Is Contagion Engine legal in Standard, Modern, and Commander?

Contagion Engine is legal in: Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Historic.

What type of card is Contagion Engine?

Contagion Engine is an Artifact. Its oracle text reads: "When this artifact enters, put a -1/-1 counter on each creature target player controls. {4}, {T}: Proliferate twice. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there. Then do it again.)"

Contagion Engine

Artifact

When this artifact enters, put a -1/-1 counter on each creature target player controls.

, : Proliferate twice. (Choose any number of permanents and/or players, then give each another counter of each kind already there. Then do it again.)

Set Scars of Mirrodin

Rarity Rare

Mana Value 6

Artist Daarken

Collector # 145

Scryfall

Standard	Not legal
Pioneer	Not legal
Modern	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Commander	Legal
Pauper	Not legal
Historic	Legal

Why Play Contagion Engine

Six mana gets you an immediate board impact that weakens opposing creatures while setting up powerful long-term value through repeated proliferate activations. Decks focused on +1/+1 counters, planeswalkers, or poison counters want this as a versatile engine that both disrupts opponents and accelerates your own gameplan. The double proliferate activation can rapidly spiral games out of control, turning modest advantages into overwhelming board states within a few turns.

Format Notes

Commander represents the primary home for this card, where the higher life totals and multiplayer dynamics make the six-mana investment more reasonable and the repeatable effects more impactful. Modern occasionally sees play in dedicated proliferate or superfriends builds, though the mana cost limits competitive viability. Legacy and Vintage rarely feature this card due to faster gameplay, while Historic offers similar applications to Modern with slightly more room for expensive engines.

Combos & Synergies

Planeswalker-heavy decks maximize value by rapidly building toward multiple ultimate abilities, with cards like Inexorable Tide providing additional proliferate triggers. Poison strategies benefit enormously from the double proliferate, making cards like Plaguemaw Beast part of a cohesive infect package. Counter-based creature strategies pair well through cards like Metastatic Evangel, creating a value engine that grows your board while shrinking opponents' creatures each turn.