War Elemental
Creature — Elemental
When this creature enters, sacrifice it unless an opponent was dealt damage this turn.
Whenever an opponent is dealt damage, put that many +1/+1 counters on this creature.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Mirrodin
- Price
- $6.36
- EDHREC rank
- #12779
War Elemental snowballs out of control fast — every point of damage dealt to your opponents adds a +1/+1 counter, turning a 1/1 into a legitimate threat within a single combat step. The condition is real: it sacrifices itself if no opponent was dealt damage when it enters, so you need a damage source already on board, but in any shell running All Will Be One or Shalai and Hallar, that condition is trivially satisfied.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Shalai and Hallar
Shalai and Hallar pays off every counter War Elemental accumulates — Hallar's triggered ability deals damage equal to the number of counters whenever you cast a kicked spell, which in turn feeds more counters onto War Elemental, creating a self-reinforcing loop that closes games quickly.
Brion Stoutarm
Brion Stoutarm flings creatures at opponents for direct damage, which triggers War Elemental's counter ability before the Elemental even attacks — and a flung creature dealing damage on Brion's own turn means War Elemental enters a ready threat the very turn it resolves.
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 |
War Elemental is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but it barely registers outside Commander — the condition requiring damage to an opponent on entry is too fragile for competitive 1v1 formats where you don't control the board on your own terms. In Commander, multiplayer damage sources are everywhere, the game goes long enough for counters to compound, and enchantments like All Will Be One turn every counter into a kill shot. That's the only format where War Elemental earns its slot.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Agatha's Soul CauldronWar ElementalDeathbringer Thoctar
Infinite damage
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
There's no card that replicates War Elemental's exact counter-accumulation trigger, but Managorger Hydra does a close impression — it grows a counter for every spell any player casts, which in a multiplayer game means it scales just as explosively and costs under $1. The trade-off is that Managorger doesn't interact with damage-doubling or counter-payoff engines the same way, so in decks built around those lines War Elemental is still the cleaner fit.
Price Context
Current price
$6.36 mid tier
At $6.36, War Elemental sits in the mid tier — not a budget pickup, but not a barrier to entry either. It's a niche card with a specific home, so the price is unlikely to spike without new counter-matters or damage-payoff commanders pushing demand.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.