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Purphoros, God of the Forge

Legendary Enchantment Creature — God

Indestructible
As long as your devotion to red is less than five, Purphoros isn't a creature.
Whenever another creature you control enters, Purphoros deals 2 damage to each opponent.
{2}{R}: Creatures you control get +1/+0 until end of turn.

CMC
4
Mana cost
{3}{R}
Color identity
R
Rarity
mythic
Set
Secret Lair Drop
Price
—
EDHREC rank
#652
Buy on TCGplayer
Purphoros, God of the Forge card art
Purphoros, God of the Forge turns every creature entering the battlefield into a Shock to each opponent — at four mana, with indestructible, and almost impossible to remove from the field. The catch is negligible: token decks and creature-flood strategies convert that passive into lethal damage with no additional investment, and something like Norin the Wary bouncing in and out every turn makes the math absurd fast, while The World Tree dropping a dozen gods simultaneously ends the game on the spot.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Norin the Wary

Norin the Wary

84.4% of decks · synergy 0.72

Norin the Wary exists almost exclusively to trigger Purphoros, God of the Forge — Norin flickers out of play in response to nearly every spell and attack, then returns at end of turn, converting a 1/1 with a cowardly ability into a reliable two-damage clock every single round.

02
Prossh, Skyraider of Kher

Prossh, Skyraider of Kher

51.8% of decks · synergy 0.49

Prossh, Skyraider of Kher enters with a swarm of Kobold tokens proportional to the mana spent to cast or recast it, and Purphoros, God of the Forge turns each of those tokens into two damage the moment they arrive — recasting Prossh from the command zone for six or more mana routinely ends the game on the spot.

03
The Locust God

The Locust God

47.6% of decks · synergy 0.45

The Locust God generates a 1/1 flying Insect every time you draw a card, and Purphoros, God of the Forge converts a wheel effect like Windfall into a sudden burst of ten or twenty damage that bypasses blockers entirely.

04
Zurzoth, Chaos Rider

Zurzoth, Chaos Rider

50.0% of decks · synergy 0.38

Zurzoth, Chaos Rider forces each opponent to draw during their upkeep and creates a Devil token for each of those draws, so Purphoros, God of the Forge is draining the table for two life per opponent-controlled token trigger — at three players that snowballs faster than it looks.

05
Otharri, Suns' Glory

Otharri, Suns' Glory

42.6% of decks · synergy 0.36

Otharri, Suns' Glory creates Experience counters and spawns tokens repeatedly through combat, and Purphoros, God of the Forge means every rebel token that enters — especially across multiple combat phases — is also chipping opponents for two damage without needing to connect.

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

Commander is the natural home for Purphoros, God of the Forge: three opponents means every trigger deals six total damage, the indestructible body laughs at the removal-heavy environment, and the token and creature-flood strategies that power it are Commander staples. In Legacy and Vintage, the card is legal but competes poorly — four mana is a steep ask in formats where games end on turns one through three, and the payoff requires board development that those formats punish. Modern and Pioneer offer more room for creature-based midrange strategies, but Purphoros sits at a price point and power level that tends to make dedicated token decks reach for faster, more redundant payoffs instead. Oathbreaker is a real consideration: if the signature spell generates creatures, Purphoros as a planeswalker-adjacent enchantment-creature generates immediate pressure in a compact, high-velocity format.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

1,711 decks
Prossh, Skyraider of KherPhyrexian AltarPurphoros, God of the Forge

Prossh, Skyraider of KherPhyrexian AltarPurphoros, God of the Forge

Near-infinite damage; Near-infinite death triggers; Near-infinite ETB; Near-infinite LTB; Near-infinite sacrifice triggers

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

Price Context

Current price

unknown tier

Current pricing data for Purphoros, God of the Forge isn't available in this context, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the live number before buying. Historically it has held value as an indestructible mythic with broad Commander demand, so don't expect a bargain bin find — but it shows up in enough printings that patient buyers can often find a copy below peak.

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Sources

Mentioned

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