Certain Death
Sorcery
Destroy target creature. Its controller loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Eldritch Moon
- Price
- $0.07
- EDHREC rank
- #23827
Certain Death destroys any creature and drains the opponent for 2 life — but six mana for unconditional removal is a steep ask when most competitive Commander lists answer threats at two or three. It's fine in budget pauper-legal builds, but it gets outclassed the moment your curve tightens.
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 |
In Commander, Certain Death sits at the bottom of the removal pile — the effect is clean and unconditional, but six mana at sorcery speed means you're often a turn too late against the decks that matter. Pauper is where it sees the most genuine play, since the card pool at common thins out instant-speed unconditional removal and the life drain is a real resource. In Legacy, Modern, and Pioneer the competition is brutal — Fatal Push, Terminate, and Path to Exile exist, and nobody is casting six-mana removal spells in those formats. Vintage is legal but irrelevant. Certain Death is a Pauper card wearing a Commander costume.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.07 bulk tier
At $0.07, Certain Death is deep bulk — you're buying it out of a dollar box, not a display case. Bulk commons don't appreciate, so grab it if you need it and don't think twice about the price.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.