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Cryptek

Artifact Creature — Necron Wizard

{1}{B}, {T}: Choose another target artifact creature you control. When that creature dies this turn, return it to the battlefield tapped under your control.

CMC
4
Mana cost
{3}{B}
Color identity
B
Rarity
rare
Set
Warhammer 40,000 Commander
Price
$0.67
EDHREC rank
#8875
Buy on TCGplayer
Cryptek card art
Cryptek puts a free artifact on the battlefield every time a Necron you control dies, turning any board wipe or sacrifice outlet into an engine — and in Imotekh the Stormlord decks, that artifact generation feeds directly into Imotekh the Stormlord's token and mana mechanics. The cost is that Cryptek itself needs a critical mass of Necron creatures to matter, so it's a build-around, not a splash.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Imotekh the Stormlord

Imotekh the Stormlord

64.4% of decks · synergy 0.62

Cryptek is a near-staple here because Imotekh the Stormlord rewards artifact accumulation and Necron death triggers, and Cryptek converts every creature lost in combat or to removal into a fresh artifact for that engine.

02

Megatron, Tyrant

42.0% of decks · synergy 0.41

Megatron, Tyrant cares about artifacts entering the battlefield, so Cryptek's death-trigger generation creates a steady feed of fodder for Megatron's convert and sacrifice lines.

03
Trazyn the Infinite

Trazyn the Infinite

37.1% of decks · synergy 0.35

Trazyn the Infinite wants artifacts stacking up in quantity, and Cryptek makes sure a dying Necron board doesn't run dry — each death replaces itself with a new artifact for Trazyn to leverage.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

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

Commander is where Cryptek actually lives — the Necron tribal density required to make it consistent only exists in dedicated 100-card builds, and the card sees its overwhelming majority of play there. Legacy and Vintage legality is academic: neither format runs Necron synergy packages, and Cryptek has no standalone power level that would justify inclusion outside of tribal context. Oathbreaker is theoretically legal but faces the same problem as Legacy — without a critical mass of Necrons, Cryptek is an inert 2/2 for three mana. Stick to Commander.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.67 bulk tier

At $0.67, Cryptek is bulk — pick it up without hesitation if you're building any Necron deck. It's a role-player with narrow application, so don't expect the price to climb unless a new Necron commander pushes the archetype into mainstream popularity.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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