Nightshade Dryad
Creature — Dryad
Deathtouch
: Add 
.: Add one mana of any color.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Modern Horizons 3
- Price
- $0.27
- EDHREC rank
- #2786
Nightshade Dryad gives any creature deathtouch until end of turn — a combat trick that turns a blocked attacker into a two-for-one or makes a chump blocker lethal. The ceiling is highest in decks that weaponize deathtouch as a keyword rather than just a stat, and Fynn, the Fangbearer is the clearest example of that.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Fynn, the Fangbearer
Fynn, the Fangbearer kills players with poison counters whenever a deathtouching creature deals combat damage, so Nightshade Dryad effectively upgrades any creature in the deck into a potential poison delivery system for a single green mana.
Raggadragga, Goreguts Boss
Raggadragga, Goreguts Boss rewards mana creatures with power and toughness boosts, and Nightshade Dryad is a mana dork that doubles as a combat trick — the deathtouch ability lets those suddenly large creatures threaten trades against anything, keeping the board clear for Raggadragga's beatdown plan.
Vraska, the Silencer
Vraska, the Silencer punishes opponents for letting creatures die, and Nightshade Dryad gives Vraska's board the ability to force those deaths in combat by making any attacker or blocker suddenly lethal.
Indominus Rex, Alpha
Indominus Rex, Alpha scavenges keyword counters from creatures in hand, and Nightshade Dryad is a cheap, on-theme body that puts a deathtouch counter in reach for Indominus Rex to absorb.
Neyith of the Dire Hunt
Neyith of the Dire Hunt rewards big combat by drawing cards and pumping fighters, and Nightshade Dryad turns those forced fights into reliable kills regardless of the opponent's creature size.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Nightshade Dryad earns its slot almost exclusively in deathtouch-tribal or poison-focused builds — outside those niches, a 1/1 mana dork with a one-shot activated ability is too narrow to compete for space. In Pauper, the combination of ramp and conditional deathtouch is interesting but still fringe, since the format has more efficient ways to generate both. Legacy and Vintage are non-starters; Nightshade Dryad does nothing powerful enough to survive those card-quality bars. The card's real home is Commander, specifically Fynn, the Fangbearer, where it functions as both ramp and a repeatable threat-enabler in the same body.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.27 bulk tier
At $0.27, Nightshade Dryad is deep bulk — the kind of card you pull from a common box rather than buy individually. Demand is narrow enough that the price is unlikely to move unless a new deathtouch commander spikes the archetype.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.