Blades of Velis Vel
Kindred Instant — Shapeshifter
Changeling (This card is every creature type.)
Up to two target creatures each get +2/+0 and gain all creature types until end of turn.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $0.20
- EDHREC rank
- #12008
Blades of Velis Vel turns every creature you control into every creature type simultaneously until end of turn — a one-mana instant that rewrites tribal math on the spot. The decks that want it most are the ones where creature type matters at combat, and Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator is the clearest example: make your attackers Pirates, trigger Malcolm, bank the Treasure.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
Blades of Velis Vel makes every attacker a Pirate for a turn, which means every hit in combat generates Treasure off Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator — one mana to turn a board of miscellaneous creatures into a Treasure factory is exactly the rate this deck wants.
Breeches, Brazen Plunderer // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
The same Malcolm engine applies here, and Breeches, Brazen Plunderer adds a second axis: creatures that deal combat damage to players let you cast spells off the top of opponents' libraries, so Blades of Velis Vel doesn't just pay for itself in Treasure — it also widens the window for Breeches triggers.
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 | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Blades of Velis Vel is a role-player in tribal and Pirate-synergy decks specifically — outside those shells it's unplayable, but inside them it's a genuine one-mana instant that converts an entire board into the creature type you need. In Pauper it sees occasional fringe play in tribal aggro shells where the common slot is at a premium and a one-mana type-setter can set up lord triggers or protection windows. Legacy and Vintage have enough power density that Blades of Velis Vel doesn't register, and it's not legal in Pioneer or Standard, which is where most casual players might think to look for cheap instants.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.20 bulk tier
At $0.20, Blades of Velis Vel is deep bulk — a card you pick up in a trade binder without thinking about it. The price reflects its narrow appeal: it's excellent in the decks that want it and invisible everywhere else, so there's no pressure to acquire it quickly and no reason to expect movement in either direction.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Kediss, Emberclaw Familiar // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
- Breeches, Brazen Plunderer // Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.