Assassin's Trophy
Instant
Destroy target permanent an opponent controls. Its controller may search their library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- BG
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Secret Lair Drop
- Price
- $17.63
- EDHREC rank
- #124
Assassin's Trophy answers any permanent on the board for two mana — enchantments, lands, planeswalkers, commanders, anything — which is a ceiling almost no other removal spell reaches. The land-grant drawback is real but rarely game-ending, and Leonardo, the Balance // Michelangelo, the Heart players in particular will tell you the unconditional coverage is worth every basic their opponent fetches.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Leonardo, the Balance // Michelangelo, the Heart
Leonardo, the Balance // Michelangelo, the Heart cares about interacting on opponents' turns and keeping the board clean without caring about permanent type, so Assassin's Trophy's complete coverage slots directly into that reactive gameplan — 76% of its decks run it.
Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Ezio Auditore da Firenze is built around the Assassin creature type and flavored removal, and Assassin's Trophy is one of the most powerful pieces of removal the color pair offers — nearly 59% of Ezio decks include it to handle whatever the theme can't answer on its own.
Auntie Ool, Cursewretch
Auntie Ool, Cursewretch needs efficient spot removal that doesn't care about permanent type to protect her curse-stacking engine, and Assassin's Trophy's two-mana cost and zero restrictions make it the cleanest answer available — over 84% of her decks run it.
Dina, Essence Brewer
Dina, Essence Brewer plays a life-drain game that can stall out against troublesome permanents she otherwise can't touch, so Assassin's Trophy fills the removal gap that black-green's enchantment and artifact answers would otherwise leave — appearing in 85% of Dina lists.
The Reaper, King No More
The Reaper, King No More wants to keep opposing boards clean to push through its game plan, and Assassin's Trophy's ability to hit any permanent type — including opposing commanders that would otherwise gum things up — earns it a slot in nearly 73% of those decks.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Assassin's Trophy is a format staple precisely because the permanent types you need to answer vary wildly from table to table — it's the one removal spell that never gets stranded. The land-grant matters least in a four-player game where opponents already have enough resources and tempo is what you're buying. In Modern, it competes with Leyline Binding and Boseiju, Who Endures in most shells, and the land-grant is more punishing in a focused two-player game, so it typically appears as a one- or two-of flex answer rather than a full playset. Legacy and Vintage have faster, cheaper disruption available, but Assassin's Trophy still sees occasional play in midrange shells that need a catch-all. Pioneer is where it arguably shines brightest outside Commander — the format's removal options are shakier, and the unconditional permanent coverage is harder to find at two mana.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Abrupt Decay covers most of the same targets at the same mana cost and doesn't give the opponent a land, though it can't hit anything with mana value four or greater — which means it misses a lot of late-game threats. Beast Within is the next closest catch-all at three mana, hits any permanent including lands, and trades a 3/3 token for the land-grant; that's a meaningful upgrade in some metas and a downgrade in others, but at well under a dollar it's the go-to budget stand-in for Assassin's Trophy in Commander.
Price Context
Current price
$17.63 mid tier
At $17.63, Assassin's Trophy sits in the mid tier — meaningful enough to feel in a budget build, but not so expensive that it's a barrier for players who take Commander seriously. It's a staple with consistent demand across multiple formats, so the price is unlikely to crater; if you're in Golgari colors and playing Commander regularly, it's a one-time buy that goes in every deck you build.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Leonardo, the Balance // Michelangelo, the Heart
- Ezio Auditore da Firenze
- Auntie Ool, Cursewretch
- Dina, Essence Brewer
- The Reaper, King No More
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.