Tiller of Flesh
Creature — Phyrexian Knight
Whenever you cast a spell that targets one or more permanents, incubate 2. (Create an Incubator token with two +1/+1 counters on it and "
: Transform this token." It transforms into a 0/0 Phyrexian artifact creature.)
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- March of the Machine
- Price
- $0.18
- EDHREC rank
- #15389
Tiller of Flesh turns every proliferate trigger into a free creature removal or board erosion engine — opponents lose a -1/-1 counter's worth of stats each time you proliferate, which alongside Elesh Norn's anthem effect can swing combat math dramatically. The cost is a five-mana creature with no immediate impact, so if your proliferate payoffs aren't already online, Tiller of Flesh is just a 3/3 that does nothing until your next turn.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Elesh Norn
Elesh Norn's chapter three proliferates every end step, meaning Tiller of Flesh triggers repeatedly without any additional setup — opponents' creatures shrink every turn cycle while your board grows, creating a pressure differential that closes games fast.
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 |
Tiller of Flesh is a Commander card through and through — it needs a critical mass of proliferate triggers to matter, and that density only exists in 100-card singleton decks built around the mechanic. In Modern and Legacy, five mana for a 3/3 with a delayed, incremental effect is unplayable when those formats demand immediate board impact or disruption. Pioneer is legal but the same logic applies: competitive shells have no interest in a slow attrition piece that requires supporting infrastructure to function. Commander is where Tiller of Flesh earns its slot, specifically in dedicated proliferate builds where it becomes a repeatable -1/-1 counter distributor that warps combat over multiple turns.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.18 bulk tier
At $0.18, Tiller of Flesh is deep bulk — you're picking this out of a dollar box, not tracking it on a buylist. Bulk rares with narrow synergy profiles rarely appreciate, so treat it as a free inclusion for proliferate decks rather than anything worth speculating on.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Elesh Norn
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.