Phyrexian Defiler
Creature — Phyrexian Carrier
, Sacrifice this creature: Target creature gets -3/-3 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Duel Decks: Phyrexia vs. the Coalition
- Price
- $0.13
- EDHREC rank
- #28920
Phyrexian Defiler trades itself to give a target creature -2/-2 until end of turn — a removal spell stapled to a 2/2 body for five mana. That rate is too slow and too small to compete with dedicated removal, and paying five for a shrink effect that doesn't even kill most threats is a bad deal in any powered environment.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Phyrexian Defiler is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but sees negligible play in all of them. In Commander, five mana for a temporary -2/-2 is far below the removal threshold — the format is too threat-dense and the effect too small to justify the slot. Legacy and Vintage offer access to efficient one- and two-mana removal that makes Phyrexian Defiler obsolete before it ever resolves. Oathbreaker follows the same logic as Commander: the cost-to-impact ratio just doesn't clear the bar.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.13 bulk tier
At $0.13, Phyrexian Defiler is deep bulk — you'll find it in a dollar bin long before a singles listing. Nothing about its play rate or demand profile suggests the price has anywhere to go but flat.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.