Chaos Mutation
Instant
Exile any number of target creatures controlled by different players. For each creature exiled this way, its controller reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal a creature card, puts that card onto the battlefield, then puts the rest on the bottom of their library in a random order.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- RU
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Warhammer 40,000 Commander
- Price
- $0.50
- EDHREC rank
- #8588
Chaos Mutation wipes a creature off the board and replaces it with a random one — a removal spell that leaves a body, for four mana. Ian Malcolm, Chaotician makes every chaos trigger matter, so the chaotic replacement isn't a downside; it's the whole point.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ian Malcolm, Chaotician
Ian Malcolm, Chaotician is the natural home — his ability generates value off chaotic effects, so Chaos Mutation's randomized replacement feeds the engine directly rather than being a liability you accept.
Lilah, Undefeated Slickshot
Lilah, Undefeated Slickshot cares about casting instants and sorceries, and Chaos Mutation is an instant that does two things at once — removing a threat and dropping a creature — giving Lilah double the triggers for a single card.
Abaddon the Despoiler
Abaddon the Despoiler rewards casting spells with mana value four or more, and Chaos Mutation hits that threshold exactly while also removing a blocker that would otherwise survive into combat.
Magnus the Red
Magnus the Red reduces the cost of instant and sorcery spells, which makes Chaos Mutation cheaper to deploy and easier to slot into a turn where you're also deploying threats.
Neera, Wild Mage
Neera, Wild Mage flings spells into random replacements anyway, so Chaos Mutation's chaotic creature swap aligns naturally with a deck that's already embraced variance as a strategy.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Chaos Mutation is a Commander card — the chaotic replacement is too swingy for the deterministic game plans that competitive Constructed demands, and its legality in Legacy and Vintage doesn't translate to real play there. In Commander, four mana for an instant-speed creature removal that leaves a random creature behind is a reasonable rate, especially in chaos-themed or Universes Beyond decks where the random element is a feature. Oathbreaker follows the same logic: playable in the right shell, irrelevant outside it.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.50 bulk tier
At $0.50, Chaos Mutation sits firmly in bulk territory — easy to pick up without a second thought for any deck that wants it. Bulk rares with narrow homes tend to stay flat, so there's no urgency either way.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Ian Malcolm, Chaotician
- Lilah, Undefeated Slickshot
- Abaddon the Despoiler
- Magnus the Red
- Neera, Wild Mage
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.