Phyrexian Plaguelord
Creature — Phyrexian Carrier
, Sacrifice this creature: Target creature gets -4/-4 until end of turn.
Sacrifice a creature: Target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $0.19
- EDHREC rank
- #13021
Phyrexian Plaguelord turns any board of tokens into a repeatable, instant-speed -1/-1 engine — sacrifice a creature, put a -1/-1 counter on any target, no limit on activations. The tax is steep at five mana with a tap cost, but in shells that flood the board anyway, the ceiling is a full table's worth of creatures wearing down one threat per trigger; Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder is the canonical example of a commander that makes the activation cost feel free.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder naturally floods the board with Thrulls on every spell cast, and those Thrulls need to die anyway once you hit seven to keep Endrek in play — Phyrexian Plaguelord converts that forced sacrifice into directed removal, turning a drawback into a win condition.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Phyrexian Plaguelord actually lives — the token-dense, multiplayer environment gives it enough fodder to matter, and five mana is far more acceptable in a format that routinely goes long. In Legacy and Vintage it's technically legal but irrelevant; both formats end before a five-mana tap-to-deal-one creature clears the bar, and neither generates the tokens necessary to make the engine hum. Modern is the same story — the rate is too slow and the impact too incremental for a format with one-mana answers to everything. Stick to Commander, specifically in black token strategies, and Phyrexian Plaguelord earns its slot.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.19 bulk tier
At $0.19, Phyrexian Plaguelord is deep bulk — you'll find it in bargain bins before you'd bother ordering it. The price is stable because demand is narrow and supply is ample; don't expect movement in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.