God-Pharaoh's Statue
Legendary Artifact
Spells your opponents cast cost 
more to cast.
At the beginning of your end step, each opponent loses 1 life.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $0.68
- EDHREC rank
- #2402
God-Pharaoh's Statue taxes every opponent's spell by two colorless mana and drains them for one life each upkeep — on a single artifact that hits the table for six mana. The cost is steep, but in a deck like Belbe, Corrupted Observer that wants opponents taking damage every turn anyway, the drain trigger is free value stapled to a soft lock.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Belbe, Corrupted Observer
Belbe, Corrupted Observer needs opponents to lose life each turn to generate mana, and God-Pharaoh's Statue's upkeep drain guarantees that trigger on every player — making Belbe's ability live even in a stalled board state.
Arcum Dagsson
Arcum Dagsson tutors God-Pharaoh's Statue directly onto the battlefield, bypassing the six-mana cost entirely and dropping the taxing effect the moment Arcum connects in combat.
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV already taxes opponents' spells, and God-Pharaoh's Statue stacks on top of that effect — between the two, casting anything meaningful can cost four or more extra mana, which shuts out most mid-range gameplans.
Magda, Brazen Outlaw
Magda, Brazen Outlaw can cash in five Treasure tokens to fetch God-Pharaoh's Statue as an artifact, sidestepping its mana cost and instantly applying the tax to slow down any interaction aimed at the Dwarf tribe.
Jhoira, Ageless Innovator
Jhoira, Ageless Innovator generates card advantage off each historic permanent played, and God-Pharaoh's Statue qualifies as an artifact that replaces itself with a draw trigger while also locking down opponents' interaction.
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 |
In Commander, God-Pharaoh's Statue occupies a specific niche: cost-matters and artifact-tutor decks that can either cheat it into play or generate enough mana that six is not a meaningful barrier. The drain trigger scales with opponent count — in a four-player pod it removes three life per upkeep, which adds up fast alongside other incidental damage. In competitive Commander the card is too slow and too easy to answer at instant speed to see consistent play. In Modern and Pioneer it rarely appears, since a six-mana artifact with no immediate board impact is too vulnerable to efficient removal before the tax generates value. Legacy and Vintage have access to it but have no reason to run it over faster lock pieces. God-Pharaoh's Statue is fundamentally a multiplayer card, and Commander is the format where it actually earns its slot.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.68 bulk tier
At $0.68, God-Pharaoh's Statue sits firmly in bulk territory, which makes it an easy pickup for any deck that wants it. Bulk rares with narrow applications tend to stay cheap, so there is no urgency — grab it whenever you next place an order.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Belbe, Corrupted Observer
- Arcum Dagsson
- Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
- Magda, Brazen Outlaw
- Jhoira, Ageless Innovator
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.