Grim Affliction
Instant
Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature, then proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Modern Masters 2015
- Price
- $0.40
- EDHREC rank
- #4525
Grim Affliction puts a -1/-1 counter on any target creature and then proliferates — two meaningful board actions stapled to a single three-mana instant. In The Scorpion God decks, that's a draw trigger and a doubling of every counter on every permanent you care about, all at instant speed.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
The Scorpion God
The Scorpion God draws a card whenever a creature with a -1/-1 counter dies, so Grim Affliction is doing double duty: placing the counter that primes the draw trigger, then proliferating to push other creatures closer to lethal.
Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons
Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons creates a Snake token every time you put a -1/-1 counter on a creature, and Grim Affliction both places that initial counter and proliferates to stack more counters across the board — each additional counter is another token trigger waiting to happen.
Massacre Girl, Known Killer
Massacre Girl, Known Killer gives all your spells and abilities that put -1/-1 counters on creatures the casualty of also placing a counter on any other creature, and Grim Affliction feeds that engine while the proliferate clause threatens to drag everything into zero-toughness range simultaneously.
The Reaper, King No More
The Reaper, King No More rewards stacking -1/-1 counters as a win condition, and Grim Affliction's proliferate clause turns a single counter placement into a board-wide attrition push that accelerates the game plan by a full turn.
Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon runs an infect package where every poison counter matters, and Grim Affliction's proliferate clause converts a modest board state into a closing threat by ticking opponents' poison totals up after Skithiryx connects.
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 |
In Commander, Grim Affliction is a role-player rather than a staple — it earns its slot in dedicated -1/-1 counter and proliferate builds but has no business in a generic black deck. Pauper is its most competitive home: proliferate effects are scarce at common, and the instant speed matters against creature-heavy fields. In Legacy, Modern, and Vintage, the card is legal but never played — three mana for a conditional -1/-1 counter is far too slow against the threats those formats present, and better proliferate options exist.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.40 bulk tier
At $0.40, Grim Affliction sits firmly in bulk territory — cheap enough to throw into any counter-synergy deck without a second thought. Bulk commons rarely appreciate, so buy it for the effect, not the price tag.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.