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Witch Engine

Creature — Horror

Swampwalk (This creature can't be blocked as long as defending player controls a Swamp.)
{T}: Add {B}{B}{B}{B}. Target opponent gains control of this creature. (Activate only as an instant.)

CMC
6
Mana cost
{5}{B}
Color identity
B
Rarity
rare
Set
Urza's Saga
Price
$0.51
EDHREC rank
#22558
Buy on TCGplayer
Witch Engine card art
Witch Engine drops a 4/4 trampler and adds four black mana the turn it enters — the catch is an opponent gets to steal it at their next untap. That rider is a real cost, not a flavor text threat, which is why Witch Engine earns its slot specifically in decks that sacrifice it before the handoff, with Corpse Dance as the cleanest way to keep looping the engine on your own terms.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

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

Witch Engine is a Commander card almost exclusively. The free-mana-plus-threat ceiling is high enough to enable explosive turns in black-heavy shells, and sacrifice outlets convert the steal clause from a liability into a feature. In Legacy and Vintage it's legal but never played — five mana for a conditional 4/4 that hands itself to an opponent is nowhere near competitive enough when the format's threats are cheaper and cleaner. Commander is the one format where the politics, the combo loops, and the density of sacrifice payoffs make Witch Engine genuinely worth building around.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.51 bulk tier

At $0.51, Witch Engine sits firmly in bulk territory despite being a genuine combo piece in the right shell. The price reflects low demand outside niche black sacrifice builds, so it's unlikely to spike unless a new commander pushes the archetype into the spotlight.

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Sources

Mentioned

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