Serum Snare
Instant
Return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand. If that permanent had mana value 3 or less, proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Phyrexia: All Will Be One
- Price
- $0.35
- EDHREC rank
- #4307
Serum Snare bounces a nonland permanent and proliferates — interaction and poison/counter acceleration stapled together for three mana. In any deck running proliferate as an engine, that's not a counterspell substitute; it's a two-for-one, and Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus makes it hit twice.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus
Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus doubles every proliferate trigger, so Serum Snare becomes bounce-plus-two-proliferates for three mana — that's the engine in a single card, which is why it shows up in over 75% of Tekuthal lists.
Ezuri, Stalker of Spheres
Ezuri, Stalker of Spheres draws a card whenever you proliferate, turning Serum Snare into removal that replaces itself — the bounce buys time while the proliferate fuels Ezuri's draw engine.
Jin-Gitaxias
Jin-Gitaxias runs Serum Snare as a proliferate enabler that doubles as interaction, pushing poison counters or saga chapters forward while clearing a blocker or problem permanent.
Katara, Waterbending Master
Katara, Waterbending Master cares about casting instants and sorceries, and Serum Snare delivers on both axes — a spell that counts toward her triggers and proliferates to accelerate her counter-based payoffs.
Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student
Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student wants to flip quickly by drawing cards, and Serum Snare's proliferate can nudge her loyalty counters while the bounce keeps the path clear long enough to transform.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Serum Snare earns its slot in any proliferate-matters shell — the bounce answers a threat at instant speed while the proliferate advances poison, loyalty, or +1/+1 counter synergies, and that flexibility at three mana is genuinely useful. In Modern and Pioneer, it's too slow and narrow; dedicated removal or counters do both jobs better without the conditional upside. Legacy and Vintage have the same problem at a sharper power level — no serious deck there wants a three-mana bounce that only shines when you're already proliferating. Oathbreaker mirrors the Commander verdict: legal and useful in the right shell, irrelevant outside it.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.35 bulk tier
At $0.35, Serum Snare is bulk — easy to pick up as a one- or two-of in any proliferate deck without budget friction. Bulk rares with narrow homes tend to stay flat, so don't expect movement unless proliferate becomes a dominant Commander archetype.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus
- Ezuri, Stalker of Spheres
- Jin-Gitaxias
- Katara, Waterbending Master
- Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.