Treacherous Pit-Dweller
Creature — Demon
When this creature enters from a graveyard, target opponent gains control of it.
Undying (When this creature dies, if it had no +1/+1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a +1/+1 counter on it.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Avacyn Restored
- Price
- $0.37
- EDHREC rank
- #17824
Treacherous Pit-Dweller is a 4/3 for two mana — one of the best stats-per-mana ratios in black — and the drawback, handing control to an opponent when it enters from the graveyard, is largely irrelevant in shells that exploit it before anyone else can. Yawgmoth, Thran Physician turns that liability into an asset: sacrifice it for a proliferate and draw, recur it, repeat.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician wants cheap creatures to sacrifice for card draw and proliferate triggers, and Treacherous Pit-Dweller delivers a 4/3 body that fuels that loop repeatedly — the 'opponent gains control on reanimate' clause never resolves if Yawgmoth is already sacrificing it in response.
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 |
In Commander, Treacherous Pit-Dweller earns its slot in sacrifice and aristocrats decks that treat the reanimation clause as a non-issue — you're sacrificing it, not recurring it for value in any fair sense. In Legacy and Vintage, the raw rate of a 4/3 for BB is legitimate, but fair creature decks have better options and combo decks don't need it, so it sees virtually no play. Modern is the same story: the stats are fine but the downside is punishing outside a dedicated engine, and black aggro has cleaner two-drops. Treacherous Pit-Dweller is essentially a Commander card — specifically a sacrifice-engine card — and that's where it does its best work.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.37 bulk tier
At $0.37, Treacherous Pit-Dweller is firmly bulk — easy to pick up in any trade binder or as a cheap singles order. Demand is narrow enough that the price is unlikely to spike outside a reprint or a breakout competitive build, neither of which is on the horizon.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.