Spiketail Hatchling
Creature — Drake
Flying (This creature can't be blocked except by creatures with flying or reach.)
Sacrifice this creature: Counter target spell unless its controller pays 
.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Eighth Edition
- Price
- $0.10
- EDHREC rank
- #19191
Spiketail Hatchling puts a flying body on the board that forces your opponents to pay an extra mana on any spell they want to resolve — or sacrifice it and make that spell free. In Edric, Spymaster of Trest decks, that one-mana tax creature draws a card every time it connects, making the sacrifice cost an active decision your opponents never want to make.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Edric, Spymaster of Trest
Edric, Spymaster of Trest turns every unblocked Spiketail Hatchling into a card, so the Hatchling is never just a taxer — it's also an engine piece that refills your hand while threatening to counter anything that costs exactly one mana.
Alandra, Sky Dreamer
Alandra, Sky Dreamer cares about drawing multiple cards in a turn, and Spiketail Hatchling is a flying creature that naturally slots into the blue flyers strategy Alandra rewards — cheap evasive body plus soft permission is a clean two-for-one on role.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Spiketail Hatchling is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker. In Commander it earns its slot specifically in low-to-the-ground evasive blue strategies that want both board presence and incremental disruption. In Pauper it's theoretically playable but competes with harder permission at the same cost and rarely makes the cut. Legacy and Vintage have no interest — the Hatchling's tax is trivially paid at those power levels, and neither format is looking for a 1/1 flyer.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.10 bulk tier
At $0.10, Spiketail Hatchling is deep bulk — you're paying for the card effect, not the cardboard. Bulk commons and uncommons at this price floor don't move unless a new commander or mechanic sends demand spiking, so buy a copy when you need it and don't think twice.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.