Tainted Observer
~$0.29 low · ~$0.32 high
Multicolor. Creature — Phyrexian Bird

Phyrexia: All Will Be One #217 · Illustrated by Johann Bodin
What is Tainted Observer worth?
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TCGplayer market prices in USD, updated October 14, 2026. Each price is for one printing and one finish.
Oracle text
Flying
Toxic 1 (Players dealt combat damage by this creature also get a poison counter.)
Whenever another creature you control enters, you may pay . If you do, proliferate. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there.)
2/3
Format legality
The only printing of Tainted Observer
| Printing | Rarity | Non-foil | Foil | Cardmarket (EUR) | My collection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phyrexia: All Will Be One one #217· 2023uncommon· Cardmarket €0.16 · €0.28 foil | uncommon | $0.29 | $0.32 | €0.16€0.28 foil |
Prices are TCGplayer market prices in USD for each printing and finish, via Scryfall. They are a guide, not an appraisal.
Where to buy Tainted Observer
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Card details
- First printed
- 2023
- Printings
- 1
- Mana value
- 3
- EDHREC rank
- #7,192 on EDHREC (Commander popularity)
- Keywords
- Flying, Toxic, Proliferate
- Artist
- Johann Bodin
What the codes mean
The small print at the bottom of the Phyrexia: All Will Be One card (#217).
217 · ONE · U · EN
- 217Collector number: this card's place in the set list. Main-set cards print it over the set's card count.
- ONESet code for Phyrexia: All Will Be One
- UUncommon
- ENPrinted in English
How to read a Magic card: every part and code, on real cards.
Card breakdown
The parts of Tainted Observer, read from the Phyrexia: All Will Be One printing. Tap a label to highlight its line. How to read any Magic card.

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Keywords
- FlyingCR 702.9
- It can be blocked only by creatures with flying or reach.
- ToxicCR 702.164
- Combat damage it deals to a player also gives them that many poison counters.
- ProliferateCR 701.34
- Choose any permanents and players with counters, then give each one more of a kind of counter it already has.
Rule numbers from the Magic Comprehensive Rules, version of September 25, 2026.
Rulings (13)
2023-02-04
An ability that triggers "Whenever you proliferate" triggers even if you chose no permanents or players while doing so.
2023-02-04
To proliferate, you can choose any permanent that has a counter, including ones controlled by opponents. You can choose any player who has a counter, including opponents. You can't choose cards in any zone other than the battlefield, even if they have counters on them.
2023-02-04
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.
2023-02-04
Players can respond to a spell or ability whose effect includes proliferating. Once that spell or ability starts to resolve, however, and its controller chooses which permanents and players will get new counters, it's too late for anyone to respond.
2023-02-04
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.
2023-02-04
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.
2023-02-04
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.
2023-02-04
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.
2023-02-04
Any other effects of that damage, such as life gain from lifelink, still apply.
2023-02-04
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.
2023-02-04
If a permanent ever has both +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters on it at the same time, they're removed in pairs as a state-based action so that the permanent has only one of those kinds of counters on it.
2023-02-04
If a player or permanent has more than one kind of counter on it, and you choose for it to get additional counters, it must get one of each kind of counter it already has. You can't have it get just one kind of counter it already has and not the others.
2023-02-04
You don't have to choose every permanent or player that has a counter, only the ones you want to add another counter to. Since "any number" includes zero, you don't have to choose any permanents at all, and you don't have to choose any players at all.
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