Putrefax
Creature — Phyrexian Horror
Trample, haste
Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)
At the beginning of the end step, sacrifice this creature.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Scars of Mirrodin
- Price
- $0.36
- EDHREC rank
- #14801
Putrefax threatens a one-shot kill the turn it enters — 5 infect power with haste means 10 poison counters are one pump spell away from ending the game. The cost is a built-in sacrifice at end of turn, so Mr. Orfeo, the Boulder decks that can double its power on impact treat the drawback as irrelevant.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Mr. Orfeo, the Boulder
Mr. Orfeo, the Boulder doubles Putrefax's power on attack, turning a base 5 infect threat into a 10-power haste creature that kills any player outright before the sacrifice trigger even matters.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Putrefax sees nearly all of its play — the infect-kill-in-one-swing angle lines up perfectly with the 40-life format, where landing 10 poison counters is easier than dealing 40 damage. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but competes poorly against faster infect options and rarely appears outside of dedicated infect lists. Modern has more viable infect payoffs at lower mana costs, so Putrefax's five-mana price tag keeps it off most shortlists there. The card is not legal in Pioneer, Standard, or Pauper, which leaves Commander as its clear home.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.36 bulk tier
At $0.36, Putrefax sits firmly in bulk territory despite being a genuine one-shot-kill threat in the right shell. Supply from multiple printings keeps the price anchored low, so there's no meaningful financial barrier to picking up copies.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Mr. Orfeo, the Boulder
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.