Cutthroat Centurion

Strategy & Gameplay

Cutthroat Centurion is a versatile black creature that punches well above its modest three-mana cost by providing both an efficient body and a repeatable combat trick. This 2/2 Phyrexian Warrior serves as an excellent utility piece across numerous formats, offering strategic flexibility that rewards careful deck construction and sequencing. The card's activated ability, which allows you to sacrifice another artifact or creature to grant +2/+2 until end of turn, transforms the Centurion into a dynamic threat that scales with your deck's synergies. This mechanic incentivizes sacrifice-focused strategies where you're already running expendable permanents like tokens, artifact tokens, or creatures with death triggers, making the Centurion particularly attractive in decks built around aristocrat themes. In Pioneer and Modern, this card fits naturally into black midrange and sacrifice-oriented decks that can consistently feed it threats while applying pressure. The format legality across Historic, Gladiator, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, and Commander makes Cutthroat Centurion accessible to players regardless of their preferred format. Commander players especially appreciate cards like this that generate value from the command zone's broader resource economy and card pool. The beauty of Cutthroat Centurion lies in its flexibility: it functions as a solid threat that trades efficiently, but becomes significantly more threatening when you have sacrifice outlets or expendable creatures available. Whether you're building a Sheoldred's Edict-style sacrifice deck, an artifact-focused strategy, or any black midrange shell that generates tokens or creature sacrifice value, this Phyrexian Warrior provides the kind of efficient versatility that makes deck construction more rewarding and gameplay more interactive.