Decimator Beetle
Creature — Insect
When this creature enters, put a -1/-1 counter on target creature you control.
Whenever this creature attacks, remove a -1/-1 counter from target creature you control and put a -1/-1 counter on up to one target creature defending player controls.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BG
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Amonkhet
- Price
- $0.19
- EDHREC rank
- #17502
Decimator Beetle enters as a 4/5 and then every combat it spreads a -1/-1 counter to an opponent's creature while consolidating one off your own — that's a repeating board-state advantage stapled to a body that demands an answer. The five-mana cost is real, but in Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons decks each counter placement triggers a snake, so the Beetle pays its entry fee on the first swing.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons
Decimator Beetle turns every attack step into a Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons trigger — one counter on an opponent's creature spawns a snake token, and if you have multiple targets you can chain the counter-consolidation to keep your own creatures clean while the snake army accumulates.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Decimator Beetle is a Commander card through and through — the effect is incremental and political, built for games that go long with multiple opponents to distribute counters across. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer it's too slow and too narrow; a five-mana 4/5 that modifies the board one counter per combat cycle doesn't come close to competing with those formats' threat density. Oathbreaker can support it in the right -1/-1 shell, but Commander is where the Beetle actually gets to run.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.19 bulk tier
At $0.19, Decimator Beetle is firmly bulk — pick it up without a second thought if the deck calls for it. Bulk -1/-1 synergy pieces rarely spike unless a new commander pushes the archetype into the spotlight, so expect the price to stay in this range.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.