MagicTheGathering.fyi

Young Wolf

Creature — Wolf

Undying (When this creature dies, if it had no +1/+1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a +1/+1 counter on it.)

CMC
1
Mana cost
{G}
Color identity
G
Rarity
rare
Set
Secret Lair Drop
Price
$3.52
EDHREC rank
#7396
Buy on TCGplayer
Young Wolf card art
Young Wolf punishes any deck that wants to put counters on creatures or sacrifice them repeatedly — a one-mana 1/1 that comes back with a +1/+1 counter the first time it dies is exactly the kind of recursive fodder those engines need. Tayam, Luminous Enigma is the clearest home: Young Wolf's undying trigger generates a permanent with counters on it, fueling Tayam's ability turn after turn at virtually no cost.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Tayam, Luminous Enigma

Tayam, Luminous Enigma

54.7% of decks · synergy 0.52

Tayam, Luminous Enigma runs Young Wolf in over half its decks because the undying trigger generates a counter-bearing permanent that directly pays for Tayam's activated ability — one Wolf can fuel multiple Tayam activations across a single turn cycle if you have a sacrifice outlet.

02
Ghave, Guru of Spores

Ghave, Guru of Spores

22.1% of decks · synergy 0.19

Ghave, Guru of Spores can spend a single counter to pop the +1/+1 counter off Young Wolf after it returns, turning one undying creature into a repeatable loop of tokens and sacrifice fodder with the right support.

03

Tovolar, Dire Overlord

18.4% of decks · synergy 0.17

Tovolar, Dire Overlord wants Wolf creatures by tribe, and Young Wolf's resilience means it survives board wipes and removal to stay on the battlefield and keep triggering Tovolar's werewolf synergies.

04
Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons

Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons

14.0% of decks · synergy 0.14

Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons generates a Snake token every time a creature receives a -1/-1 counter, and stacking those counters on Young Wolf after it returns with a +1/+1 counter creates a clean loop of token production at minimal mana investment.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

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

Commander is Young Wolf's best home by a wide margin — the combination of undying, low mana cost, and counter synergy is tailor-made for the 100-card singleton format's sacrifice and counter-based engines. In Pauper, Young Wolf sees play as a resilient one-drop that pressures opponents and trades up in combat without going away permanently. Legacy and Vintage are legal but realistic only in dedicated undying or sacrifice shells, where the competition from more powerful one-drops is stiff. Modern is where Young Wolf historically saw fringe constructed play, though it has largely been outclassed by newer options in that format.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$3.52 cheap tier

At $3.52, Young Wolf sits at the high end of what you'd expect for a common one-drop, driven entirely by its demand in Commander combo decks rather than constructed play. The price is stable as long as Tayam, Luminous Enigma and similar counter-based commanders remain popular, but a reprint in any precon or set could drop it quickly.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

← All cards

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