Pilfering Imp
Creature — Imp
Flying
, 
, Sacrifice this creature: Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a nonland card from it. That player discards that card. Activate only as a sorcery.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Foundations Jumpstart
- Price
- $0.15
- EDHREC rank
- #16064
Pilfering Imp strips a card from an opponent's hand before they can cast it — and because it activates at instant speed with a sacrifice, it dodges removal responses cleanly. Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor decks run it as a cheap, repeatable-setup discard piece that pairs naturally with the triggered draw engine.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor
Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor rewards forcing opponents to lose cards and creatures, and Pilfering Imp fills the discard-enabler slot at one mana — stripping the hand card most likely to answer Gix before it can land.
Gonti, Night Minister
Gonti, Night Minister cares about opponents losing cards in ways that generate value, and Pilfering Imp's targeted discard lines up directly with that trigger condition at almost no mana investment.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Pilfering Imp is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but it sees virtually no play outside Commander — one-for-one hand disruption at one mana simply doesn't scale in formats where Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek exist and cost the same or less. In Commander, the calculus shifts: the ability to pick a specific card off a specific opponent at instant speed, stapled to a flying body that can be sacrificed for value, gives it a real niche in black discard and aristocrats strategies. It's a role-player, not a staple — the right 99 wants it, most don't.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.15 bulk tier
At $0.15, Pilfering Imp is bulk, and it will stay there — the card has a narrow enough role that demand never spikes. Grab a copy without a second thought if the deck calls for it.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.