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Kaervek, the Spiteful

Legendary Creature — Human Warlock

Other creatures get -1/-1.

CMC
4
Mana cost
{2}{B}{B}
Color identity
B
Rarity
rare
Set
Magic Online Promos
Price
—
EDHREC rank
#9351
Buy on TCGplayer
Kaervek, the Spiteful card art
Kaervek, the Spiteful hits the board as a passive -1/-1 anthem for every creature your opponents control — a permanent tax that shrinks tokens, kills utility creatures, and warps combat math without you lifting a finger. The cost is that it catches your own creatures too, so you build around it rather than alongside a typical creature package; Maha, Its Feathers Night sidesteps this cleanly by leaning on one large-bodied threat that shrugs off the debuff.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Maha, Its Feathers Night

Maha, Its Feathers Night

79.1% of decks · synergy 0.77

Maha, Its Feathers Night runs Kaervek, the Spiteful in nearly 80% of its builds because Maha's power scales off cards in hand rather than a wide creature board, meaning the -1/-1 effect demolishes opposing token strategies and small utility creatures while leaving Maha itself functionally unaffected.

02
Grismold, the Dreadsower

Grismold, the Dreadsower

36.2% of decks · synergy 0.36

Grismold, the Dreadsower plants 1/1 Plant tokens on every opponent's side, and Kaervek, the Spiteful turns those free gifts into 0/0s that die on arrival — a built-in token-denial engine that feeds Grismold's own power-and-toughness payoffs.

03
Massacre Girl, Known Killer

Massacre Girl, Known Killer

35.9% of decks · synergy 0.33

Massacre Girl, Known Killer wants the battlefield stacked with low-toughness creatures before she swings, and Kaervek, the Spiteful pre-shrinks the board so that Massacre Girl's triggered wither cascade clears even creatures that would otherwise survive at one toughness.

04
Sephiroth, Planet's Heir

Sephiroth, Planet's Heir

12.4% of decks · synergy 0.12

Sephiroth, Planet's Heir accumulates counters off damage and death triggers, and Kaervek, the Spiteful accelerates that clock by making every opposing creature one toughness closer to dying — more deaths mean more Jenova counters without Sephiroth needing to do extra work.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is where Kaervek, the Spiteful earns its keep — multiplayer tables are flooded with token generators, mana dorks, and small utility creatures that all become 0/0s or die outright the moment it lands. In 1v1 formats like Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer it's far less reliable: a single creature deck that goes wide with three-toughness threats barely notices the debuff, and a two-mana 3/3 with no immediate board impact is rarely worth a slot when those formats demand direct answers. Vintage has the raw card pool to build around it, but again the 1v1 context dulls the edge. Oathbreaker splits the difference — the smaller game size reduces the number of targets, but creature-token strategies are common enough that Kaervek, the Spiteful can still swing a game when paired with the right signature spell.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

unknown tier

Pricing data for Kaervek, the Spiteful isn't available at the moment, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for a current number before buying. Given its 79% inclusion rate in Maha, Its Feathers Night decks and strong showings across several other popular commanders, demand is real — don't assume it's a bulk rare without verifying.

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Sources

Mentioned

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