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Phyrexian Scriptures

Enchantment — Saga

(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)
I — Put a +1/+1 counter on up to one target creature. That creature becomes an artifact in addition to its other types.
II — Destroy all nonartifact creatures.
III — Exile all opponents' graveyards.

CMC
4
Mana cost
{2}{B}{B}
Color identity
B
Rarity
mythic
Set
The List
Price
$0.64
EDHREC rank
#4279
Buy on TCGplayer
Phyrexian Scriptures card art
Phyrexian Scriptures is a four-mana saga that puts a +1/+1 counter on a creature you control, then wipes every non-artifact creature off the board, then exiles all graveyards — that's a sweeper, graveyard hate, and a protection window stapled together. The cost is the three-turn delay before the board wipe lands, which means it punishes fast aggro less than it punishes midrange and combo. Commanders like Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos and Magda, Brazen Outlaw run artifacts natively and survive the second chapter, which is exactly why this saga appears so often in those lists.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos

Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos

35.0% of decks · synergy 0.34

Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos produces Phyrexian artifact tokens that survive the second chapter of Phyrexian Scriptures, letting the saga function as a one-sided board wipe that leaves the Phyrexian army standing. The 35% inclusion rate across more than 8,500 decks reflects exactly that synergy — it's the cleanest use of the card in Commander.

02
Glissa, the Traitor

Glissa, the Traitor

25.9% of decks · synergy 0.25

Glissa, the Traitor is an artifact-matters commander that wants opponents' creatures to die, and Phyrexian Scriptures delivers a full board wipe followed by graveyard exile to prevent recursion. The graveyard wipe on chapter three also cuts off responses to Glissa's triggered ability.

03
Tom Bombadil

Tom Bombadil

25.3% of decks · synergy 0.24

Tom Bombadil cares about sagas entering and their chapter abilities triggering, and Phyrexian Scriptures offers three distinct chapter triggers he can capitalize on. The board wipe chapter in particular gives Tom Bombadil decks a resilient answer to creature-heavy pods that saga-focused builds sometimes struggle to answer.

04
Glissa Sunslayer

Glissa Sunslayer

21.9% of decks · synergy 0.21

Glissa Sunslayer's first-strike and deathtouch mean she survives combat cleanly, but Phyrexian Scriptures does the work of clearing a path by removing non-artifact blockers wholesale. The follow-up graveyard exile on chapter three prevents opponents from reloading with recursive threats that would otherwise blunt Glissa Sunslayer's attack pressure.

05
Narci, Fable Singer

Narci, Fable Singer

18.2% of decks · synergy 0.18

Narci, Fable Singer generates value whenever sagas complete their final chapter, so Phyrexian Scriptures contributes both a powerful board-clear effect and a lore-counter trigger toward Narci's drain engine. The saga also spreads across multiple turns, giving Narci, Fable Singer multiple windows to accrue incremental advantage before the sweeper resolves.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Phyrexian Scriptures is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but the only format where it sees meaningful play is Commander. In competitive Constructed formats like Modern and Pioneer, a three-turn delay before a conditional board wipe is too slow — instant-speed interaction and pressure resolve games before chapter two arrives. In Commander, the math flips: four mana at sorcery speed across multiple turns is acceptable, the artifact-creature exception is trivially relevant in most Phyrexian and artifact-themed builds, and the graveyard exile on chapter three hits every opponent simultaneously. That last point is undersold — Phyrexian Scriptures is doing work that normally requires two separate cards.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

0 decks
Toph, the First MetalbenderArgothian ElderPhyrexian Scriptures

Toph, the First MetalbenderArgothian ElderPhyrexian Scriptures

Infinite mana lands you control can produce; Infinite untap of nontoken artifacts you control; Infinite mana nontoken artifacts you control can produce; Infinite untap of lands you control

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

Price Context

Current price

$0.64 bulk tier

At $0.64, Phyrexian Scriptures sits firmly in bulk territory, which understates how much it does for that price point in the right shell. The combination of a conditional wipe and simultaneous three-player graveyard exile would cost significantly more if printed today, and the price has stayed low simply because the three-turn lag keeps it off competitive radar.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.