Is Burn Away good in Commander?

Burn Away in Commander — Combos, Decks & Price

Burn Away deals 6 damage to a creature and, if that kills it, exiles the dead creature's controller's graveyard — relevant graveyard hate stapled to removal on a single five-mana instant. The cost is the ceiling: five mana for a conditional effect means Burn Away competes poorly against cheaper removal in most formats, but in Commander the graveyard clause earns its keep.

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, Burn Away occupies a niche as removal that doubles as graveyard hate — relevant in metas where reanimation, dredge, or Underworld Breach lines are common threats. Five mana at instant speed is acceptable in a 40-life format where games run long, but the damage clause has to connect to trigger the exile, which leaves it dead against indestructible creatures or anything above 6 toughness. In Modern and Pioneer, it's too slow and too conditional; dedicated removal and dedicated graveyard hate both outclass it at lower costs. Legacy and Vintage have no use for a five-mana sorcery-speed-equivalent effect when Rest in Peace and cheaper interaction exist. Commander is the only format where Burn Away is a reasonable include, and even there it belongs only in decks that want redundant exile-based hate and can't fit better options.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$0.07 bulk tier

At $0.07, Burn Away is pure bulk — no financial commitment whatsoever to test it. Don't expect that to change; the card has no competitive demand and the effect is too narrow for prices to move.