Baleful Mastery

In Commander, Baleful Mastery earns its slot because exile-based removal that hits any permanent — including planeswalkers and indestructible threats — is genuinely rare in black. The two-mana mode is almost always correct at a multiplayer table: gifting one opponent a card is a small concession when you're already at parity against three opponents, and the mana savings compound across a long game. In Legacy and Vintage, the two-mana mode runs into the same tension as in any heads-up format — handing an opponent a card is a real cost that often makes the four-mana base rate more correct, which limits Baleful Mastery to decks that can offset or weaponize the draw. Modern and Pioneer have enough efficient exile options that Baleful Mastery competes on its flexibility rather than dominates, landing mostly in black midrange shells that want a catch-all answer over a narrower but cheaper spell.