Swarm Shambler
Creature — Fungus Beast
This creature enters with a +1/+1 counter on it.
Whenever a creature you control with a +1/+1 counter on it becomes the target of a spell an opponent controls, create a 1/1 green Insect creature token.
, 
: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Zendikar Rising Promos
- Price
- $0.30
- EDHREC rank
- #14525
Swarm Shambler enters as a 0/0, grows whenever any creature with a +1/+1 counter enters the battlefield under your control, and can sacrifice a Insect token to redirect a target spell or ability to itself — all on a one-mana green creature. That combination of passive scaling and protection makes it a legitimate threat in counter-heavy strategies, not a bulk novelty.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Swarm Shambler belongs in any deck that stacks +1/+1 counters — Atraxa, Praetors' Voice, Hamza, Guardian of Arashin, or any Simic proliferate build will grow it fast while the Insect-sacrifice ability protects key permanents from targeted removal. In Modern and Pioneer, it fits in Hardened Scales or similar counter shells where a one-drop that snowballs in the background earns its slot. Legacy has better options at one mana, so Swarm Shambler is a fringe inclusion there at best. Oathbreaker mirrors Commander in the shells that want it.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.30 bulk tier
At $0.30, Swarm Shambler is firmly bulk, which undersells how much work it does in the right shell. The price is stable — it won't spike, but it also won't get cheaper, and picking up copies now for a counter deck costs almost nothing.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.