Ifnir Deadlands
Land — Desert
: Add 
., Pay 1 life: Add 
.
, , Sacrifice a Desert: Put two -1/-1 counters on target creature an opponent controls. Activate only as a sorcery.
- CMC
- 0
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Amonkhet Remastered
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #4736
Ifnir Deadlands puts -1/-1 counters on a creature at instant speed — no mana cost beyond cycling a Desert — making it a repeatable threat answer stapled to a land. The catch is the Desert requirement, so it's only worth running in builds that already lean on the Desert subtype or -1/-1 counter synergies; Auntie Ool, Cursewretch decks hit both boxes and run it at nearly 60% inclusion for good reason.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Auntie Ool, Cursewretch
Auntie Ool, Cursewretch cares about cycling and -1/-1 counters simultaneously, so Ifnir Deadlands does double duty — cycling triggers Auntie Ool's ability while the counter output feeds her engine without spending a card slot on a dedicated removal spell.
Rowan, Scion of War
Rowan, Scion of War wants life loss to reduce spell costs, and Ifnir Deadlands's cycling provides a mana-efficient way to both sculpt hands and put pressure on opponents' creatures in the same action.
The Reaper, King No More
The Reaper, King No More synergizes with -1/-1 counters as a control tool, and Ifnir Deadlands supplies repeatable counter distribution from the land zone — keeping removal density high without crowding the spell slots.
Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons
Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons triggers on any -1/-1 counter placed on any creature, so Ifnir Deadlands converts a cycled Desert directly into a 1/1 deathtouch token with zero additional investment.
The Scorpion God
The Scorpion God draws a card whenever a creature with a -1/-1 counter dies, so Ifnir Deadlands turns surplus Desert cycling into incremental card advantage every time a weakened creature trades in combat.
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, Ifnir Deadlands is a staple in any black deck running -1/-1 counter synergies or a Desert package — the cost of entry is essentially zero since it occupies a land slot, and the ability scales well in multiplayer where there are always targets. In competitive 1v1 formats like Legacy and Vintage it sees essentially no play; the Desert subtype requirement and the sorcery-adjacent timing on a cycling trigger can't compete with dedicated interaction at those power levels. Modern and Pioneer are the formats where it has the most theoretical relevance outside Commander — aggressive black strategies occasionally want incidental removal stapled to a land — but the inclusion rate is modest because colorless-producing lands carry an opportunity cost in tight mana bases. Ifnir Deadlands is, fundamentally, a Commander card that happens to be legal elsewhere.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Ifnir Deadlands isn't currently available in our feed, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the live number. Historically it has sat in the bulk-to-low-value range given its single-set printing and niche application, making it an easy pickup if you're building into any of the synergy shells above.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.