Sanguine Syphoner
Creature — Vampire Warlock
Whenever this creature attacks, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Foundations
- Price
- $0.21
- EDHREC rank
- #6649
Sanguine Syphoner drains each opponent for 1 every time you deal damage to them, and it replaces itself with a card draw when it dies — both payoffs on a two-mana body. In shells that ping opponents repeatedly, particularly Belbe, Corrupted Observer, that incremental drain adds up faster than the cost suggests.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Belbe, Corrupted Observer
Sanguine Syphoner is a near-auto-include in Belbe, Corrupted Observer — every point of damage Syphoner deals to an opponent triggers Belbe's mana ability, turning a small drain creature into a mana engine that also clocks life totals.
Elenda, Saint of Dusk
Elenda, Saint of Dusk wants cheap vampires that provide value on death, and Sanguine Syphoner delivers on both counts — it drains while it's alive and replaces itself with a card when it dies, feeding Elenda's counter growth.
Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose doubles every life drain trigger, so each instance of Sanguine Syphoner's ability becomes two points of life swing per opponent hit — low floor, meaningful ceiling over a full game.
Astarion, the Decadent
Astarion, the Decadent cares about vampires dealing combat damage to players, and Sanguine Syphoner slots cleanly into that beatdown plan while padding the drain total Astarion's ability tracks.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Sanguine Syphoner is legal across every major format but finds almost no traction outside Commander — the effect is too slow and too low-impact for Pauper, Modern, or Pioneer, where a two-mana 2/1 needs to do something immediately powerful to justify a slot. In Standard it competes against a shallow vampire pool and loses to rate. Commander is where it earns its keep: multiplayer means three opponents to drain simultaneously, the death trigger replaces the card, and vampire tribal synergies amplify both halves of the text box.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.21 bulk tier
At $0.21, Sanguine Syphoner is bulk — grab it from a bargain bin or throw it in any order as a filler pickup. Bulk vampire commons rarely climb in price, so there's no urgency to stock up, but there's also no reason not to own a copy if you're building the right commander.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Belbe, Corrupted Observer
- Elenda, Saint of Dusk
- Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose
- Astarion, the Decadent
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.