MagicTheGathering.fyi

Persistent Constrictor

Creature — Zombie Snake

At the beginning of each opponent's upkeep, they lose 1 life and you put a -1/-1 counter on up to one target creature they control.
Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)

CMC
5
Mana cost
{4}{B}
Color identity
B
Rarity
rare
Set
Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander
Price
$14.69
EDHREC rank
#2782
Buy on TCGplayer
Persistent Constrictor card art
Persistent Constrictor gives every non-token creature you control undying, turning your board into a recursive nightmare that demands two answers per threat. The cost is Mikaeus, the Unhallowed levels of oppression for a fraction of the price, and in a Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls shell that wants opponents spending resources, it's one of the most efficient engines available.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls

Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls

60.1% of decks · synergy 0.54

Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls draws cards whenever opponents cast spells on your turn, and Persistent Constrictor guarantees opponents have to cast removal twice per creature just to get rid of it — each of those answers triggers Valgavoth and refills your hand.

02
The Scorpion God

The Scorpion God

58.5% of decks · synergy 0.52

The Scorpion God draws a card whenever a creature with a -1/-1 counter dies, and Persistent Constrictor's undying returns creatures with a +1/+1 counter that immediately cancels the -1/-1 when one is placed — meaning The Scorpion God can keep triggering off the same creatures over and over.

03
Aphelia, Viper Whisperer

Aphelia, Viper Whisperer

50.6% of decks · synergy 0.49

Aphelia, Viper Whisperer cares deeply about -1/-1 counter synergies and sacrifice loops, and Persistent Constrictor fuels that engine by ensuring creatures keep coming back to receive counters and die again.

05
Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons

Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons

49.3% of decks · synergy 0.47

Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons makes a Snake token every time a creature gets a -1/-1 counter, and Persistent Constrictor means the creatures receiving those counters don't stay dead — the board grows in both directions simultaneously.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern not legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Persistent Constrictor is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but its real home is Commander by a wide margin. In Legacy and Vintage, a four-mana static enchantment with no immediate impact is too slow — those formats kill you before undying matters on turn four. Commander is where Persistent Constrictor thrives: the longer game rewards recursive engines, and giving your entire non-token board undying is exactly the kind of persistent pressure multiplayer needs to punish opponents who can only answer one threat at a time. Oathbreaker is a reasonable fit for decks built around a -1/-1 counter planeswalker, but the card pool is narrower and the games faster, so it's a tier below Commander as a destination.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Mikaeus, the Unhallowed does the same job and goes infinite with sacrifice outlets, but at a much higher price point — if the goal is pure undying redundancy rather than combo potential, Tenacious Underdog and similar self-recurring threats cover individual creatures for far less without the enchantment dependency. Persistent Constrictor is the rare card that has no clean budget replacement, because blanket undying for your whole board at one card slot is the effect — you either run it or you run multiple individual undying creatures and accept the inefficiency.

Price Context

Current price

$14.69 mid tier

At $14.69, Persistent Constrictor sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel like a considered inclusion, cheap enough that it's not a barrier in most budgets. It's a recent card with a specific niche, so the price reflects genuine demand from -1/-1 counter and sacrifice shells rather than speculative hype.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

← All cards

Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.