Agony Warp
Instant
Target creature gets -3/-0 until end of turn.
Target creature gets -0/-3 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BU
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Archenemy
- Price
- $0.21
- EDHREC rank
- #21759
Agony Warp trades one mana for two effects — shrink a blocker and kill a small creature, or set up a clean double block — making it one of the most mana-efficient instants in Dimir colors. Two mana at instant speed for that kind of board impact is the definition of a role-player that earns its slot.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Agony Warp is a niche inclusion: the -3/-3 clause kills a surprising number of utility creatures and X/3s, and shrinking an attacker at instant speed can redirect combat in your favor, but the three-player politics of the format mean single-target removal at sorcery-level impact rarely makes the cut over something that answers any permanent. Pauper is where Agony Warp does its best work — the format's creatures are small enough that -3/-3 is often a hard kill, and two-mana instants that generate two-for-ones are exactly what control and tempo decks want. In Legacy and Vintage, the card is legal but outclassed by faster interaction; no competitive deck is reaching for it when Fatal Push and Force of Will exist.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.21 bulk tier
At $0.21, Agony Warp is pure bulk — easy to pick up in any common bin or as a throw-in. The price reflects its Commander fringe status, and it's unlikely to climb unless a Pauper archetype breaks out around it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.