Lichenthrope
Creature — Plant Fungus
If damage would be dealt to this creature, put that many -1/-1 counters on it instead.
At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a -1/-1 counter from this creature.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Visions
- Price
- $0.58
- EDHREC rank
- #27845
Lichenthrope enters as a 5/5 with five +1/+1 counters and loses one each upkeep, effectively running a built-in clock on its own size — but that counter erosion is a feature in any deck that wants counters on the board rather than on the card. It's a self-contained engine in green stompy and proliferate shells, and the floor of a 5/5 for five is already respectable.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is Lichenthrope's natural home — the 100-card singleton format rewards the steady stream of counters it supplies each upkeep, and proliferate commanders can redirect that erosion into a net gain rather than a loss. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but irrelevant; neither format has any interest in a five-mana creature that shrinks itself when faster, more resilient threats are freely available. Oathbreaker is the one other format worth mentioning, where a counters-matter planeswalker commander can put the self-depleting counters to immediate use.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.58 bulk tier
At $0.58, Lichenthrope sits firmly in bulk territory — easy to pick up as a throw-in or in a budget counters build without any financial hesitation. Bulk rares with narrow applications rarely climb unless a new commander breaks them wide open, so don't expect appreciation, but at this price the question is never cost.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.