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Winding Constrictor

Creature — Snake

If one or more counters would be put on an artifact or creature you control, that many plus one of each of those kinds of counters are put on that permanent instead.
If you would get one or more counters, you get that many plus one of each of those kinds of counters instead.

CMC
2
Mana cost
{B}{G}
Color identity
BG
Rarity
rare
Set
Secret Lair Drop
Price
$6.64
EDHREC rank
#2056
Buy on TCGplayer
Winding Constrictor card art
Winding Constrictor turns every counter-based engine in black-green into something that scales faster than opponents can answer — one extra counter per trigger compounds quickly across a full board. At two mana, it's cheap enough to land before the engines it empowers, and commanders like Ghave, Guru of Spores and Skullbriar, the Walking Grave treat it as a near-auto-include.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

67.5% of decks · synergy 0.61

Skullbriar, the Walking Grave wants to stack +1/+1 counters as fast as possible, and Winding Constrictor turns every single counter Skullbriar picks up into two — effectively doubling its growth rate every time it deals combat damage or gets buffed.

02
Blech, Loafing Pest

Blech, Loafing Pest

61.1% of decks · synergy 0.55

Blech, Loafing Pest generates food tokens and cares about counters accumulating on creatures, so Winding Constrictor accelerates both the food output and any counter-doubling that Blech, Loafing Pest needs to close out games.

03
The Wise Mothman

The Wise Mothman

59.7% of decks · synergy 0.51

The Wise Mothman spreads rad counters across all players and rewards creatures for surviving the proliferate fallout, making Winding Constrictor's extra-counter clause relevant on nearly every trigger the deck generates.

04
The Most Dangerous Gamer

The Most Dangerous Gamer

54.1% of decks · synergy 0.48

The Most Dangerous Gamer hunts for permanent-based counters through its venture and quest mechanics, and Winding Constrictor ensures each counter placed on a creature or permanent hits harder than the baseline.

05
Ghave, Guru of Spores

Ghave, Guru of Spores

39.3% of decks · synergy 0.35

Ghave, Guru of Spores runs on the conversion between +1/+1 counters and creature tokens, and Winding Constrictor effectively gives Ghave a discount — one extra counter per placement means the engine produces tokens and fuel faster than the mana investment would normally allow.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

In Commander, Winding Constrictor is a staple in any black-green deck built around +1/+1 counters, persist, or proliferate — the extra counter per trigger is a passive multiplier that never turns off. Modern and Pioneer have both seen it as a role-player in Hardened Scales-style counter decks, where stacking multiple redundant doubling effects is the whole game plan. Legacy and Vintage are legal but uninterested; those formats don't run two-mana do-nothing creatures unless the payoff is immediate, and Winding Constrictor needs a counter engine to shine. Standard legality has lapsed, and Pauper is off the table by rarity.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

Generous Visitor and Vineshaper Mystic both sit under $1 and slot into counter strategies, though neither replaces the breadth of Winding Constrictor — Generous Visitor only triggers on enchantments entering, while Vineshaper Mystic requires Merfolk tribal to fire. If the goal is pure counter amplification without the color restriction or the $6 price tag, Innkeeper's Talent offers a similar scaling effect in green at a fraction of the cost, though it demands enchantment investment rather than sitting as a passive body.

Price Context

Current price

$6.64 mid tier

At $6.64, Winding Constrictor sits in the mid tier — noticeable but not a barrier to entry for a card that makes the cut in a wide range of black-green Commander builds. It's held steady because demand is broad rather than spikey, which means you're unlikely to find a cheaper window than the current market.

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Sources

Mentioned

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