Betrayal of Flesh
Instant
Choose one —
• Destroy target creature.
• Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
Entwine—Sacrifice three lands. (Choose both if you pay the entwine cost.)
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Hachette UK
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #21479
Betrayal of Flesh does two things on one card: it destroys a nonland permanent and reanimates a creature from any graveyard, all at instant speed. The cost is steep — either six mana or sacrificing three lands — but the entwine mode that does both at once is backbreaking when you can afford it. Run it if your deck has ways to recover from land sacrifice; skip it if it doesn't, because Transcendence as a two-for-one at six mana is a real fallback.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Betrayal of Flesh is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but its competitive presence outside Commander is effectively zero — six mana or three lands is a cost no Legacy or Modern deck can justify when cheaper answers exist. In Commander, the math changes: games go long, land counts are high, and the flexibility of choosing between modes or paying entwine gives it real utility in black reanimator and sacrifice builds. It's not a staple, but in the right shell — one that generates extra lands, values graveyard recursion, and plays at instant speed — Betrayal of Flesh punches harder than its obscurity suggests.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
TranscendenceStunning ReversalElite ArcanistMind Over MatterLaboratory ManiacBetrayal of Flesh
Near-infinite card draw; Near-infinite looting; Near-infinite self-discard triggers; Near-infinite untap of artifacts, creatures, and lands; Win the game
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Betrayal of Flesh isn't currently available, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the latest. Given its age and low competitive demand, it typically sits in bulk-rare territory, making it an easy pickup if the effect fits your build.
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Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.