Phyrexian Monitor
Creature — Phyrexian Skeleton
: Regenerate this creature.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $0.12
- EDHREC rank
- #28369
Phyrexian Monitor is a 3/3 with persist for four mana — it dies, comes back with a -1/-1 counter, and hands you a second body for sacrifice or blocking. Serviceable floor, but four mana for a 3/3 with no immediate effect is a steep ask outside of dedicated sacrifice or persist synergy shells.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Phyrexian Monitor earns its keep, specifically in sacrifice-value decks that want cheap recursive fodder for altars, aristocrats payoffs, or persist-combo engines. In Pauper it's legal and the persist body has genuine niche use in common-legal sacrifice strategies, though there's real competition at the four-drop slot. Legacy and Vintage see zero play — the power bar in those formats makes a 3/3 persist creature irrelevant. Phyrexian Monitor is a Commander card, full stop, and even there it's a role-player rather than a staple.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.12 bulk tier
At $0.12, Phyrexian Monitor is pure bulk — you're paying for cardboard and shipping, not the card. Bulk persist creatures don't appreciate; pick up a copy when you need it and don't think twice about the price.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.