Xyris, the Writhing Storm
Legendary Creature — Snake Leviathan
Flying
Whenever an opponent draws a card except the first one they draw in each of their draw steps, create a 1/1 green Snake creature token.
Whenever Xyris deals combat damage to a player, you and that player each draw that many cards.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- GRU
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Year of the Snake 2025
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #4540
Xyris, the Writhing Storm turns every wheel spell and Howling Mine effect into a Snake factory, generating a token for each card an opponent draws — and with Intruder Alarm on the table, that engine becomes a full-blown combo kill. The cost is a five-mana commander in three colors who does nothing alone, so the deck lives or dies by how fast it can assemble the draw-trigger package.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is the only format where Xyris, the Writhing Storm is a serious consideration — as a legendary creature whose whole identity is multiplayer group-draw payoff, the card was designed for the 100-card singleton table and plays almost nowhere else competitively. It's technically legal in Legacy and Vintage, but five mana for a creature with no immediate board impact gets nowhere near those formats' power thresholds. Oathbreaker is an interesting fringe case where the forced-draw gameplan can close games faster at a lower starting life total, but the format's niche size limits how much that matters.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Xyris, the Writhing StormIntruder AlarmLore Broker
Infinite draw triggers for all players; Infinite looting for all players; Infinite self-discard triggers for all players; Near-infinite creature tokens; Near-infinite ETB; Near-infinite untap of all creatures
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Xyris, the Writhing StormIntruder AlarmCephalid Looter
Infinite draw triggers for each opponent; Infinite looting for opponents; Infinite self-discard triggers for opponents; Near-infinite creature tokens; Near-infinite ETB; Near-infinite untap of all creatures
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Xyris, the Writhing StormBreath of FuryFervor
Infinite card draw; Infinite draw triggers; Near-infinite creature tokens with haste; Near-infinite death triggers; Near-infinite ETB; Near-infinite LTB; Near-infinite sacrifice triggers; Near-infinite untap of creatures you control; Near-infinite mana creatures you control can produce; Near-infinite combat phases
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Xyris, the Writhing StormFolio of FanciesMind Over MatterAshnod's Altar
Infinite card draw; Near-infinite colorless mana
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Xyris, the Writhing StormFlumphPandemonium
Infinite card draw; Infinite draw triggers; Near-infinite card draw for each opponent; Near-infinite creature tokens; Near-infinite draw triggers for each opponent; Near-infinite ETB
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data isn't available for Xyris, the Writhing Storm right now, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the current market rate. As a legendary from a supplemental Commander product with a dedicated but not enormous fanbase, it has historically sat in the budget-to-mid range — worth grabbing if you see it under a few dollars.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.