Astarion's Thirst
Instant
Exile target creature. Put X +1/+1 counters on a commander creature you control, where X is the power of the creature exiled this way.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Battle for Baldur's Gate Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #3492
Astarion's Thirst puts a -1/-1 counter on a creature and drains an opponent for 1 life — instant speed, two mana, and it triggers Astarion, the Decadent's bite mechanic cleanly. It's not a premium removal spell, but as a cheap, on-theme interaction piece that also advances your life-gain and counter synergies, it earns its slot.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Astarion, the Decadent
Astarion, the Decadent feeds directly on what Astarion's Thirst does — the drain triggers life-gain payoffs and the -1/-1 counter softens creatures for the commander to finish off or trade through.
Skullbriar, the Walking Grave
Astarion's Thirst puts a -1/-1 counter on an opponent's creature at instant speed, which pairs with the -1/-1 counter synergies that Skullbriar, the Walking Grave shells often build around to grind down the board.
Killian, Ink Duelist
Killian, Ink Duelist reduces the cost of Auras and spells that target creatures, making Astarion's Thirst effectively a one-mana instant-speed drain-and-weaken that slots cleanly into Killian's tempo gameplan.
Sarulf, Realm Eater
Sarulf, Realm Eater scales on -1/-1 counters placed on permanents, and Astarion's Thirst provides a cheap, repeatable way to stack those counters while draining life as a bonus.
Kotis, the Fangkeeper
Kotis, the Fangkeeper rewards life-gain and creature-weakening effects, and Astarion's Thirst delivers both on a single instant-speed card that fits the deck's overall drain-and-survive strategy.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Astarion's Thirst is a Commander-first card — its power is tied to tribal and life-gain synergies that the 100-card singleton format supports far better than any 60-card format. In Legacy and Vintage, where it's technically legal, a two-mana instant that deals 1 damage and places a single -1/-1 counter simply doesn't compete with the raw efficiency of that format's removal suite. Oathbreaker is the other home worth mentioning: commanders that care about life totals or -1/-1 counters can extract real value here. Everywhere else, the card doesn't exist competitively.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Astarion's Thirst isn't confirmed yet, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the current market rate. Given its narrow synergy profile and Commander-specific design, it's likely to settle in budget range unless the Astarion, the Decadent commander precon drives sustained demand.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.