Serpent-Blade Assailant
Creature — Elf Warrior
Backup 1 (When this creature enters, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. If that's another creature, it gains the following ability until end of turn.)
Deathtouch
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- March of the Machine
- Price
- $0.17
- EDHREC rank
- #16491
Serpent-Blade Assailant puts a free +1/+1 counter on itself every time it deals combat damage to a player, turning it into a self-growing threat that rewards going wide and connecting repeatedly. The cost is that it starts as a vanilla 2/1 for two mana — it does nothing until it actually hits, so any blocker or removal spell stonewalls the whole engine.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Serpent-Blade Assailant slots into counter-synergy builds and go-wide aggro decks that can clear the way for repeated attacks — it scales fast if opponents ignore it, which they often will in a four-player game. In Pauper it's legal but too fragile for the format's removal density; a 2/1 for two that dies to any one-mana spell before it connects never gets going. Modern and Legacy have no interest — the power floor is too low compared to what those formats demand on turn two. Oathbreaker mirrors the Commander read: it's a fine role-player in the right aggressive shell, not a staple.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.17 bulk tier
At $0.17, Serpent-Blade Assailant is deep bulk — the kind of card you pick up in a draft chaff pile rather than buy individually. Bulk commons and uncommons with narrow applications don't appreciate unless they spike in a competitive format, and nothing about this card's profile points there.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.