Ichor Shade
Creature — Phyrexian Shade
At the beginning of your end step, if an artifact or creature was put into a graveyard from the battlefield this turn, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- March of the Machine
- Price
- $0.07
- EDHREC rank
- #21552
Ichor Shade is a 1/1 lifelinker for three mana that can pump itself repeatedly for BB — payable upside, but the base body is embarrassingly understatted for the cost. It's a bulk roleplayer at best, and even in dedicated -1/-1 counter or infect-adjacent shells, cheaper options do more.
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 |
Ichor Shade is legal across Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but seeing play in essentially none of them competitively. In Commander, the repeatable pump has marginal appeal in mono-black voltron or proliferate shells, but three mana for a 1/1 is a steep ask when the format's card quality is high. In Pauper, where commons compete on rate, Ichor Shade's activation cost of BB per +1/+1 counter is too mana-intensive to matter before the game ends. Everywhere else, it's strictly outclassed.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.07 bulk tier
At $0.07, Ichor Shade is deep bulk — you're buying it out of a penny bin, not a singles listing. That price reflects its play rate accurately, and there's no pressure scenario that moves the needle.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.