Spiteful Squad
Creature — Human Warlock
Deathtouch
This creature enters with two +1/+1 counters on it.
When this creature dies, put its counters on target creature you control.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BW
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Strixhaven: School of Mages
- Price
- $0.13
- EDHREC rank
- #22379
Spiteful Squad enters as a 0/0 and immediately becomes a permanent +1/+1 counter engine for every creature that dies — including itself — making it a recursive threat that scales with any sacrifice or attrition strategy. The four-mana cost is the only real friction; commanders like Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight that care about counters or flicker effects can offset that completely.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Spiteful Squad is the strongest it gets — 100-card singleton tables generate enough creature deaths per game to grow it to a genuine threat, and any aristocrats or +1/+1 counter commander can slot it in without second-guessing. In Pauper it has real legs, particularly in sacrifice-based black shells where common removal and fodder keep the death triggers flowing at a low entry cost. Modern and Pioneer can find uses in persist or aristocrats builds, though the four-mana cost competes with more efficient threats in those faster formats. Legacy and Vintage move too fast for a 0/0 at four mana to matter unless it's a dedicated combo piece.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of TwilightSpiteful SquadBartolomé del Presidio
Infinite +1/+1 counters on creatures you control; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite death triggers; Infinite recursion of creatures you control; Infinite sacrifice triggers
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of TwilightViscera SeerSpiteful Squad
Infinite +1/+1 counters on creatures you control; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite death triggers; Infinite recursion of creatures you control; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite scry 1
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of TwilightAshnod's AltarSpiteful Squad
Infinite +1/+1 counters on creatures you control; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite colorless mana; Infinite death triggers; Infinite recursion of creatures you control; Infinite sacrifice triggers
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of TwilightWoe StriderSpiteful Squad
Infinite +1/+1 counters on creatures you control; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite death triggers; Infinite recursion of creatures you control; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite scry 1
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of TwilightUmbral Collar ZealotSpiteful Squad
Infinite +1/+1 counters on creatures you control; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite death triggers; Infinite recursion of creatures you control; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite surveil
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$0.13 bulk tier
At $0.13, Spiteful Squad is deep bulk — you're acquiring real synergy value for nearly nothing. Bulk commons and uncommons with genuine combo potential rarely spike hard, so don't expect price movement, but at this price point picking up several copies costs less than a sleeve.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Eirdu, Carrier of Dawn // Isilu, Carrier of Twilight
- Bartolomé del Presidio
- Viscera Seer
- Ashnod's Altar
- Woe Strider
- Umbral Collar Zealot
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.