Hunt for Specimens
Sorcery
Create a 1/1 black and green Pest creature token with "When this token dies, you gain 1 life."
Learn. (You may reveal a Lesson card you own from outside the game and put it into your hand, or discard a card to draw a card.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Strixhaven: School of Mages
- Price
- $0.15
- EDHREC rank
- #18162
Hunt for Specimens puts a 3/3 token on the board and fuels your graveyard in one two-mana sorcery — the value is real if you're built around either half. Outside of Golgari sacrifice or Specialize synergies, it's too narrow to justify the slot.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Hunt for Specimens earns its seat only in dedicated Golgari graveyard or token decks — the token and Specialize payoff are real, but a two-mana sorcery that does nothing until you also invest in the Specialize cost can't carry a generic slot. Pauper is where it sees the most focused consideration, since common-legal token generation with a built-in graveyard hook is genuinely scarce at this price point. In Modern, Pioneer, Legacy, and Vintage it's essentially invisible — faster formats don't have patience for a sorcery-speed 3/3 with a conditional rider. Oathbreaker mirrors the Commander read: it's a role-player, not a staple.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.15 bulk tier
At $0.15, Hunt for Specimens is deep bulk — pick it up in a trade binder or a penny bin without a second thought. Bulk commons with this narrow a home don't appreciate, so treat it as a functional piece you acquire for free rather than a spec.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.