Ancestral Vengeance
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
When this Aura enters, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control.
Enchanted creature gets -1/-1.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Fate Reforged
- Price
- $0.06
- EDHREC rank
- #21899
Ancestral Vengeance is a one-mana enchantment that permanently slaps a -1/-1 counter on an opponent's creature while pumping one of yours with a +1/+1 counter — net two-power swing on the board for a single black mana. Outside of dedicated -1/-1 counter synergies, that rate is too narrow to justify a slot.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Ancestral Vengeance is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, Pauper, and Oathbreaker, but it only earns a slot in one place: Pauper, where the card pool is restricted enough that one-mana permanent interaction with a body-pump rider can be relevant in aggressive black strategies. In Commander, a single -1/-1 counter on one creature across a 40-life multiplayer table is close to invisible — Ancestral Vengeance needs a dedicated -1/-1 counter commander like Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons or Yawgmoth, Thran Physician to justify the inclusion. In Modern and Pioneer it's simply outclassed by removal that actually answers the threat rather than softening it.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.06 bulk tier
At $0.06, Ancestral Vengeance is deep bulk — you're paying for cardboard, not the effect. That price is stable precisely because demand is low; don't expect it to move.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.