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Hex Parasite

Artifact Creature — Phyrexian Insect

{X}{B/P}: Remove up to X counters from target permanent. For each counter removed this way, this creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn. ({B/P} can be paid with either {B} or 2 life.)

CMC
1
Mana cost
{1}
Color identity
B
Rarity
rare
Set
New Phyrexia
Price
$7.51
EDHREC rank
#5447
Buy on TCGplayer
Hex Parasite card art
Hex Parasite is a one-mana artifact creature that strips counters off any permanent for {<span class="card-name deferred">X</span>}{P} per counter removed — a repeatable, colorless-friendly engine that slots into nearly any strategy running counters. Noctis, Prince of Lucis decks run it at a 44% clip because the ability to reload, recycle, or sabotage counter-based permanents on demand is exactly what that archetype wants.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Noctis, Prince of Lucis

Noctis, Prince of Lucis

44.3% of decks · synergy 0.43

Noctis, Prince of Lucis leans on Hex Parasite to manipulate the counter-based mechanics central to the deck — stripping counters off opponents' permanents or recycling spent resources keeps the engine running turn after turn.

02
Horobi, Death's Wail

Horobi, Death's Wail

40.9% of decks · synergy 0.40

Hex Parasite is a one-card kill condition under Horobi, Death's Wail: activating its ability targets any creature, and Horobi turns any targeting into a death sentence, so a single {1}{P} activation destroys a creature outright.

03
Tom Bombadil

Tom Bombadil

30.3% of decks · synergy 0.29

Tom Bombadil decks run Hex Parasite as a way to reset or recycle Saga enchantments — pulling chapter counters off a Saga lets you replay its early chapters instead of watching it sacrifice itself.

04
Shilgengar, Sire of Famine

Shilgengar, Sire of Famine

14.5% of decks · synergy 0.14

Shilgengar, Sire of Famine generates Blood tokens and cares about life-total manipulation, and Hex Parasite slots in as a flexible counter-stripping tool that can neuter opposing planeswalkers or slow down any counter-dependent threat.

05
Zask, Skittering Swarmlord

Zask, Skittering Swarmlord

14.3% of decks · synergy 0.14

Zask, Skittering Swarmlord operates in the -1/-1 counter space, and Hex Parasite can move or strip those counters at instant speed — a cheap way to keep the Insect engine churning while also answering problematic permanents.

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 the primary home for Hex Parasite, where the density of planeswalkers, Sagas, Proliferate synergies, and counter-dependent permanents gives it consistent, high-value targets across the whole game. In Legacy and Vintage, Hex Parasite sees fringe play as a narrow answer to Phyrexian Unlife or specific combo permanents, but it rarely earns a maindeck slot when dedicated removal is cheaper and cleaner. Modern offers similar marginal fringe use — mostly sideboard tech against specific counter-reliant strategies — and it has never broken into Pioneer or Standard due to legality. Oathbreaker mirrors the Commander experience at a tighter, faster scale, where its repeatable activation on a one-drop body punches above its weight.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Fate Transfer and Vampire Hexmage cover the counter-removal angle at lower cost, though neither offers Hex Parasite's repeatability — Fate Transfer moves counters rather than removing them, and Hexmage is a one-shot sacrifice rather than an engine. If the goal is Saga manipulation specifically, Power Conduit does the job for pennies, though it lacks Hex Parasite's reach against planeswalkers and other permanents.

Price Context

Current price

$7.51 mid tier

At $7.51, Hex Parasite sits in the mid tier — fair for a unique, repeatable effect on a colorless one-drop with genuine competitive fringe play. It has held this price band steadily because no direct reprint has dropped supply, and the Phyrexian mana cost keeps demand niche but consistent.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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