Mistbreath Elder
Creature — Frog Warrior
At the beginning of your upkeep, return another creature you control to its owner's hand. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. Otherwise, you may return this creature to its owner's hand.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Bloomburrow
- Price
- $0.33
- EDHREC rank
- #7069
Mistbreath Elder puts a 4/4 body on the board and refills your hand the turn it dies — that's a two-for-one stapled to a creature. The cost is that you need to be willing to let it trade or get removed, which means it underperforms in shells that hoard creatures rather than cycle them through combat.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Clement, the Worrywort
Clement, the Worrywort cares about creatures entering and leaving the battlefield, and Mistbreath Elder feeds that loop cleanly — a 4/4 that replaces itself on death means every trade or sacrifice is a free card rather than a loss.
Grolnok, the Omnivore
Grolnok, the Omnivore exiles cards from libraries and lets Frogs cast them for free, and Mistbreath Elder is a Frog that keeps the hand stocked while contributing a meaningful body to the board.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Mistbreath Elder is legal in every major Constructed format but isn't seeing meaningful play outside Commander — the rate of a four-mana 4/4 with a death trigger simply doesn't compete in Modern or Pioneer, where threats arrive faster and cheaper. In Commander it's a different story: the card-draw-on-death clause is genuinely useful in a 100-card singleton format where running out of gas is a real problem, especially in green creature decks that want to keep pressure up after board wipes. It's best evaluated not as a standalone finisher but as a self-replacing threat — a creature you're happy to run into removal because it draws you into the next one.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.33 bulk tier
At $0.33, Mistbreath Elder is firmly bulk — easy to pick up as a throw-in or from a commons bin. Bulk rares with niche synergy tend to stay flat unless a new commander pushes the specific mechanic, so buy it for the deck and don't expect movement.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Clement, the Worrywort
- Grolnok, the Omnivore
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.