Putrid Leech
Creature — Zombie Leech
Pay 2 life: This creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Activate only once each turn.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BG
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska
- Price
- $0.14
- EDHREC rank
- #28187
Putrid Leech is a 2/2 for two mana that becomes a 4/4 on demand — that's a lot of body for the cost, and the life payment is trivial in most games. The catch is that the pump is opponent-readable and the life loss adds up if you're activating repeatedly, but at two mana you're rarely complaining.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Putrid Leech sees essentially zero competitive play in Legacy, Vintage, or Modern — those formats have access to threats that generate value beyond raw stats, and a vanilla-ish beater doesn't cut it. Pauper is where Putrid Leech has historically had a real home, fitting into Golgari and Jund midrange shells that want aggressive two-drops with above-rate bodies. In Commander, it's a fringe inclusion at best — 40 life means the self-damage is nearly irrelevant, but a 4/4 without evasion or a relevant creature type rarely makes the cut in a 100-card singleton format where competition for slots is fierce.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.14 bulk tier
At $0.14, Putrid Leech is deep bulk — you'll find copies in any dollar bin without looking hard. The price is stable because demand is low and supply is plentiful; don't expect movement in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.