Brutal Expulsion
Instant
Devoid (This card has no color.)
Choose one or both —
• Return target spell or creature to its owner's hand.
• Brutal Expulsion deals 2 damage to target creature or planeswalker. If that creature or planeswalker would die this turn, exile it instead.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- RU
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Battle for Zendikar Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #19265
Brutal Expulsion does two things at instant speed — bounces a spell or permanent and deals 2 damage to a creature or planeswalker — and the modal flexibility is the entire point. Four mana is a real cost, but getting a counterspell and a removal spell stapled together, either of which can be relevant alone, makes it a genuine two-for-one threat.
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 | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Brutal Expulsion earns its slot in spell-slinger and tempo-oriented decks where holding up a single piece of interaction that answers two problems — a resolved threat and a creature — is worth the four-mana investment. In Modern and Legacy, four mana is too slow for most competitive builds, and the effect doesn't compensate for the tempo loss against faster decks. Pioneer is the same story: the format's threats outpace what Brutal Expulsion can answer efficiently. Brutal Expulsion is largely a Commander card, and even there it fits narrowest in Izzet and Grixis shells that want interaction density over raw efficiency.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Pricing data for Brutal Expulsion isn't available in this snapshot, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for current market rates. Given its niche role in Commander and near-absence from competitive formats, it typically sits in budget territory — unlikely to be a significant investment either way.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.