Chandra's Defeat
Instant
Chandra's Defeat deals 5 damage to target red creature or red planeswalker. If that permanent is a Chandra planeswalker, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Amonkhet Remastered
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #22416
Chandra's Defeat destroys any red creature or red planeswalker for a single red mana, and that rate is as good as removal gets. The catch is total: if the target isn't red, Chandra's Defeat does nothing, so it lives or dies entirely on your meta.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh
Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh decks run Chandra's Defeat because the deck is already built around red permanents and Chandra-tribal synergies, making a one-mana answer to opposing red threats — including mirror-match planeswalkers — a clean, on-theme slot.
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, Chandra's Defeat is a metagame call: at one mana it overperforms when it hits, but tables without red commanders or creature-heavy red decks will leave it stranded in hand. Legacy and Vintage have enough red staples — Goblin Lackey, Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Fury — that Chandra's Defeat can pull real weight in sideboards against the right opponents. Modern is similar; it's a surgical sideboard piece against red aggro or Grief-Fury shells, not a maindeck card. Pioneer has enough red creature density that it's worth a sideboard look if burn or red aggro is prevalent in your local meta.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Price data isn't available in the current index for Chandra's Defeat, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the latest figure. Given its narrow application, it has historically sat in bulk-rare territory — if you need it for a red-heavy meta, it's almost certainly a low-cost pickup.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.