Phobian Phantasm
Creature — Illusion
Flying; fear (This creature can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.)
Cumulative upkeep 
(At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.)
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Coldsnap
- Price
- $0.10
- EDHREC rank
- #30205
Phobian Phantasm enters as a 3/3 flyer for three mana, but its controller has to pay life equal to its power during each upkeep or sacrifice it — a built-in timer that makes it a liability unless you're actively exploiting the drain. Run it because the sacrifice trigger is the point, not despite it.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Phobian Phantasm slots into sacrifice and life-drain shells where the upkeep cost is a feature: commanders that care about losing life, draining opponents, or recurring sacrifice fodder turn the self-destruct clause into an engine. In Legacy and Vintage it's too slow and too fragile to see serious play — three mana for a 3/3 with a punishing upkeep doesn't compete in those formats. Modern has faster, cleaner threats that don't require life payments to stick around, so Phobian Phantasm won't appear there outside of niche build-around brews.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.10 bulk tier
At $0.10, Phobian Phantasm is deep bulk — easy to pick up as a throw-in or cheap online inclusion. Bulk rares with narrow appeal don't appreciate unless a Commander product or new combo piece puts them in the spotlight, so treat this as a low-cost role-player rather than a hold.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.