Phyrexian Espionage
Sorcery
Kicker 
(You may pay an additional as you cast this spell.)
Draw two cards. If this spell was kicked, each opponent discards a card.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BU
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Dominaria United
- Price
- $0.16
- EDHREC rank
- #22223
Phyrexian Espionage makes an opponent mill three and draws you a card — two meaningful effects stapled onto one spell. The cost is three mana at sorcery speed, which is the ceiling for this effect being worth a slot.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Phyrexian Espionage pulls double duty in mill-focused decks helmed by commanders like Phenax, God of Deception or Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker, where every milled card advances the primary win condition while replacing itself in hand. Outside of dedicated mill, three mana at sorcery speed for a Surveil-adjacent effect with no instant-speed flexibility is hard to justify over cheaper cantrips. In Pauper, where card quality is constrained by the commons pool, Phyrexian Espionage is a serviceable role-player in controlling or self-mill shells. Legacy, Modern, and Vintage have zero interest — those formats have access to strictly superior draw and disruption at lower costs.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.16 bulk tier
At $0.16, Phyrexian Espionage is bulk — the kind of card you pick up without thinking twice when building a mill deck on a budget. Bulk commons rarely move in price, so don't expect this to appreciate; grab it for the effect, not the spec.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.