Phyrexian Censor
Creature — Phyrexian Wizard
Each player can't cast more than one non-Phyrexian spell each turn.
Non-Phyrexian creatures enter tapped.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- March of the Machine
- Price
- $0.33
- EDHREC rank
- #4187
Phyrexian Censor locks opponents out of casting non-Phyrexian spells as their first spell each turn — a punishing asymmetry that slows down creature-heavy and combo-heavy tables alike. The cost is that you're building around a tribal identity restriction that demands real deck commitment, but in a Phyrexian-tribal shell led by something like Elesh Norn, that cost is essentially zero.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Elesh Norn
Elesh Norn is the natural home — the deck is already packed with Phyrexian permanents, so Phyrexian Censor's restriction falls entirely on opponents while Elesh Norn's anthem and anti-anthem effects compound the tax into a soft lock.
Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos
Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos generates Phyrexian tokens and leans into proliferate synergies, making Phyrexian Censor a low-cost inclusion that taxes opponents without touching the Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos game plan.
Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa
Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa steals opponents' cards and runs a dense Phyrexian suite, so Phyrexian Censor pulls double duty — slowing opponents down while Ixhel, Scion of Atraxa uses their own resources against them.
Vishgraz, the Doomhive
Vishgraz, the Doomhive floods the board with Phyrexian Mite tokens and benefits from keeping opponents reactive; Phyrexian Censor makes it harder for those opponents to answer Vishgraz, the Doomhive's board presence on their own terms.
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 Phyrexian Censor actually matters — three opponents all taxed on their first non-Phyrexian spell each turn is a genuine table-wide drag that can stall non-tribal decks for several crucial turns. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer it's legal but sees essentially no play; one-on-one formats neutralize the multi-opponent tax math, and dedicated hate pieces in those formats tend to be harder and cheaper to interact around. Vintage has the raw power to ignore it entirely. Phyrexian Censor is a Commander card through and through, and specifically a Phyrexian-tribal Commander card — outside that context, it's a curiosity.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.33 bulk tier
At $0.33, Phyrexian Censor is firmly bulk, and that price is justified — demand is narrow enough that it's unlikely to spike absent a major reprint or a breakout Phyrexian commander. Pick it up freely for any Phyrexian-tribal build; there's no financial reason to hesitate.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.