Cryptid Inspector
Creature — Elf Warrior
Vigilance
Whenever a face-down permanent you control enters and whenever this creature or another permanent you control is turned face up, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Duskmourn: House of Horror
- Price
- $0.02
- EDHREC rank
- #16894
Cryptid Inspector enters and immediately generates a clue token, giving you card selection the turn it hits play — then every subsequent creature you cast with three or more power adds another. In Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods decks that are flooding the board with big beaters, that repeated clue production turns combat steps into card advantage engines without spending any additional mana.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods
Yarus, Roar of the Old Gods casts creatures at instant speed and wants a steady stream of high-power bodies — Cryptid Inspector converts every one of those triggers into a clue, meaning the card-draw tax that punishes go-wide stompy strategies largely disappears.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Cryptid Inspector slots cleanly into any green or Gruul stompy build that's regularly deploying power-3-or-greater creatures — the clue engine scales with your creature density rather than requiring dedicated setup. Pauper is where it earns the most competitive scrutiny, since commons-only card draw is scarce and a enters-the-battlefield clue with upside is genuinely playable rate. In Modern and Pioneer, Cryptid Inspector is outclassed by more efficient draw and token payoffs, so it stays on the shelf outside of creature-heavy brews hunting for redundancy. Legacy and Vintage have zero interest.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.02 bulk tier
At $0.02, Cryptid Inspector is pure bulk — pick it out of any common box for free. Bulk commons with narrow homes rarely climb, so don't expect the price to move; just grab a copy the next time you're sleeving up a stompy Commander list.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.