Phylactery Lich
Creature — Zombie
Indestructible
As this creature enters, put a phylactery counter on an artifact you control.
When you control no permanents with phylactery counters on them, sacrifice this creature.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Core Set 2019 Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #16824
Phylactery Lich is a 5/5 indestructible body for three mana — one of the best stat lines in black — but it demands an artifact on entry or it self-destructs immediately, and it dies the moment that artifact leaves the battlefield. Jon Irenicus, Shattered One turns that liability into a weapon by gifting the phylactery-bearing artifact to an opponent, but outside of dedicated enabler shells the condition is a real cost.
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 |
Phylactery Lich is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker. In Commander it finds its best homes in artifact-heavy or donate-themed decks where babysitting one artifact is trivially easy. In Modern and Pioneer the condition is punishing — spot removal on the artifact at instant speed kills the lich for free, and three-mana creatures need to do more than threaten to die to a bounce spell. Legacy and Vintage have enough artifact density that the entry requirement is manageable, but both formats have better threats at the same cost. Commander is where Phylactery Lich actually earns a slot.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Price data isn't available for Phylactery Lich at the moment — check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for current listings. Given its narrow playability and niche Commander demand, it has historically sat in budget-rare territory and is unlikely to command a premium.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.