Portcullis Vine
Creature — Plant Wall
Defender (This creature can't attack.)
, 
, Sacrifice a creature with defender: Draw a card.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Core Set 2021
- Price
- $0.10
- EDHREC rank
- #14546
Portcullis Vine is a one-mana 0/3 defender that draws a card when it dies — the floor is a cheap blocker, the ceiling is cantrip value in any shell that wants creatures hitting the graveyard. Run it because the card replaces itself; ignore it if you're not in a deck that cares about defenders, self-mill, or sacrifice fodder.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Portcullis Vine earns its slot in Arcades, the Strategist walls builds, where a 0/3 that draws on death pulls double duty as a defender-payoff piece and a sacrifice target. Pauper is where it sees the most competitive pressure — defender combo lists and green-based midrange both want cheap cantripping creatures that trade efficiently. In Modern and Pioneer, it's too passive to compete in any serious list; a 0/3 that needs to die to replace itself is simply too slow when the format demands proactive threats. Legacy and Vintage have no interest. Oathbreaker mirrors the Commander read: niche but functional in a dedicated defender or sacrifice shell.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.10 bulk tier
At $0.10, Portcullis Vine is pure bulk — the kind of card you pull from a common box rather than buy individually. It holds that floor stably; there's no pressure driving it higher, and it won't lose value because it barely has any to lose.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.