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Netherborn Altar

{1}{B}

Artifact

C20Commander 2020#45rare

It is spoken of only in whispers, visited only by the desperate.

Finishes
Nonfoil
Border
black
Security stamp
oval
Frame
2015
Illustrator
Titus Lunter
CommanderLegalModernNot legalStandardNot legal
Format legality

Constructed

StandardNot legal
PioneerNot legal
ModernNot legal
LegacyLegal
VintageLegal
PauperNot legal

Commander

CommanderLegal
Pauper CommanderNot legal
Duel CommanderLegal
PreDHNot legal
OathbreakerLegal
Tiny LeadersLegal

Arena

AlchemyNot legal
HistoricNot legal
TimelessNot legal
BrawlNot legal
Standard BrawlNot legal
Competitive BrawlNot legal
GladiatorNot legal

Other

PremodernNot legal
Old SchoolNot legal
Penny DreadfulNot legal
Future StandardNot legal
{T}, Put a soul counter on this artifact: Put your commander into your hand from the command zone. Then you lose 3 life for each soul counter on this artifact.
Plays as:
Life OutletCommander Synergy
Market · per finishtrend updated 4h ago · prices as of Oct 15, 2026
$0.20 low-$0.20 gap
Cheapest playable copy$0.38· across 2 printings· you're viewing it

Price history

last 30 days · set by the window above · each finish on its own scale
Nonfoil$0.38-5.0%30D
30D range$0.37to$0.40Since Feb 2024:H $0.80L $0.22

Other printings

2 totalCompare all printings
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Found in

3 productsRounded odds
  • Commander 2020 Commander Deck Symbiotic Swarm

    Deck · $71.79

    Nonfoil Included
  • Ikoria Lair of Behemoths Collector Booster Pack

    Booster Pack · $60.76

    Nonfoil under 10%
  • Ikoria Lair of Behemoths Collector Booster Hanger Pack

    Booster Pack · $52.24

    Nonfoil under 10%

Rulings

5 · latest Apr 17, 2020
  • WotCApr 17, 2020

    If Netherborn Altar leaves the battlefield while its ability is on the stack, the amount of life you lose is determined by the number of soul counters it had on it immediately before it left the battlefield.

  • WotCApr 17, 2020

    If you have two commanders in the command zone, Netherborn Altar’s ability puts one of your choice into your hand, not both.

  • WotCApr 17, 2020

    If your commander isn’t in the command zone (or if you’re not playing the Commander variant), Netherborn Altar only makes you lose life.

  • WotCApr 17, 2020

    Putting a soul counter onto Netherborn Altar is part of the cost to activate its ability, and counting the number of soul counters is done as the ability resolves. Players may take actions between those times to change the number of soul counters, perhaps by removing them all so that you lose no life.

  • WotCApr 17, 2020

    The “commander tax” increases based on how many times a commander was cast from the command zone. Casting a commander from your hand doesn’t require that additional cost, and it doesn’t increase what the cost will be the next time you cast that commander from the command zone.