Sneering Shadewriter
Creature — Vampire Warlock
Flying
When this creature enters, each opponent loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Secrets of Strixhaven
- Price
- $0.06
- EDHREC rank
- #24538
Sneering Shadewriter enters the battlefield and immediately gives every creature you control menace until end of turn — a combat trick stapled to a body. Four mana for a 3/3 that swings a whole attack step is real, and in token-heavy or go-wide black decks that rate climbs fast.
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 |
In Commander, Sneering Shadewriter earns its slot in any black deck that attacks with multiple creatures — tokens, Aristocrats, reanimator swarms — where blanket menace turns a stalled board into a clean hit. Outside Commander, the competition sharpens: Standard and Pioneer have enough efficient three- and four-drops that Sneering Shadewriter needs a dedicated go-wide shell to justify the slot. In Pauper it's legal and the body is fine, but common menace enablers at lower mana costs make this a fringe choice there too. Legacy and Vintage don't want it.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.06 bulk tier
At $0.06, Sneering Shadewriter is deep bulk — you'll pick it out of a common box, not a singles order. That price is stable by definition; there's no meaningful floor left to fall through, and casual demand from token brewers is enough to keep it in print circulation.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.