Pestilent Syphoner is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Flying Toxic 1 (Players dealt combat damage by this creature also get a poison counter.)
Complete guide
Pestilent Syphoner is a sleek Phyrexian Insect that brings the lethality of the Toxic mechanic to the early game. With its evasive Flying ability, it serves as a reliable way to start accumulating poison counters on your opponents. Remember, in Magic: The Gathering, victory doesn't always require reducing life to zero; ten poison counters will win you the game just as effectively.
What It Does
Pestilent Syphoner is a 1/1 creature with two key keywords: Flying and Toxic 1. Flying allows it to soar over ground-based blockers, making it difficult for opponents to prevent it from reaching them. Toxic 1 is a static ability that triggers when the creature deals combat damage to a player, resulting in that player receiving one poison counter in addition to the normal life loss.
How It Resolves Step by Step
When Pestilent Syphoner attacks and is not blocked, it moves to the combat damage step. First, it deals 1 point of combat damage to the defending player, causing them to lose 1 life. Simultaneously, because of Toxic 1, the player receives one poison counter. These effects happen at the exact same time; the poison counter is not a separate triggered ability and does not use the stack, so it cannot be responded to once damage is dealt.
Common Mistakes
A frequent misconception is that increasing the creature's power increases the poison counters. Unlike the Infect mechanic, Toxic 1 always gives exactly one poison counter regardless of how much damage is dealt. If you boost Pestilent Syphoner to a 5/5, the opponent will lose 5 life but still only receive one poison counter. Additionally, Toxic only functions during combat damage to a player; it does nothing if the Syphoner deals damage to a creature or a planeswalker.
When to Play It
You should play Pestilent Syphoner early to capitalize on its low mana cost and evasion. It is best used in aggressive decks that aim to win through Poison Counters or in decks that benefit from 'Corrupted' mechanics, which unlock bonuses once an opponent has three or more poison counters. Because it has Flying, it remains a relevant threat even as the opponent builds up a ground defense.
Interaction examples
Ornithopter of ParadiseYou attack an opponent who controls Ornithopter of Paradise. Since both creatures have Flying, your opponent can choose to block Pestilent Syphoner. If they block, both creatures deal damage to each other. The Syphoner deals 1 damage to the Ornithopter, and the Ornithopter deals 0 damage to the Syphoner. In this scenario, the opponent receives zero poison counters because the Syphoner did not deal combat damage to a player.
Blood ArtistIf your Pestilent Syphoner is blocked and dies in combat while Blood Artist is on the battlefield, Blood Artist's ability will trigger. You will gain 1 life and the opponent will lose 1 life. Note that this life loss is separate from the Toxic mechanic; because the Syphoner died before dealing combat damage to the player, no poison counters are applied, but you still benefit from the creature's death.
Poison CounterIf your opponent already has 9 Poison Counters and Pestilent Syphoner deals combat damage to them, they will receive their 10th Poison Counter. According to the state-based actions, a player with ten or more poison counters loses the game immediately. This happens before any player can cast spells or activate abilities, resulting in your victory.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Pestilent Syphoner
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
A player with ten or more poison counters loses the game. This is a state-based action and doesn't use the stack. In other words, it happens immediately and players can't respond to it, just like a player losing the game due to having 0 or less life.
Card named in this ruling
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
Toxic doesn't change the amount of combat damage a creature deals. For example, if a 2/2 creature with toxic 1 deals combat damage to a player, that creature will deal 2 damage. The results of that damage are the player loses 2 life and gets a poison counter.
Card named in this ruling
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Any other effects of that damage, such as life gain from lifelink, still apply.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If a creature with toxic deals combat damage to a creature or planeswalker, or if it deals noncombat damage, toxic has no effect and no player gets poison counters.
Card named in this ruling
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Damage dealt by a creature with toxic grants the same number of counters regardless of how much damage is dealt. Notably, if a replacement effect modifies the damage in some way (such as that of Gratuitous Violence), the number of counters given remains unchanged.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
Conversely, replacement effects that apply to the number of counters put on a player can modify the counters placed this way. For example, Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider's last two abilities can apply to counters placed this way.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
Multiple instances of toxic are cumulative. For example, if a creature has toxic 2 and gains toxic 1 due to another effect, combat damage that creature deals to a player will cause that player to get 3 poison counters.
Card named in this ruling
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Meta decks with Pestilent Syphoner
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