Cystbearer
Creature — Phyrexian Beast
Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Scars of Mirrodin
- Price
- $0.13
- EDHREC rank
- #16854
Cystbearer puts a 2/3 with infect on the board for three mana — that's a fine rate for poison strategies, but it does nothing the turn it enters and dies to any common removal. Playable in dedicated infect Commander builds; irrelevant everywhere else.
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 |
Cystbearer is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but the only format where it sees real play is Pauper infect, where common-legal infect bodies are at a premium. In Commander, it slots into dedicated poison or infect decks — think Atraxa, Praetors' Voice or Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon at the helm — but it's a role-player, not a staple. Everywhere else it's outclassed: Legacy and Modern infect decks run faster, more evasive threats and have no reason to touch a vanilla 2/3.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.13 bulk tier
At $0.13, Cystbearer is deep bulk — you're paying for the cardboard, not the effect. That price is stable because demand is narrow and supply is abundant; don't expect movement in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.