Lockjaw Snapper
Artifact Creature — Scarecrow
Wither (This deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters.)
When this creature dies, put a -1/-1 counter on each creature with a -1/-1 counter on it.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- C
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Shadowmoor
- Price
- $0.93
- EDHREC rank
- #15203
Lockjaw Snapper enters the battlefield and immediately distributes -1/-1 counters equal to its power across any number of targets — that's a board-sculpting ETB stapled to a creature that only gets stronger as you sink more counters into it. The cost is real: five mana for a 2/2 base is a poor rate on a naked board, so Lockjaw Snapper only earns its slot in decks that are already generating -1/-1 counters at scale, with The Scorpion God as the canonical home.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
The Scorpion God
The Scorpion God draws a card every time a creature gets a -1/-1 counter, so Lockjaw Snapper's ETB — which can spray counters across multiple creatures in a single trigger — converts immediately into multiple draws while simultaneously growing the Snapper for future activations.
Massacre Girl, Known Killer
Massacre Girl, Known Killer gives every creature you control wither, which means Lockjaw Snapper's combat damage lands as -1/-1 counters; those counters feed Massacre Girl's kill-on-zero-toughness trigger, creating a board-wipe engine from normal combat steps.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Lockjaw Snapper is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but in practice it's a Commander card — the 100-card singleton format is the only place -1/-1 counter synergies are deep enough to make it worthwhile. In Legacy and Vintage the five-mana cost is disqualifying before you even ask about the effect; those formats don't run dedicated -1/-1 counter engines, so the Snapper has no support structure. Modern is technically legal but the same logic applies — it's never seen competitive play there. Commander is where Lockjaw Snapper earns full value, specifically in decks built around wither, infect, or counter-placement payoffs.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.93 bulk tier
At $0.93, Lockjaw Snapper sits at the top of bulk pricing — affordable to slot in and easy to trade for, but not quite a throw-in. It's a narrow enough card that the price is unlikely to spike outside a dedicated reprint or a breakout The Scorpion God build going viral, so treat it as a cheap role-player you buy when you need it rather than stock up on.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- The Scorpion God
- Massacre Girl, Known Killer
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.