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Cytoplast Manipulator

Creature — Human Wizard Mutant

Graft 2 (This creature enters with two +1/+1 counters on it. Whenever another creature enters, you may move a +1/+1 counter from this creature onto it.)
{U}, {T}: Gain control of target creature with a +1/+1 counter on it for as long as this creature remains on the battlefield.

CMC
4
Mana cost
{2}{U}{U}
Color identity
U
Rarity
rare
Set
Dissension
Price
$5.56
EDHREC rank
#13751
Buy on TCGplayer
Cytoplast Manipulator card art
Cytoplast Manipulator steals any creature that already has a +1/+1 counter on it — no mana, just untap — which in the right shell means you're taking something every turn for free. Kros, Defense Contractor hands out counters as a core mechanic, and Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight proliferates on attack, so either commander turns this into a repeatable theft engine that compounds fast.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Kros, Defense Contractor

Kros, Defense Contractor

17.0% of decks · synergy 0.17

Kros, Defense Contractor distributes +1/+1 counters to opponents as part of its goad package, which means Cytoplast Manipulator has a permanent menu of steal targets — Kros marks the creature, Cytoplast takes it.

02
Marchesa, the Black Rose

Marchesa, the Black Rose

12.9% of decks · synergy 0.13

Marchesa, the Black Rose rewards putting +1/+1 counters on your own creatures, so Cytoplast Manipulator pulls double duty: it steals countered enemy threats and keeps itself protected under Marchesa's recursion clause if it dies.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

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

Commander is where Cytoplast Manipulator belongs — multiplayer boards are dense with counters from proliferate, modular, and +1/+1-synergy commanders, so the steal trigger fires reliably and often. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but practically absent; a three-mana 1/3 with a conditional tap ability can't compete in formats built around turn-one and turn-two threats. Oathbreaker mirrors Commander closely enough that the same counter-heavy planeswalker shells that want it there want it here too.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Aura Thief and Act of Treason effects cover some of the theft role at lower price points, but neither replicates Cytoplast Manipulator's repeatable, no-mana-cost stealing in a counters shell — that's a meaningful loss. If the counter synergy is the priority rather than theft itself, Vigean Graftmage or Thrummingbird can do proliferate work at a fraction of the cost, though they win differently.

Price Context

Current price

$5.56 mid tier

At $5.56, Cytoplast Manipulator sits in the mid tier — not an impulse buy, but not a barrier to entry either. It's a casual staple with a narrow home, so demand stays consistent without spiking; the price is unlikely to move dramatically in either direction.

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Sources

Mentioned

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