Price$0.82 – $5.32
Buy on TCGplayerOphiomancer
Creature — Human Shaman
LegalRank #693
At the beginning of each upkeep, if you control no Snakes, create a 1/1 black Snake creature token with deathtouch.
2/2
Why is this card good?
Ophiomancer is deceptively powerful because it makes a deathtouch Snake on each upkeep — yours and your opponents'. That's a steady stream of free tokens you can endlessly recycle, and the deathtouch makes them excellent blockers or removal-on-a-stick when paired with ping effects or forced combat.
The real payoff is in sacrifice and aristocrats decks. You get a guaranteed fodder body every turn cycle, which fuels engines like Blood Artist, Pitiless Plunderer, or Mazirek. It's also a staple in token/reanimator builds and combos: with a sac outlet plus a death-payoff (or Endrek/Grave Pact), the recurring Snake keeps the wheel turning. It pairs famously with Pitiless Plunderer + sac outlet for repeatable treasures.
Note you only get one if you control zero Snakes — so it pauses while a Snake lives. That means you want a sac outlet or a way to send the token away each turn to maximize value.
Skip it in decks with no use for chump bodies or sacrifice synergies; it's purely an engine card, weak on its own.
Related cards
Bitterblossom
Recurring token generator each upkeep for sacrifice fodder and aristocrats synergy.
Dockside Extortionist
Token-style value engine, though Ophiomancer's snakes feed sac strategies similarly.
Pawn of Ulamog
Generates Eldrazi Scions on sacrifice, similar steady token production in black.
Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
Mass black token generator for aristocrats and sacrifice payoffs.
Hangarback Walker
Repeatable deathtouch-like body and token source for sac fodder.
Skullclamp
Pairs perfectly with 1/1 snake tokens for explosive card draw.
Grave Pact
Sacrificing the recurring deathtouch snakes punishes opponents' boards.
Reassembling Skeleton
Recurring sacrifice creature for similar aristocrats engine needs.
Printings (6)
Played by these commanders
Combos (4)
- Razaketh, the Foulblooded + Nexus of Fate + Ophiomancer + Venser's Journal
→ Infinite turns, Lock
- Razaketh, the Foulblooded + Beacon of Tomorrows + Ophiomancer + Palace Siege
→ Infinite turns, Lock
- Razaketh, the Foulblooded + Beacon of Tomorrows + Ophiomancer + Venser's Journal
→ Infinite turns, Lock
- Razaketh, the Foulblooded + Nexus of Fate + Ophiomancer + Palace Siege
→ Infinite turns, Lock
Tokens & Emblemsthis card creates
Rulings (3)
- 2013-10-17
Ophiomancer's ability checks if you control a Snake at the beginning of each upkeep. If you do, the ability won't trigger.
- 2013-10-17
Ophiomancer's ability considers any creature you control with the creature type Snake, not just the tokens Ophiomancer creates.
- 2013-10-17
If the ability does trigger, but you control a Snake when it tries to resolve, the ability will do nothing. No Snake token will be created.