Cutthroat Contender
Creature — Vampire Warrior
Pay 1 life: This creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Activate only once each turn.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Streets of New Capenna
- Price
- $0.13
- EDHREC rank
- #22724
Cutthroat Contender enters as a 3/2 for two mana — above-rate stats — and the life payment on its activated ability is the entire cost you pay for that upside. It's a clean, efficient body that rewards aggressive strategies without asking for anything complicated.
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, Cutthroat Contender is a fine early blocker or attacker in black aggro lists, but the 99-card format dilutes its impact — you need it to do more than be a 3/2. In Pauper, where commons compete on raw efficiency, it earns its slot more honestly: two mana for three power is a real rate at common, and the life-loss ability gives it late-game text beyond just trading in combat. Modern and Pioneer have enough two-drop competition that Cutthroat Contender won't make those cuts, but in lower-powered Constructed environments it's a legitimate option.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.13 bulk tier
At $0.13, Cutthroat Contender is deep bulk — pick up as many copies as you need without a second thought. Bulk commons rarely climb in price, so don't expect this to hold any speculative value; buy it to play it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.