Screaming Nemesis
Creature — Spirit
Haste
Whenever this creature is dealt damage, it deals that much damage to any other target. If a player is dealt damage this way, they can't gain life for the rest of the game.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Duskmourn: House of Horror Promos
- Price
- $6.38
- EDHREC rank
- #4027
Screaming Nemesis punishes opponents for dealing damage to it by forcing them to lose life equal to that damage — a recursive drain engine that gets uglier every time someone tries to answer it. Pair it with Blazing Sunsteel or slot it under Wayta, Trainer Prodigy and you have a damage-doubling loop that closes games fast.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | banned |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Screaming Nemesis is banned in Standard, which tells you everything about how quickly it spirals out of control in a format without the answers to contain it. Commander gives it a pass for the same reason every other build-around threat survives the format: four opponents means more removal flying around, and a single exile effect ends the loop cold. The singleton rule also limits how reliably you assemble the damage-amplification pieces that make it truly degenerate.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Wayta, Trainer Prodigy
Wayta, Trainer Prodigy's ability to copy fight and damage triggers turns Screaming Nemesis into a life-drain engine that scales exponentially — every copied damage ping loops back as more loss-of-life.
Piru, the Volatile
Piru, the Volatile's death trigger deals 7 damage to each non-legend, and Screaming Nemesis converts that mass ping into a corresponding life drain on the player who caused the damage — a punishing one-two on board wipes.
Kratos, God of War
Kratos, God of War fights as a core game action, and Screaming Nemesis turns each of those fights into a life-drain event whenever the opponent's creature deals damage back.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog cares about speed and combat damage, and Screaming Nemesis adds a drain rider to every hit it takes, making it a taxing blocker that opponents cannot safely engage.
Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls
Valgavoth, Harrower of Souls rewards opponents paying life and taking damage, and Screaming Nemesis feeds that engine by converting incoming damage into forced life loss — keeping Valgavoth's trigger active.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Blazing SunsteelScreaming Nemesis
Infinite damage; Opponents can't gain life for the rest of the game
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Dawnsire, Sunstar DreadnoughtScreaming Nemesis
Near-infinite damage to one opponent
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
If Screaming Nemesis is out of reach, Brash Taunter fills a similar punisher role — it redirects combat damage to a target player and pairs with the same fight-spell shells for under a dollar. Stuffy Doll does the same job for slightly more but hits a named opponent rather than requiring a combat step, which is a meaningful trade-off in decks that lack reliable fight effects.
Price Context
Current price
$6.38 mid tier
At $6.38, Screaming Nemesis sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel in a budget build, but firmly justified in any deck that assembles damage-doubling loops. It holds value because the combo applications are real and the card has a narrow reprint window, so don't expect it to drop.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.