Spawnwrithe
Creature — Elemental
Trample
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, create a token that's a copy of this creature.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Shadowmoor
- Price
- $0.42
- EDHREC rank
- #12372
Spawnwrithe copies itself every time it deals combat damage to a player unblocked — the threat compounds geometrically if opponents can't answer it. The cost is real: a 2/2 trample for three mana is undersized, and it dies to any incidental removal before it ever connects. Duskana, the Rage Mother makes the case by pumping base-2/2 creatures and turning Spawnwrithe into a genuine snowball.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Duskana, the Rage Mother
Duskana, the Rage Mother gives Spawnwrithe +3/+3 on attack and fights blockers out of the way, turning the copy trigger from a dream into a near-certainty every swing.
General Marhault Elsdragon
General Marhault Elsdragon gives all your creatures rampage, so Spawnwrithe grows when blocked and threatens to copy itself unimpeded when opponents can't afford to block at all.
Volrath, the Shapestealer
Volrath, the Shapestealer can become a copy of Spawnwrithe with a counter on it, then deal combat damage to generate additional Spawnwrithe tokens — all while keeping Volrath's own stats and abilities in reserve.
Otrimi, the Ever-Playful
Otrimi, the Ever-Playful pairs with Spawnwrithe as a mutate shell that wants attacking creatures with meaningful on-damage triggers; Spawnwrithe's copy effect stacks neatly with whatever mutate pile lands on it.
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 |
Commander is where Spawnwrithe actually does something — three opponents mean three potential attack vectors, and a single unanswered connection starts an exponential token chain that can close games fast. In Legacy and Vintage it's technically legal but competes with formats where a 2/2 trample for three is embarrassingly outclassed and the copy trigger never resolves before the game ends. Modern has the same problem: the card is too slow and too fragile for a format with Fatal Push and Lightning Bolt answering it on the spot. Spawnwrithe is a Commander card wearing a multi-format legality badge it didn't earn.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.42 bulk tier
At $0.42, Spawnwrithe is pure bulk — no financial risk to picking up a copy, and no expectation of appreciation given its narrow application. It holds that tier comfortably because demand is real but concentrated: outside of Duskana and a handful of attack-trigger commanders, almost nobody is looking for it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Duskana, the Rage Mother
- General Marhault Elsdragon
- Volrath, the Shapestealer
- Otrimi, the Ever-Playful
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.