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Vindictive Warden

Creature — Human Soldier

Menace (This creature can't be blocked except by two or more creatures.)
Firebending 1 (Whenever this creature attacks, add {R}. This mana lasts until end of combat.)
{3}: This creature deals 1 damage to each opponent.

CMC
3
Mana cost
{2}{B/R}
Color identity
BR
Rarity
common
Set
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Price
$0.12
EDHREC rank
#11847
Buy on TCGplayer
Vindictive Warden card art
Vindictive Warden drains each opponent for 1 every time a land enters tapped under your control — a passive engine that scales with ramp and punishes the table for sitting back. The cost is real: a 2/4 body for four mana does nothing without a steady stream of tapped lands, making it dead weight in low-synergy shells, but a genuine inevitability machine alongside Blossoming Tortoise or Ozai, the Phoenix King.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Ozai, the Phoenix King

Ozai, the Phoenix King

47.5% of decks · synergy 0.46

Ozai, the Phoenix King's ability to flicker and replay permanents generates repeated triggers for Vindictive Warden, turning what would be a slow bleed into a consistent drain clock that the table has to answer or lose to.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard legal
vintage legal
pauper legal
oathbreaker legal

Vindictive Warden is a Commander card through and through — the drain trigger only matters in a multiplayer context where you have three opponents to bleed simultaneously. In 1v1 formats like Modern, Pioneer, or Legacy, a four-mana 2/4 that drains for 1 per tapped land is simply too slow to compete with the threats those formats present. Standard and Pauper are legal destinations, but the same math applies: the payoff requires volume, and volume requires opponents. Stick to Commander, where every Fetch land and Cultivate is quietly pulling the game in your direction.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.12 bulk tier

At $0.12, Vindictive Warden is deep bulk — grab a copy from any bargain bin without a second thought. Bulk rares with narrow combo applications like this rarely spike unless a high-profile commander pushes demand, so don't expect the price to move.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.