Sleeper Agent
Creature — Phyrexian Minion
When this creature enters, target opponent gains control of it.
At the beginning of your upkeep, this creature deals 2 damage to you.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $4.15
- EDHREC rank
- #11797
Sleeper Agent enters under an opponent's control and drains them for 2 life every upkeep — you're paying one black mana to hand your enemy a ticking liability. The card only works if you have a way to weaponize the gift, and Blim, Comedic Genius is the commander that makes that exchange a win condition rather than a mistake.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Blim, Comedic Genius
Blim, Comedic Genius exists to donate cursed permanents, and Sleeper Agent is one of the best curses in the game — a one-mana creature that bleeds the recipient for 2 life each upkeep and can be flung at a new target whenever Blim connects.
Xantcha, Sleeper Agent
Xantcha, Sleeper Agent shares a design philosophy with Sleeper Agent — both are black permanents that start under an opponent's control and punish them for it, making the card a thematic and mechanical fit for the forced-gift gameplan Xantcha helms.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Sleeper Agent is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but it sees virtually no play outside Commander. In Legacy and Vintage the tempo loss of donating a creature with no immediate board impact is disqualifying — those formats demand cards that do something the turn they're played. Commander is where Sleeper Agent lives, specifically in donate-and-punish decks where the political dimension of gifting a liability to the right opponent is a real strategic lever. Outside that niche, even in Commander, it's a narrow card that sits unused in most lists.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$4.15 cheap tier
At $4.15, Sleeper Agent sits at the high end of what its narrow playability justifies — that price is driven almost entirely by its status as a pet card in Blim, Comedic Genius and Xantcha, Sleeper Agent builds rather than broad demand. It's affordable enough to slot in if you're building those decks, but don't expect the price to climb; the ceiling is set by a small, dedicated audience.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.