Plague Fiend
Creature — Insect
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a creature, destroy that creature unless its controller pays 
.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Prophecy
- Price
- $0.19
- EDHREC rank
- #24857
Plague Fiend puts a -1/-1 counter on each other creature at end of turn — every turn — which is a meaningful attrition engine for decks that want to erode opposing boards or trigger death and counter synergies. The cost is a 1/1 body for three mana that does nothing the turn it enters, so it earns its slot only in dedicated builds.
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 |
In Commander, Plague Fiend is a niche piece that earns real consideration in Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons or Vorel of the Hull Clade shells where -1/-1 counters translate directly into tokens or payoffs — outside those homes it's too slow and too small. Legacy and Vintage are non-starters; three mana for a 1/1 with a delayed symmetrical effect doesn't survive contact with those formats. Pauper is where Plague Fiend has the most plausible case outside Commander, since the common card pool makes incremental -1/-1 counter synergies more accessible, though it still competes hard for three-drop slots.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.19 bulk tier
At $0.19, Plague Fiend is pure bulk — a free inclusion if you're already placing an order. It's unlikely to move off that floor given how narrow its use case is.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.