Cephalid Constable
Creature — Octopus Wizard
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, return up to that many target permanents that player controls to their owner's hand.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Salvat 2005
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #12144
Cephalid Constable turns a single successful attack into a permanent stripping engine — every combat damage trigger bounces that many permanents back to the opponent's hand, dismantling boards faster than almost any other creature at three mana. The catch is that it needs to connect, which means it lives and dies by evasion and protection support.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Kamiz, Obscura Oculus
Kamiz, Obscura Oculus makes Cephalid Constable absurd: Kamiz grants unblockable to a second attacker each combat, and if that attacker is the Constable, the resulting damage trigger bounces as many permanents as the Constable's power — and Kamiz can pump that power, compounding the return.
Otrimi, the Ever-Playful
Otrimi, the Ever-Playful rewards connecting with mutate creatures, and Cephalid Constable stacked under a mutate pile means every attack that lands strips permanents equal to the full mutated power — the bigger the pile, the more catastrophic the bounce.
Octavia, Living Thesis
Octavia, Living Thesis turns spells into 8/8 tokens, and when Cephalid Constable gets that size boost it bounces eight permanents on a single hit — Octavia's magecraft engine makes that ceiling easy to reach.
Volrath, the Shapestealer
Volrath, the Shapestealer can copy Cephalid Constable each turn, threatening multiple bounce triggers simultaneously and forcing opponents to guess which creature to block — the redundancy alone justifies the inclusion.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Cephalid Constable sees essentially zero competitive play in Legacy, Modern, or Vintage — three mana for a fragile 1/1 that needs combat damage to do anything is too slow and too easy to answer in those formats. Commander is where it actually lives: evasion enablers are common, the longer game lets it accumulate triggers, and bouncing opponents' lands and key permanents at multiplayer tables creates outsized value. Oathbreaker is a reasonable home for the same reasons, particularly in spell-heavy builds that can grant unblockable reliably.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Cephalid Constable isn't currently available in our system — check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the live market price. Given its narrow competitive appeal and niche Commander role, it has historically stayed low, making it an easy pickup if a deck wants it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Kamiz, Obscura Oculus
- Otrimi, the Ever-Playful
- Octavia, Living Thesis
- Volrath, the Shapestealer
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.