mana for a 4/4 with a conditional drain trigger doesn't register in those formats. Commander is where Caustic Hound earns its slot, specifically inside dedicated sacrifice loops that can fire the death trigger multiple times per turn.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.05 bulk tier
At $0.05, Caustic Hound is deep bulk — pick it out of a common box for free and never think about it again. Bulk drain creatures with niche applications don't appreciate, so this sits at the floor and stays there.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.