Blur of Blades
Instant
Put a -1/-1 counter on target creature. Blur of Blades deals 2 damage to that creature's controller.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Amonkhet Remastered
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #21491
Blur of Blades deals 1 damage to a creature and puts a -1/-1 counter on it — two separate effects on one card, which matters enormously in decks that care about counters entering the battlefield. Outside of dedicated -1/-1 counter synergy, one mana for one damage and one counter doesn't move the needle; with The Scorpion God on the battlefield, it becomes a cantrip that also kills small blockers.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
The Scorpion God
The Scorpion God draws you a card whenever a creature with a -1/-1 counter on it dies, so Blur of Blades functions as a one-mana 'deal 1, draw a card' against any creature with one toughness — and even against sturdier targets it seeds the counter that turns a future kill spell into extra card advantage.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Blur of Blades is a Commander card in practice — the -1/-1 counter synergy it enables is too narrow and too low-impact for Constructed formats where one mana buys Lightning Bolt or Fatal Push. In Pauper it's technically legal but competes with burn spells that do more damage for the same cost without needing a payoff on the battlefield. Commander is the only format where the card earns its slot, and even there it belongs only in dedicated -1/-1 counter builds headlined by commanders like The Scorpion God that convert every counter into incremental value.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Price data isn't available for Blur of Blades at the moment, but as a narrow synergy piece it historically sits at bulk rare or bulk common territory — under $0.50 and often available in bulk bins. Pick it up if you're building the archetype; there's no reason to pay more than a quarter.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- The Scorpion God
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.