Progenitor Exarch
Creature — Phyrexian Cat Cleric
When this creature enters, incubate 3 X times. (To incubate 3, create an Incubator token with three +1/+1 counters on it and "
: Transform this token." It transforms into a 0/0 Phyrexian artifact creature.)
: Transform target Incubator token you control.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- March of the Machine
- Price
- $0.24
- EDHREC rank
- #8249
Progenitor Exarch enters and immediately converts a creature into two Phyrexian tokens — a 2/2 plus a copy of whatever you sacrificed — which means the enters-the-battlefield trigger alone generates two bodies before your opponent can respond. Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos decks run it because that sacrifice outlet produces incubate counters and Phyrexian tokens synergize directly with the commander's proliferate engine.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos
Progenitor Exarch's sacrifice-and-token generation feeds Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos exactly what it wants: bodies to proliferate over and Phyrexian creature types to trigger incubate payoffs, making it one of the most consistent includes in that shell at nearly 78% inclusion.
Elesh Norn
Elesh Norn's token-wide anthem and punishment effects scale directly with the number of Phyrexian bodies on board, and Progenitor Exarch reliably adds two of them the moment it resolves — including a copy of whatever creature was sacrificed.
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 |
Progenitor Exarch is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but the only format where it pulls real weight is Commander. In 60-card formats the four-mana ETB is too slow and too narrow — you're running dedicated sacrifice payoffs there rather than a utility creature that needs a target to do anything. Commander is where Progenitor Exarch shines: singleton construction means redundancy is harder to find, so a card that produces two bodies and a free sacrifice on one ETB punches above its mana cost in any Phyrexian-tribal or aristocrats shell.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.24 bulk tier
At $0.24, Progenitor Exarch is bulk by any measure — grab a copy without thinking about it. Bulk rares with this level of tribal lock-in tend to stay cheap unless a new Phyrexian commander spikes demand, but at this price the question is never whether to own one.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Brimaz, Blight of Oreskos
- Elesh Norn
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.