Ominous Sphinx
Creature — Sphinx
Flying
Whenever you cycle or discard a card, target creature an opponent controls gets -2/-0 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Amonkhet Remastered
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #26948
Ominous Sphinx lands as a 5/4 flyer that draws you a card every time you cast a spell with casualty or use a similar sacrifice mechanic, turning resource spending into ongoing card advantage. Six mana is a real ask, but the body is relevant and the draw trigger is unconditional — this is a payoff, not a support piece.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Ominous Sphinx actually fits — six mana is tolerable in a singleton format built around big turns, and blue decks running sacrifice or casualty synergies get a repeatable draw engine stapled to an evasive threat. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer it's essentially unplayable; those formats demand interaction or pressure far below six mana, and Ominous Sphinx provides neither fast enough. Oathbreaker shares enough of Commander's DNA that the same shell logic applies, though the smaller deck size makes the six-drop slot more contested.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Price data isn't available for Ominous Sphinx at the moment, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for current market prices before buying. Given that it's a niche Commander payoff without a breakout combo attached, it typically sits in bulk-rare territory — worth picking up cheaply if the deck calls for it, but not a card to chase.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.