Mine Layer
Creature — Dwarf
, 
: Put a mine counter on target land.
Whenever a land with a mine counter on it becomes tapped, destroy it.
When this creature leaves the battlefield, remove all mine counters from all lands.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Odyssey
- Price
- $2.50
- EDHREC rank
- #18369
Mine Layer turns every land drop your opponents make into a liability — attach a Mine counter to a land, and when that land is tapped, it explodes and deals 4 damage to its controller. The setup cost is real: four mana to cast, then one mana and a tap to place each counter, so Mine Layer rewards slower, controlling red builds over aggro.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Zo-Zu the Punisher
Zo-Zu the Punisher already taxes every land entering the battlefield, and Mine Layer adds a second punishment layer — opponents now have to weigh whether playing lands at all is worth the combined drain, which soft-locks greedy landfall or ramp strategies.
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 where Mine Layer actually belongs — the multiplayer table multiplies the threat, since every opponent has lands worth mining and the political pressure of a ticking counter forces suboptimal play. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but has never been relevant; the activation cost is too slow against the formats' breakneck pace. Mine Layer's niche is tight: red stax or land-punishment Commander shells where the incremental damage compounds fast enough to matter.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$2.50 cheap tier
At $2.50, Mine Layer sits in the cheap tier and is a reasonable pickup for the narrow shells that actually want it. It doesn't have broad enough appeal to climb, so the price reflects its role as a role-player rather than a staple.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.