Infestation Sage
Creature — Elf Warlock
When this creature dies, create a 1/1 black and green Insect creature token with flying.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Foundations
- Price
- $0.26
- EDHREC rank
- #4163
Infestation Sage puts a -1/-1 counter on any creature when it enters or dies, and it produces Insect tokens that keep the counters flowing — the payoff is real and it never costs you card advantage to deploy it. The catch is that the effect is narrow: outside of dedicated -1/-1 counter synergy, Fumulus, the Infestation style engines, or aristocrats shells that want death triggers, it's just a slow 2/2.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Fumulus, the Infestation
Infestation Sage is a near-auto-include under Fumulus, the Infestation because every -1/-1 counter placed is raw fuel for the commander's scaling engine, and the Sage's death trigger means even removal generates value.
Teysa Karlov
Teysa Karlov doubles death triggers, which means Infestation Sage's on-death counter effect fires twice — solid incidental disruption stapled to a body that fits naturally in an aristocrats shell.
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician proliferates -1/-1 counters and wants cheap creatures to sacrifice, making Infestation Sage a two-for-one: it spreads a counter when it enters and again when Yawgmoth feeds on it.
Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER
Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER cares about counters and creature death, so Infestation Sage ticks both boxes — a low-cost body that generates counter triggers on both entry and exit.
Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker
Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker recurs creatures with one or less power, and Infestation Sage's 2/2 base drops to 1/1 or lower after a counter lands on it — setting up a loop where the Sage dies, spreads a counter, and comes right back.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is the only format where Infestation Sage consistently earns its slot, specifically in -1/-1 counter decks or aristocrats builds that want death-trigger density. In powered formats like Legacy and Vintage it's invisible — the effect is too slow and too narrow against the threats those formats demand. Modern and Pioneer have enough overlapping synergy pieces that a dedicated counter deck could theoretically run it, but the competition for two-drop slots is fierce and better tools exist. Pauper is the one non-Commander format worth a second look if a -1/-1 counter shell ever becomes viable in the metagame, since the card is common and the effect is legitimate at that rarity tier.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.26 bulk tier
At $0.26, Infestation Sage is deep bulk — you can pick up a playset for under a dollar without thinking about it. Bulk rares rarely move off this floor unless a combo or commander pushes sudden demand, and nothing on the horizon suggests that trajectory here.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Fumulus, the Infestation
- Teysa Karlov
- Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
- Sephiroth, Fabled SOLDIER
- Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.